Easy Crockpot Christmas Crack – Dark Chocolate Clusters
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These easy crockpot Christmas crack dark chocolate clusters are to die for! This slow cooker candy contains layers of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy flavors covered in rich dark chocolate. Absolute Heaven!
There is no shortage of chocolate peanut clusters during this time of year. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of the traditional recipes. Most recipes seem to be made with white or milk chocolate chips, and I’m not a big fan of either. Both are far too sweet for me. I’m all about the dark chocolate!
I just love the bitter-rich complexities of dark chocolate. I believe it creates a much more addicting crockpot Christmas crack recipe for those who love bitter and tart flavors in their candies as I do.
This homemade Christmas candy is an addicting sweet treat, and you’ll hardly be able to stop yourself from grabbing a crack cluster every time you walk past the plate. They’re perfect to bring to a holiday party or add taste & texture variety to holiday cookie trays.
Ingredients
There is a range of textures and flavors in this crockpot Christmas candy from several easy-to-find, simple ingredients. To make these dark chocolate crockpot Christmas crack clusters, you need:
Caramel-filled Stroopwafels – These Dutch cookies are two thin waffle layers sandwiched with caramel syrup. They are relatively easy to find in grocery stores during the holiday season, and they give a perfect chewy touch to the crack cookies.
Pretzels – I used Pretzel Crisps, but you can use regular pretzels, too. These give a salty crunch to our crack clusters!
Shredded Coconut – I used sweetened shredded coconut. This gives the crack so much delicious flavor, and let’s be real–dark chocolate and coconut were made to go together (check out my chocolate coconut swirl protein ice cream if you love this combo as much as I do!)
Chopped Pecans – I used raw pecans, but you could also use peanuts or pistachios if you aren’t a fan of pecans!
Dried Tart Cherries – Tart cherry is also a beautifully complementary flavor to dark chocolate, and they give a great chew to the crack!
Dark Chocolate Chunks – I’m using 62% cocoa because that’s the darkest I could find at my grocery store. Choose whatever percentage you like. If you’re not sure if you like strong dark chocolate, choose one with around 50% cocoa content, or use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
White Almond Bark – We are using half a large block of white almond bark to help mellow out the flavors.
Can’t find some of these ingredients? Check out the “Tips & Variations” section below for substitution ideas.
Instructions
This is the definition of a simple recipe! To make these dark chocolate crockpot Christmas crack, follow the easy instructions below.
1. Prep Ingredients
Chop your Stroopwafels into tiny pieces about the size of your thumbnail. Crumble the pretzels into similar-sized pieces. Give your pecans a rough chop, or buy chopped pecans in the baking section. Portion out the rest of the ingredients and set them aside.
2. Combine Ingredients
Take out a medium-sized slow cooker. Add all ingredients to the crockpot. Give it a few stirs to evenly mix the ingredients.
3. Turn Crockpot to High
Turn your crock pot on to the “high” setting. If you are using a large crockpot and are working with a wider, thinner layer, you may wish to use “low” instead, or start it on high and turn it to low heat after the first stir to prevent burning.
4. Stir Frequently
Stir your crack every 10 minutes until the chocolate and almond bark completely melts. This usually takes 30-40 minutes.
5. Scoop
Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out evenly sized clusters onto a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. You could also scoop the clusters into mini cupcake liners for a cleaner shape!
6. Add Toppings
Sprinkle some toppings onto each cluster, such as a pinch of coarse sea salt, holiday sprinkles, crushed candy canes, toffee bits, or even more coconut flakes.
7. Allow to Set
Leave clusters to set at room temperature. They will need several hours to get fully hardened.
8. Serve & Store
Once hardened, the crockpot Christmas crack is ready to eat! Store clusters in an airtight container. They will be good up to a week….if they last that long!
Tips & Variations
The great thing about Christmas crack is you can customize the ingredients pretty easily to suit your tastes. Hate dark chocolate? Use milk or white chocolate chips. Can’t find Stroopwafels? Use chopped-up shortbread cookies. Hate nuts altogether? Crumble up some Oreos. Have at it! The world is your oyster.
My instructions say to cook this Christmas crockpot candy recipe on high so they will be done in less time, but this is assuming you are going to keep an eye on them and truly stir them every 10 minutes. If you’re making these while busy and distracted, using the low setting would be a perfectly fine choice so you don’t burn them.
Serving Suggestions
These go great on a cookie plate with other seasonal desserts! Try making my Gooey Peanut Butter Blossoms Bars, my dark chocolate macadamia nut cookies, or my Healthy Molasses Oatmeal Cookies. Check out my healthy treats collection for more ideas, such as my healthy peanut butter blossoms with fresh milled flour.
Nutritional Information
This makes a big batch of 35 candy clusters. For one cluster, the nutritional information is as follows:
- Calories: 195
- Protein: 1.8 grams
- Fat: 10.6 grams (6.9 grams saturated)
- Carbs: 21.8 grams
- Fiber: 2.7 grams
Recipe Notes
Allow the homemade candy time to set for several hours before storing. Then you can store the crock pot candy in an airtight container.
Make This Dark Chocolate Crockpot Christmas Candy Today!
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Easy Crockpot Christmas Crack Dark Chocolate Clusters
Equipment
- Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 4-5 Caramel-filled Stroopwafel Cookies - about 150 grams
- 1 cup Pretzel Crisps - abut 70 grams
- 2/3 cup Dried Sweetend Tart Cherries - about 100 grams
- 2/3 cup Shredded Coconut - about 85 grams
- 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
- 20 ounce Dark Chocolate Chunks
- 10 ounces Vanilla Almond Bark
- Your favorite toppings, like sea salt, candy cane bits, or toffee pieces
Instructions
- Chop your Stroopwafels into tiny pieces about the size of your thumbnail. Crumble your Pretzel Crisps into similar-sized pieces. Prepare the rest of your ingredients by measuring them out and setting them aside.
- Take out your crock pot and plug it in. Add all of your ingredients to the crockpot and give it a few stirs to evenly mix everything. Put the lid on and turn the crock pot on to high heat.
- Stir the contents of your crockpot every 10 minutes to prevent burning. As soon as all of the chocolate and almond bark is melted, turn off your crock pot. This will take 30-40 minutes. If using a larger-sized crockpot, it may take less time, and you will want to stir it even more frequently to prevent burning.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out the clusters onto a large sheet of wax paper. Top each cluster with your favorite toppings, such as sea salt, festive sprinkles, or toffee bits.
- Let the clusters sit for several hours until fully set. Store in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days. Enjoy!
Video
Yum! I love the combo of dark chocolate with cherries and coconut. Soooo good! Love the rich, bitter flavors of the dark chocolate to offset the overly sweet cookie plates