We were fortunate to get to spend a part of the week-end with my brother-in-law, Jason. He lives in another state but was in town for work and able to hang out with us Friday night and Saturday morning. As luck would have it, it was also his birthday on Friday so it was a wonderful excuse opportunity to do some baking for the little family party we planned. I texted him early in the day to ask if he had a favorite dessert and he said maybe a lemon pound cake or anything peanut buttery and it was once again confirmed to me that he and I are siblings separated at birth because not only do I eat peanut butter every single day of the week but I also think there needs to be a new love language simply entitled “pound cake”.
And all God’s people said, “Amen.”
I texted Amy for a lemon pound cake recipe because she is a bit of a diva (and I say that lovingly and she would be the first to admit she is exactingly picky when it comes to cake of any form) and we looked at several before deciding that we needed to go with a Barefoot Contessa recipe because those never fail but I made a mistake using that particular recipe because had I read the fine print BEFORE baking I would have noticed that it was a VARIATION of a Barefoot Contessa recipe and not the real deal.
In this instance, variation=cake fail.
But lest you be alarmed, I had prepared a peanut buttery dessert as well because somewhere there was a tear in the fabric of the universe and my children did not inherit my love for all things citrus. Behold, the peanut butter pie.

Because how can you go wrong with hot fudge, cream cheese, peanut butter, and Cool Whip?
While I was messing up the kitchen, I decided to go ahead and make a new candy recipe that I got from my mom. One day while we were talking on the phone I heard her munching on something and she told me that it was a piece of peanut cluster that she’d first made for Christmas and it was so ridiculously good that she had to make a second batch and then hide it from my daddy so she’d have a piece.
Fifty-five years of marriage and she still has to safeguard the sweets.
Bless her heart.
I, of course, needed that recipe because I have a father-in-law who LOVES chocolate-covered peanuts and he’s coming to visit soon so I made the recipe and it was, in fact, so good that I’ve now had to hide what’s left so that Craig doesn’t eat it all before his dad gets here.
So in honor of Valentine’s Day and all things sweet and delicious, here’s the recipe that is so easy you’re gonna’ croak. If you can pour, stir, and turn on a crockpot, you’re good to go.
Chocolate Covered Peanuts
16-24 ounces of dry roasted peanuts
1 block of Baker’s German chocolate (do not be afraid – I generally cannot abide German chocolate and you can’t tell one bit)
1 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips
1 pound and a half block of white almond bark
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1. Pour the peanuts into the bottom of a crockpot.
2. Place the whole bar of German chocolate on top of the peanuts.
3. Pour in the bag of chocolate chips.
4. Place the bar of almond bark on top.

5. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
6. After two hours have passed, stir to combine, and drop by spoonfuls onto parchment or waxed paper.


You may have more chocolate than nuts at the end of the recipe. Just drop in anything else that needs coating – small pretzels, almonds, shoe leather… it’ll all be good, I promise.
And your family will rise up and call you blessed.
And you’ll need to find a new hiding place.
Have a nice day.