Snickers–nougat, peanuts, caramel, and chocolate. This candy bar translates into a pie that is good for kids and adults alike. It’s all the best bits of a Snickers held together with a tender and buttery chocolate crust.
My ability to focus this week has been absolutely non-existent. I’ve been feeling like my attention should be elsewhere and haven’t even been able to think about writing, have barely made it a few pages into my book without other thoughts immediately popping into my brain, and haven’t been able to focus on baking or pies. But, baking can be a bit of a comfort for some people (myself included, most days), and if there’s anything I’ve learned from my various guided runs with the voice of a virtual coach in my ear, smiling can suddenly make the effort seem a bit easier and keep you going. This Snickers Pie is sure to make just about any one smile.
With a biscuit-like crust (cookie biscuit of course, not breakfast biscuit), each slice is something that can either be hand-held or eaten with a fork. This pie celebrates everything chocolate, peanut, and caramel.
The crust is layered with a bit of extra melted chocolate for good measure before being layered up with a soft peanut butter nougat, chewy caramel with peanuts stirred throughout, and a layer of smooth and bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate. I didn’t want to go with milk, because even though that’s what the candy bar is made from, this pie needs a bit of bitterness to cut through all of the sweet.
It might look daunting with the number of steps down below, but everything comes together so easily that it’s not really as intimidating as it looks. It’s mostly just a bit of maintaining the sugar syrup and caramel on the stove before letting the nougat whisk up on its own or before tossing the caramel straight into the pie. Just a bit of chilling is needed to make sure everything is set before adding on the next layer, and the cold caramel helps the melted chocolate spread over the top set even faster, which means you can be enjoying a slice of pie almost as soon as it’s done being assembled.
| Prep Time | 40 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1-1 1/2 hours |
| Servings |
slices
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- 150 grams all purpose flour (1 1/4 cup spooned and leveled)
- 30 grams Dutch processed cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
- 45 grams granulated sugar (2 1/2 Tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 113 grams unsalted butter cold and cubed (1/2 cup or 1 stick)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk (from large egg)
- 28 grams bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips melted (2 Tbsp)
- 1 egg white (from large egg)
- 193 grams granulated sugar (3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)
- 50 mL water (1/4 cup)
- 64 grams smooth peanut butter (1/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 396 grams sweetened condensed milk (1 can or 14 oz)
- 120 grams light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick)
- 95 grams peanuts roasted and salted, chopped (1/2 cup)
- 170 grams bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (3/4 cup)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
Peanut Butter Nougat
Peanut Caramel
Chocolate Topping
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- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Add in the cubed butter. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. In a small bowl or a cup, whisk together the egg white and the vanilla, add to the flour and butter mix. Stir until the dough begins to come together. You may need knead it a bit until you can form the dough into a ball. Flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to preheat. Lightly grease a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom and set aside.
- Roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. It should be a couple of inches larger around than the tart pan. Transfer to the prepared tart pan, if it's soft and cracks a bit, just patch together with more dough. Trim the excess by running a knife along the top of the pan. Dock the bottom of the pastry by pricking it gently with a fork. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes until cold.
- Remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven. Place the chilled pie case on the sheet and return to the oven, placing it on the middle rack. Bake for 30 minutes until cooked through. Allow to cool completely. Spoon or brush melted chocolate along the inside of the pie crust.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg white on medium until soft peaks begin to form. (This can also be done with a hand mixer, but it might get a bit tricky when adding the sugar syrup later on.)
- While the egg white is whipping up, pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan. Stir until combined. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to boil until it reaches 255°F, lifting the pan and swirling as needed. (A candy thermometer is recommended here).
- With the mixer set to medium, slowly pour in the sugar syrup in a steady stream (be careful not to pour it onto the whisk). Once all the syrup has been added, raise the speed to high and whisk until the mixture is glossy and thick. The bottom of the bowl should go from hot to slightly warm. This will take about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the peanut butter and salt until fully incorporated. Spoon the nougat into the prepared pie crust while still warm and spread it until even. It should set on its own, but I like to chill it in the freezer while I prepare the caramel.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, light brown sugar, butter, and vanilla to a large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture begins to boil. Heat until thick and the caramel begins to pull away cleanly from the sides of the pan while stirring (this will be around 250°F if using a candy thermometer).
- Stir the chopped peanuts into the caramel and pour into the pie crust over the nougat. Allow to cool in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until firm and chilled to the touch.
- Melt the chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave, per the instructions on the bag. Stir in the vegetable oil. Pour the chocolate over the chilled pie and spread until it evenly covers the top of the caramel. Top with peanuts, whole or chopped, or flaky salt if desired. Allow chocolate to set before slicing. I like to serve my pie chilled for full candy bar effect.
Nougat recipe adapted from Epicurious.