While I was born and raised in The Netherlands and, living in London, I often crave my favourite Dutch snacks, I don’t make traditional Dutch recipes that often. When it comes to full meals, Dutch cuisine is somewhat limited and has never been my favourite, but snacks and treats are a completely different story as my home country makes the very best!

Previously I shared with you my recipe for Dutch apple and cinnamon pie, and one of my other favourite Dutch treats has to be these chocolate peanut cluster rocks, called pindarotsjes in Dutch. They aren’t that easy to find outside The Netherlands, but I do know they exist and I have occasionally been able to find them in London, though even if you would manage track them down, you might as well make them yourself as the recipe could not be more simple.

Chocolate and peanut clusters (Dutch: 'pindarotsjes') recipe

What are chocolate peanut clusters?

This recipe only requires two ingredients: chocolate and peanuts. It’s as easy as melting chocolate, stirring in the peanuts and leaving the clusters to set in the fridge. The only key thing is to ensure you temper the chocolate, but with an easy trick this is also hardly any work at all!

Chocolate peanut ‘clusters’ are by far the most popular made with milk chocolate, though I personally also love them with dark and white chocolate. I have noticed that other versions of this recipe seem to be quite popular all over the world, though I have found that most aren’t quite right and not how I remember them from home.

Chocolate peanut clusters ingredients

You only need two ingredients for chocolate peanut clusters:

  • Chocolate: Usually made with dark, milk or white chocolate, with milk chocolate being the most popular, though ruby or matcha chocolate would also be absolutely delicious here. Whatever chocolate you use, ensure you’re using ‘real’ chocolate, meaning chocolate that contains cocoa butter and no other fats. You will need to ensure the chocolate is tempered, as explained below.
  • Peanuts: Roasted peanuts, either salted or unsalted, depending on your preference. While traditionally made with unsalted peanuts, I find using salted peanuts makes these extra tasty. The saltiness is a delicious contrast with the sweet chocolate.

White chocolate chips and salted peanuts

What is tempered chocolate?

If you’ve ever tried to melt and set chocolate, and noticed the result was white and dull on the surface, and just didn’t set properly, this was probably because the chocolate wasn’t tempered.

Tempered chocolate is perfectly shiny, feels firm and ‘snaps’ as you break it off. It melts in your mouth, it’s exactly how you want your chocolate to be.

Tempering chocolate is all about controlling the temperature as you heat and cool chocolate, an important skill to master if you’re cooking with chocolate. It will re-establish and control the cocoa butter crystals that are in real chocolate, and result in what’s considered good-quality chocolate.

The easiest way to temper chocolate

But by far the easiest way to temper chocolate, is in the microwave! The secret to tempering chocolate this way, is that by heating it in short bursts in the microwave, the crystals in the cocoa butter remain intact, and therefore, your chocolate remains tempered. Tempering chocolate has never been this easy!

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Chocolate Peanut Cluster Rocks Recipe

  • Author: Michiel Steur
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 20 1x
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Description

This two-ingredient chocolate peanut cluster rocks, or ‘Pindarotsjes’ in Dutch, recipe is the easiest sweet treat recipe you’ll ever make!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 200g chocolate (dark, milk or white), chopped into small pieces
  • 70g peanuts (unsalted or salted)

Instructions

  1. Add chocolate to a microwave-safe plastic bowl. Metal or glass bowls cannot be used to temper chocolate with this method as they attract too much heat.
  2. Microwave the chocolate on the highest power for 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and give it a really good stir using a spatula. Repeat this process 3-4 times until the chocolate starts melting. Ensure to stir well after each cycle in the microwave, even if it looks like the chocolate hasn’t melted. This will ensure an even distribution of heat throughout the process.
  3. When the first bits of chocolate start melting, shorten the cycles to 10 seconds, continuing to stir well in between.
  4. Stop microwaving when the majority of chocolate has melted, but still have some pieces of unmelted chocolate. It’s important you stop at this stage and don’t fully melt the chocolate in the microwave.
  5. Stir well, until the heat of the melted chocolate has melted all last bits of unmelted chocolate.
  6. Add peanuts and stir until all peanuts are fully coated in chocolate.
  7. Using a tablespoon, scoop small clusters of the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can make these as large or small as you like.
  8. Place baking sheet in the fridge to let the chocolate set.

Notes

Use a plastic bowl in the microwave.

  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Microwave
  • Cuisine: Dutch

Keywords: pindarotsjes recept, peanut chocolate clusters recipe, peanut chocolate rocks recipe, traditional dutch sweet, chocolate and peanut baking

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