Chocolate Nut Mounds

My first ten star rating! Mostly because these are so delicious, plus they're ridiculously easy but when you tell people that you made them by scratch, they think you're amazing. (In case you haven't noticed, I'll all about the easy things that appear difficult.)

I'll try to add in as many tips and tricks as I know from making candy, but feel free to ignore the extra parts if you already know about melting chocolates and such. There are two ways to melt the chocolate, either with a double boiler or in the microwave.

Chocolate Nut Mounds

12 oz. butterscotch chips

12 oz. peanut butter chips

12 oz. chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk, depending on your preference)

8 oz. milk chocolate (plain Hershey's bar, broken into the little squares)

2-1/2 cups peanuts (I like it when they are salted, but whatever your preference)

(First, double check everything you will be using to make sure it is VERY VERY dry. Even one drop of water will ruin the entire batch of chocolate.)

Place all chips and chocolate in top of a double boiler. (If you don't know--a double boiler is a special kind of pan that basically looks like two pans on top of each other. There's a picture of one here. You put about one inch of water in the bottom pan and let it boil, which heats up the top pan to a very low heat, the perfect heat for melting chocolate. This is the easiest way to melt chocolate.) Heat gently, stirring until all is melted.

OR (if you don't have a double boiler): Place all chips and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir, place back in microwave, heating for 20 second intervals, stirring after each time until all chocolate is melted. (Make sure you always stir for ten full seconds. Sometimes the chips need to be stirred in order to melt. You don't want to microwave them for a second more than they need to be, scorched chocolate will ruin the taste of the entire batch.)

After either method: Stir in nuts. With non-stick spray, coat mini muffin pans (you can use regular muffin pans, but they come out too big for anyone to really eat at once.) Drop by spoonful into muffin pans. Let cool (in refrigerator) and harden. Yields between three and four dozen in mini muffin pans.

This is the melted chocolate and peanuts in a double boiler.

This is the nut mound cooling in the mini muffin tin. Sorry it's blurred. And sorry I forgot to take a picture of how they look after they come out.

I realize this looks complicated, but really, you just melt the chocolate and add the peanuts, then let it cool, then let everyone praise you and tell you you're the next Mrs. See's. It's a good life.