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You can make these using a chocolate bar-shaped mold or your favorite silicone molds. Follow the easy steps below for a terrific treat!
What is a Chunky Bar?
The original Chunky Bar was a chocolate bar made by Nestle with an iconic square pyramid-like shape. It had a sweet and salty combination of raisins and roasted peanuts and was available in milk chocolate and dark chocolate.
However, the dark chocolate has been discontinued, and the milk chocolate can be hard to find. Luckily, with this recipe, you can now make your own at home!
Chunky Bar Ingredients:
Grab these 3 simple ingredients to make chunky bars at home.
- Chocolate: use chocolate chips or shave off pieces from a chocolate bar. You get to choose between semi-sweet or dark!
- Raisins: a classic ingredient that adds sweetness to these bars.
- Peanuts: roasted unsalted work best, simply coarsely chop them.
You’ll find the ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
How to make these chocolate chunky bars
The steps to make these chocolate bars at home are simple.
- Prep:
Set up a double broiler by filling a small sauce pot with about 3 inches of water. Place a heat-resistant bowl on top. Place the chocolate molds on a baking sheet or a small tray. I recommend using one that will fit inside your fridge. Distribute the chopped peanuts and raisins inside the molds, making sure there’s even distribution in the bars. - Melt the chocolate:
Place the chocolate on top of the double broiler and melt it while gently stirring it with a spatula. Once melted, turn off the heat. - Fill:
Carefully pour the melted chocolate inside the prepared molds. Spread the chocolate with a silicone spatula or frosting spatula as an even layer on top. - Chill:
Transfer the tray with the chocolate molds to the fridge and let them harden for 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge and enjoy. - Cut & Enjoy:
Carefully remove the chocolate bars from the mold by flipping them over onto a cutting board. Cut into pieces and enjoy! - Store:
Store chocolate bars in an airtight container in the pantry or refrigerator for up to a month and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Storage of homemade chocolate bars
Store chocolate bars in an airtight container in the pantry or refrigerator for up to a month and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Homemade Chunky Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups chocolate chips or chunks, semi-sweet or dark
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
Prep:
- Set up a double broiler by filling a small sauce pot with about 3 inches of water. Place a heat-resistant bowl on top.
- Place the chocolate molds on a baking sheet or a small tray. I recommend using one that will fit inside your fridge.
- Distribute the chopped peanuts and raisins inside the molds, making sure there's even distrubution in the bars.
Melt the chocolate:
- Slowly melt the chocolate chips while stirring with a spatula in the double broiler. Once melted, turn off the heat.
Fill:
- Carefully pour the melted chocolate inside the prepared molds. Spread the chocolate with a silicone spatula or frosting spatula as an even layer on top.
Chill:
- Transfer the tray with the chocolate molds to the fridge and let them harden for 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge and enjoy.
Cut & Enjoy:
- Carefully remove the chocolate bars from the mold by flipping them over onto a cutting board. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Store:
- Store chocolate bars in an airtight container in the pantry or refrigerator for up to a month and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Gail says
Chunky bars are my favorite but this homemade version was even better!
Marie says
Ty, I have made these decades ago. Your recipe sounds exactly the same. Thank you for posting this.
Vickie Johnson says
So easy to make taste like the Candy bar I love.
I use my mini cupcake pan & papers makes for easy storage.
I sometimes subscribe Cashews for the peanuts.
Patricia O'Connor says
I made these without a mold, just dropped by spoonfuls onto a tray lined with parchment paper and put in refrigerator. They got eaten quickly, and I substituted granola for the nuts. Super easy and delicious recipe.
Laura Fuentes says
I’ve never tried just dropping spoonfuls but that’s BRILLIANT! thank you for the suggestion!
Diana says
Chunky is my favorite. I have always tasted a hint of rum. I know the ingredients don’t show rum. Just wondering if just a little rum would make it good.
Laura Fuentes says
I haven’t tried making these with Rum but you def. can!
Brenda Tarr says
Thanks for the recipe! One of my friends’ wives adores Chunky bars and I plan on making some for her. I prefer to not melt chocolate in a double boiler because if even one tiny drop of water (or steam) comes in contact with chocolate, it will seize and become (nearly) unusable. Instead, I have a little chocolate melter that I bought from Michael’s that is perfect for melting any kind of chocolate.
Laura Fuentes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed these homemade chunky bars!
Amanda says
Should the peanuts be salted or unsalted?
Laura Fuentes says
That’s up to you! do you like the sweet & salty or just peanut & chocolate?
Scal says
I use a 12 oz bag of dark chocolate and microwave it until it melts and then mix a tablespoon of butter in. Then I add in what I want. I’ll do 1 bag of coconut (mounds) or peanuts (Mr. Goodbar) or peanuts and raisins (chunky) or mini m&m’s, etc. then line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and put mixture in dish and put in fridge and cut them into bars.
They are delicious and easy!
Joanne Jones-Carmichael says
I use dark chocolate chip s I find it’s best if you have diabetes. Dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate and it gives it a nice flavor.
Laura Fuentes says
I’m glad you enjoyed these!
Linda C Graybill says
Definitely cashews and Brazil nuts. Not ever peanuts.
Gloria says
This sounds good, but I am older and remember how Chunky bars were made before Nestle, with some roasted almonds and lots of cashews and raisins! So that’s how I make them.
Mayor of Storyville says
Love this! Love them! If I am not mistaken the original Chunky had a little semisweet chocolate taste to them, it was as though they mixed a little semi sweet in with the milk chocolate. From what I remember they did not melt in your hand as readily as the old Nestles Crunch or Nestles Milk Chocolate bar (which was the meltiest!). I will put in 2/3 milk chocolate and 1/3 semi sweet…I am eating morsels as I type this. Now…anyone ever try making the 7UP Bar?
Linda says
Wondering how the 2/3 milk chocolate and 1/3 dark chocolate bars turned out? I want to make them with the cashews and Brazil nuts. For anyone looking… you can find Brazil nuts at health food stores in their bulk sections. Going to try these soon! Thank you for the recipe!
MARY WHITE says
Hi, Laura! Thanks for posting this recipe, my sister is diabetic but gets a craving for sweets, especially CHUNKIES! Can I use Hershey Kisses in place of the chips? I bake a lot of cookies Peanut Blossoms being the #1 after chocolate chip and always have a ton of the kisses on hand. Thanks in advance.
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Mary, I’ve never tried it by melting them but you can try!
christine says
Thank you, Laura, for providing an easy recipe for a difficult-to-find candy bar! I’d love to try the original 1930’s cashew and brazil nuts version!
Laura Fuentes says
Yes, you can definitely make them with Brazil nuts. I used peanuts because they can be hard to find.
Gwendolyn says
What brand of milk chocolate chips do you used? Thanks.
Laura Fuentes says
Hershey’s, Girardelly… even the allergy friendly ones.
The professor says
A great project!
It should be noted, however, that before the Nestlé acquired the brand in 1984 and dumbed down the original recipe, Chunky bars did not contain peanuts: they contained (in addition to raisins) pieces of cashew and brazil nuts. To me, THAT will always be a Chunky bar.
I recommend making them that way for not only a bit of candy history, but and infinitely better candy bar!
Laura Fuentes says
You are 100% right! I debated using cashew pieces and brazil nuts but they can be tough for find… (although I love making the original with Brazil nuts myself!). Thank you for visiting!
Jane Hollander says
Do you add salt to this recipe ?
When do you put both sides of the mold together?
Chunky chocolate bars were my childhood favorite !
Thanks for all your hard work..
Looking forward chocolate making..
Laura Fuentes says
Jane, I don’t add salt and the mold is only one sided. I made the chunky bars exactly as you see them.
Blessed Little Family says
We can eat nuts but I’m not crazy about them raw. Do you think mixing in some peanut butter would work? Or just omit and add something else- maybe rice crispies as a previous commenter mentioned? Or oats? Thanks! This looks super easy! Btw, we are dairy free and egg free. Enjoy Life chocolate chips work great in recipes like these. 🙂 My world changed for the better when I found this brand. Lol. 🙂
Laura Fuentes says
Hi! You can absolutely add rice krispies. Enjoy life will melt well too. So yes, you can make these with their chocolate chips! I haven’t tried adding peanut butter… and I am not sure it will harden enough. omit the nuts 🙂
Kelly @ The Nourishing Home says
So glad you had fun at Blissdom! I am hoping we can get together sometime soon! I would love to hang out with you! And these little bars are SO simple, yet beautiful and brilliant! I can’t wait to give them a try – maybe an almond, walnut or pecan version too!
Laura Fuentes says
yum Kelly!
virginia says
since we cant use peanuts in our house i think i want to do this wish crisp rice cereal and make it like a chocolate raisin crunch bar
Laura Fuentes says
i was saving that for another post… but i love putting rice krispies and making crunch bars! 🙂
Michelle | Creative Food says
These look delicious!!