CROCKPOT CANDY DR. SEUSS GRINCH COOKIES

Looking for a fun and festive way to jazz up some of your favorite candy and cookie recipes? Check out these Grinch inspired crockpot candies.

YUM!!

Grinch crockpot cookies are super easy and festive. The best part is no decorating or fancy techniques required.

These festive Grinch crockpot cookies come together quicker than you can make a second cup of coffee in the morning. You’ll be shocked by how fast this recipe comes together.

Scoop them out of the crockpot, enjoy, share, freeze, gift, or give away. Either way, you’ll be pleased with these adorable and delicious clusters.

If you’ve been searching for an easy, adorable, and fun recipe to whip up during the holidays, you’ve come to the right place. These little clusters of Grinch crockpot cookies are easy to make and guaranteed to get compliments.

Best of all, you’ll have a batch done (bagged and tagged) before you know it. There’s no need to spend hours in the kitchen.

Your kids will love helping with these and they’re sure to volunteer to add the candy hearts.

HOW TO MAKE GRINCH COOKIES

Making these adorable Grinch Crockpot Cookies only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time. Then, you can let the crockpot do the hard work.

These festive morsels are guaranteed to bring smiles to little faces this holiday season.

STEP 1: LAYER THE INGREDIENTS IN THE CROCKPOT

Line up a layer of roasted peanuts in the bottom of a 2 quart slow cooker. Arrange a white chocolate baking bar (broken into chunks), green Wilton Candy Melts, white almond bark, and the remaining peanuts in layers in the slow cooker.

There’s no need to mix the layers. They will melt together later on.

STEP 2: COVER WITH THE PAPER TOWEL TRICK

Cover the slow cooker with a large enough paper towel to fit over the top. Then, cover with a lid.

The paper towel trick keeps the condensation from falling into your crockpot cookies. Water is the enemy of melted chocolate.

Be sure to remove the lid and paper towel carefully so any condensation does not drip into your slow cooker mixture.

STEP 3: COOK ON LOW FOR 1 HOUR

Now the fun part…WAITING! Keep in mind, every time you peek under the lid, you are releasing precious heat.

Thus, lengthening the melting process. Place the lid on your crockpot and let those candies melt together on LOW for one hour.

STEP 4: CHECK AND STIR

After the crockpot cooks for 1 hour on LOW, check to make sure the candy melts, almond bark, and chocolate have melted. Stir until they are a uniform color (bright green!) with no lumps or chunks.

If there are some pieces that have not melted, cover with paper towel and lid again. Check again in 15 minutes (stirring).

Repeat until melted. Do not walk away at this point.

Chocolate burns easily once melted.

STEP 5: SCOOP THE CLUSTERS

Line a large baking sheet or countertop with parchment. Use a cookie scoop or 1/4-cup measure to drop mounds of the chocolate-peanut mixture onto the parchment.

As the mixture sits in the crock pot it will become thicker as it cools a bit, so try to work a little quickly. Do not let it sit too long, as 30 minutes between scooping could be too long.

It may be necessary to turn the crock pot back on and heat on low for about a minute to loosen the mixture.

STEP 6: ADD THE CANDY HEART

Add a Wilton Candy Heart to the center-top of each portion. This needs to happen while the clusters are still warm, otherwise the Candy Heart will not adhere to the clusters.

The white chocolate will begin to set after sitting out a few minutes, so add the Candy Hearts as each cluster is made. Use only ONE heart and place in center to achieve that perfect little Grinch moment.

STEP 7: LET THEM SET

Leave the candy clusters at room temperature for 2-3 hrs for the almond bark/white chocolate to set up nice and shiny. It’s tempting to put these in the fridge to help them set up quicker.

Resist. Going from hot to cold causes the chocolate to get a white, powdery coating called “bloom.” Blooming isn’t harmful but doesn’t look very pretty.

Once they have been out at room temp 2-3 hrs they will be completely set up and you can bag or store as desired. You can stack them without worry.

HELPFUL TIPS

• This recipe is geared towards a 2-qt crockpot. If your pot is much larger than that, the candy will cook faster and possibly cook too much because the chocolate will be in a thinner layer. You could double the recipe, however, if you have a larger pot.
• Line your work area with parchment paper so the candy has a good place to set up. Wax paper also works well.
• The size of the clusters really depends on your scooper. We used a 1/4-cup measure and they came out on the larger side. If you’d like them on the smaller side, try a 1-tbsp measure, perfect for a variety of holiday cookies or even as gifts.
• We found it easiest to make these with two people; one person scooping and another adding the candy hearts before the cluster has a chance to set up. If you’re making them solo, just move quick and switch your crockpot to the warm setting. That will keep the mixture in a more fluid state without cooking it much further.
• To prevent condensation, place a single paper towel under your lid to absorb the moisture. A cloth towel can introduce moisture into your mixture.

VARIATIONS

• Instead of green candy melts, try orange for Halloween, pastel pink or yellow for Easter, red for Valentine’s Day or purple and gold for Mardi Gras using the same amount.
• Try replacing 1/2 cup of the peanuts with 1/2 cup coarsely broken pretzels for a salty/crunchy addition.
• Mixed roasted nuts work well here as do cashews. We liked the peanut flavor but thought cashews or any kind of nut wouldn’t overpower the white chocolate as much as peanuts.
• We thought the addition of colored candy melts was cute but the white almond bark (20 oz. size) is really good on its own with peanuts. Try skipping the colored melts if you’re looking for a cleaner flavor, though green sprinkles could be added if desired.

EQUIPMENT WORTH HAVING

• 2 qt crockpot
• 1/4-cup measure

Parchment paper

• A 2-quart slow cooker is ideal. In a bigger one, like my 6-quart one, the chocolate melts down to be really thin and cooks more unevenly. You can use a bigger one but a 2-quart is ideal.
• A cookie scoop makes portioning go SO MUCH faster. You’ll get 30+ clusters with a 1/4-cup scoop. If you don’t have a scoop, use a 1/4 cup measure.
• Wilton Green Candy Melts are seasonal and can be difficult to find closer to December. Call around and see who has them or order some online.

STORAGE, MAKE-AHEAD, AND GIFTING

COUNTERTOP STORAGE

Store cookie clusters in an airtight container at room temperature, separated by parchment or wax paper, for up to 4 days. Clusters must be completely set up before storing.

FREEZER STORAGE

Clusters can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the freezer, separated by parchment or wax paper, for up to 2 months. Remove clusters to room temperature and allow to thaw, usually in 20-30 minutes.

They taste as fresh as you left them (better even).

MAKE-AHEAD TIMELINE

Clusters can be made days ahead of time. Store them on the countertop or freeze them (see above).

If you are planning a holiday cookie exchange or gifting list, make a double or triple batch — the crockpot can handle a doubled recipe, though you may have to add 15 to 20 minutes of melt time.

GIFTING

These Grinch cookie clusters make adorable little gifts. Pop them into holiday tins with parchment sheets in-between or clear cellophane bags tied with a red or green ribbon.

These clusters travel MUCH better than cookies since they aren’t soft or frosted like sugar cookies.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY DID MY CHOCOLATE SEIZE UP AND GET GRAINY?

Condensation building up on the lid of your slow cooker can drip down into the chocolate causing it to seize up and get a grainy texture. There’s almost nothing you can do at that point to bring the chocolate back, though sometimes stirring in small amounts of coconut oil or veggie shortening works, even if it’s rare.

In order to prevent this, place a paper towel underneath the lid. The towel will soak up condensation so it never drips into the chocolate.

Start over if this happens – it’s unfortunate but happens to the best of us.

Can I double this recipe in my slow cooker?

Yes, you can. It will take 15-20 minutes longer to melt everything down but it works.

This recipe makes 30-40 cookies depending on the size of your scoop. Total time is less than two hours and it’s pretty much hands-off during the process.

It’s my favorite type of recipe to make.

Can I use milk or dark chocolate instead of white?

You can but I highly recommend using a light base like white chocolate or almond bark as it will help the greens of the candy melts to really pop. If you use a milk or dark chocolate it will make them more of a dirty green.

You will end up with peanut and chocolate clusters, nothing like the Grinch clusters, but they will still be delicious.

My crockpot cooks very hot and the white chocolate burns.

What can I do?

Start checking your Grinch candy clusters at 45 minutes until you’re able to dial in how long it takes to get them completely melted and cohesive. It’s better to check on them at 45 minutes and stir to make sure they’re not scorching, as white chocolate has a very distinct smell if it’s burnt and will ruin the whole batch.

There’s no harm done checking them a tad early but burnt white chocolate has no remedy.

What else can I use for toppings besides candy melts and candy hearts?

The candy hearts are what make them look traditionally Grinchy but red and white sprinkles, red cinnamon candies and green sugar crystals would all be delicious and cute! Remember that whatever topping you choose to use needs to be added as soon as you’ve scooped out a cluster as the outside will be hardened by the time you get them all onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

How many Grinch candy clusters are in a batch?

If you use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop you’ll make about 30-40 clusters. You can make about 60-70 smaller clusters by scooping them out with a heaping 1 tablespoon measure.

Why are they called Grinch candy cookies? Aren’t these no-bake candy clusters?

Technically yes. There’s not any flour here and these clusters are more reminiscent of candy than anything else.

However, they are served with holiday cookies on a dessert tray and if you’re bringing them to a cookie exchange they’re going to be sitting side-by-side with actual cookies. That’s why I call these Grinch candy clusters a cookie.

RELATED RECIPES

If you enjoyed the Grinch Cookies, I’m sure you’ll like these festive, easy-to-make recipes too:

• Crockpot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
• White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch Recipe