Candy Coal for Stockings {Recipe}

Is anyone in your house on Santa's Naughty List?
Someone here is. And this candy coal will be inside of his stocking this year.

But I'm also planning to give these little bags of coal to friends, too, because.. well, they're funny. AND they're good. Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, covered in black sprinkles. What's not to like??

What You Need: 
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy, but whatever you like.)
1 package of graham crackers, crushed (1/3 of a standard box of graham crackers.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1- 12 oz. bag chocolate chips or Chocolate Candy Melts
Black Sanding Sugar (sprinkle sugar)*

*Note: Black Sanding Sugar isn't terribly easy to find after Halloween, if you don't have a good cake supply store nearby. Online, it is, of course. But if you're in a pinch and want to make these right now, like I do, check out this blog post on Sugarbelle's Blog. 

The good news is that these are really not all that time-consuming to make.

Start by making the peanut butter filling:

Crush one package of graham crackers. (This is a good way to get the kiddos helping out. Any crushing that needs to be done in this house is handled by the six-year-olds.)

Partially melt the peanut butter and butter. Microwave for about 45 seconds on high.

Stir the butter and peanut butter to combine. Add the graham cracker crumbs and the powdered sugar. Stir to make a thick dough-like filling.

This is where it gets messy. Scoop out about 1 Tbsp. of 'dough.' Shape each into a square/rectangle. They don't have to be perfect, they're turning into coal, after all.
Have a damp towel nearby, you'll need to wipe your hands after just about every one.
Allow them to harden in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

To dip the "coal," melt the chocolate chips or Candy Melts on 30% power. I always use a tall mug for dipping, but a bowl would work here, too.
The chocolate chips will not harden as quickly as the Candy Melts. But because they're covered with sprinkles, I don't know that it matters too much.

If you're good at dipping things, then by all means use a spoon or fork to do this, but I am not good with those, so I use a toothpick.
Insert the toothpick about halfway into the cooled (and now somewhat hardened) peanut butter patty.

Dip the peanut butter all the way into the chocolate, going straight in and straight back out to help keep it from falling off of the toothpick.

Tap the toothpick against the side/top of the mug to allow the excess chocolate to fall off. (This helps keep it from dripping or puddling.)
If you keep the toothpick pointed upwards, rather than down towards the chocolate, that helps keep the candy from falling off.

Immediately pour the black sanding sugar over the top, or 'roll' the coated candy in the sprinkles. The chocolate will harden somewhat quickly, so don't wait too long, or you're out of luck with the sprinkles.

You can allow them to dry/set two ways... either just lay them on waxed or parchment paper...

Or stab the toothpick into some styrofoam. I prefer the styrofoam because I think the backs of the ones that dry flat look a little smooshed. But you know, they still look great either way!

If you used chocolate chips, I recommend sticking them in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you take out the toothpicks. If you use Candy Melts, just remove the toothpicks, and you're ready to taunt your friends and family this holiday!

For the bag and tag, I used the "medium" treat bags that you can find at Michaels, JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, etc. And I printed up the tag, which you should be able to access by clicking here. (I got the picture of Santa from this free clipart site.)

Click the Links Below to See:
Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Recipe
Other Christmas Treat Ideas

Enter your email address below to receive the latest recipes, tips and ideas in your email inbox:


Delivered by FeedBurner

And don't forget, if you shop at Amazon.com through my link, you support this blog and its contents. Thank you!