Copycat Payday Bar Recipe

4.78 from 18 votes

Copycat Payday Bar Recipe

Copycat Payday Bar Recipe is my homemade version of a PayDay Candy Bar. It's super easy to make and has soft caramels and salty peanuts. #copycat #recipe #peanuts #caramel #peanutroll #dessert #snack #homemade #easy #fromscratch

Course Breakfast. Snack., Dessert, gift

Cuisine American/Southern

Keyword caramel, peanut butter, peanuts

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1 14

Servings slices

Calories 253kcal

Author Paula

Equipment

9x13-inch baking pan

Ingredients

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 cups peanuts roasted and salted
½ cup unsalted butter
2 cups marshmallows mini-marshmallows will melt faster
1/2 cup peanut butter creamy (I don't recommend peanut butter chips)
2 cups powdered sugar (aka confectioners) sifted

Instructions

For the caramel

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a shallow non-stick baking dish. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil. It needs to fit inside another dish. I use a 9x5-inch loaf pan for the milk and set it inside a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Pour water in the larger pan until it reaches about halfway up the inside pan with the sweetened condensed milk in it.
Bake 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool. (You can do this step hours beforehand.)
Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Add 2 cups of peanuts and spread them out evenly over the bottom of the pan.

For the bars

Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Spread 2 cups of peanuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until they're melted.
Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the caramel and the peanut butter.
When the mixture is completely combined and smooth, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar.
Quickly pour this mixture over the peanuts and smooth it with a silicone spatula. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts evenly over the top and press them into the caramel with the spatula.
Allow the bars to set for 1 hour on the countertop or about 30 minutes in the refrigerator before slicing.
Use the parchment or foil to remove the bars from the pan to a cutting board and cut into squares or bars with a sharp knife.
Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Nutrition