Candy corn is a truly divisive candy; people either love candy corn or they absolutely hate it. Regardless of what team you are on when it comes to these tiny pointy sugar bombs (#teamhellyes or #teamhellno), there’s no denying that when you use them as a secret ingredient in these ridiculously easy peanut butter bones, even the haters will agree…they’re damn delicious and taste exactly like a Butterfinger candy bar. No, really!
This recipe is so simple, it’s almost scary. In fact, the hardest thing you’ll have to deal with is molding the chocolate bones. And yes, if you’re feeling lazy, you can skip this step entirely (I’ll tell you how to make the lazy version at the end of the post!)
The first thing you need is your bone mold. To mold mine, I used this pan from Wilton, but really, any bone shaped pan or chocolate mold will work. Heads up, the link in blue is an affiliate link. Click here to read my full advertising disclosure.
Now let’s gather our ingredients!
To make your own white chocolate candy corn bones you’ll need:
- 2 cups white chocolate or white candy melts (your choice).
- 1 cup candy corn
- 1 cup peanut butter (I used extra chunky)
- Pinch of salt (teeeeeeeny bit…like half a pinch. Not much at all.)
- 1 cup corn flakes*
*Now, in all fairness, there are a lot of recipes out there for “Candy Corn Fudge” which is basically what we’re making. It’s also been called “Mock Butterfingers” and for both of these variations, the ingredients are essentially the same, minus the corn flakes. That’s my addition and it’s certainly one you can leave out if you want. Personally, if I’m going to eat something that tastes like a Butterfinger, I want it to have the same crunchy texture, which is why I added the corn flakes. They’ll give you the crunch but their mild flavor means they’re not going to overwhelm the recipe. Feel free to omit them if you choose.
Melt your chocolate in either a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring until it’s liquid and smooth. Pour your liquid chocolate into your bone molds, filling them all the way up. Let them sit for about 5 minutes and then turn them upside down over a piece of wax paper to drain.
(I’ve found the easiest way to drain any mold when filling with chocolate and to help keep them from sticking to the wax paper is to place the pan face down on top of two square chopsticks to help elevate it off the surface of your counter.)
Let your bones drain for about 10 minutes and then flip them back over. Use the flat side of a spatula or a pastry scraper to scrape off the excess drips and smooth the edges before popping them into the fridge for another 5 or so minutes to cool and really solidify.
When you pull them out, they should have a thick but hollow coating of chocolate in each cavity.
If the chocolate looks too thin, simply repeat filling and draining them to add another layer.
Leave the chocolate in the mold for now.
You should have a fair amount of melted white chocolate left over. Set that aside for now, we’ll use it later.
In a pan over medium heat, melt your peanut butter and your candy corn and your teeeeeeny pinch of salt. And yes, it’s gonna look like dog food for a while…but trust me…just keep cooking it down until it’s smooth and liquid. Use a wooden spoon to flatten any stubborn candy corns and really ensure that they’re fully melted.
Once your mixture is melted, turn off the heat and sprinkle in your corn flakes. Don’t worry about keeping your cornflakes intact as you add them in…they’re gonna get mashed up pretty well as we stir and then pack our bones.
As you add in your corn flakes and the whole mixture starts too cool, it’s going to thicken up to an almost fudge-like consistency.
While it’s still pliable and soft, but not hot, start packing it into the chocolate cavities of your bone mold.
Because we’re putting it directly on top of the chocolate, you’ll want to make sure your peanut butter mixture isn’t so warm that it melts your chocolate…but not so cool that it’s hard to work with. It’s a tough balance, but if you work quickly, you’ll have plenty of time. I managed to fill 2 trays of prepped chocolate bones for a total of 10 before my mix got too crumbly to pack well.
Pack down your peanut butter mixture as tightly as you can and then, using the remaining chocolate you had left over from your original molding, smooth a layer over the back of each bone, sealing the peanut butter mixture in and let them cool completely (another quick 5-10 minute into the fridge should do the trick.)
Using a sharp knife, carefully loosen your bones from your molds and clean up the edges of your bones. Don’t worry if you have breakage. A quick dip of any broken ends in more melted chocolate works as a perfect glue to stick two halves back together.
Serve your bones up and see how many people who ‘claim’ to hate candy corn ask for seconds!
Mmm…so crunchy! So peanut-buttery! So sweet and salty all at once…
And most importantly, so disgustingly delicious!
Oh, and yes, you’re probably going to have some extra peanut butter mix left over. Crumble that stuff up and sprinkle it on top of chocolate ice cream or mix into cookie dough…it’s amazing!
Which reminds me…let’s tackle the ‘lazy’ method of making these bones.
Start by first making your peanut butter mixture. Once it’s assembled and ready to cool, press it into a shallow baking pan, creating a layer about 1/2″ deep. Pop into the fridge to cool completely.
Using either a lightly greased knife, or a lightly greased bone cookie cutter, cut your peanut butter into squares (or bones).
Melt your chocolate in a pot or bowl deep enough for you to dip your peanut butter squares (or bones) into and set onto wax paper to harden.
And there you have it, peanut butter chocolate bones that will turn any candy corn hater into a surprised fan.
Bone appetite!
Want more bone inspired treats and another opportunity to use your bone pan? Why not give these Sweet and Sour Shortbread bones a try?
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