Homemade Salted Nut Rolls

Back in August, I entered Homemade Salted Nut Rolls at the county fair. I saw the recipe on Pinterest that led to Shugary Sweets. My entry received first prize in the candy category.

Would I make this recipe again? No. Although the taste (especially the center filling) tastes just like the store-bought version - although much fresher - the process for getting the hot caramel onto the frozen center and then quickly rolling them in chopped peanuts is challenging. The caramel almost instantaneously hardens so that the peanuts can't adhere to it. At any rate, the recipe is below.

Salted Nut Roll 

Ingredients 

For the filling: 

½ cup unsalted butter 

7 ounces marshmallow cream 

5 cups powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

For the coating:

 

2 (11 ounce) bags caramel bits 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

2 cups chopped peanuts 

Instructions 

For the filling: 

Melt the butter and marshmallow cream in the microwave, for about 30-60 seconds, until the butter is fully melted. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter and marshmallow with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Cream together until just blended. Drop onto a large piece of parchment paper. 

Use your hands to knead the “dough” into a large ball. Divide the ball into 6 equal portions. You’ll then want to use your hands to roll each portion into a 7-8-inch log (the key is to keep it 1-inch thick around). 

Wrap each log in parchment paper and freeze for two hours until firm. 

For the coating: 

Melt caramel bits and butter in an 11x7-inch baking dish in the microwave, for about 1 ½ minutes, until smooth. The mixture will be thick, and the butter will separate from the caramel. That’s OKAY. 

Allow the caramel to cool slightly, then using your hands, combine the butter into the caramel and press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Score it into 6 equal portions. 

To cover the marshmallow centers, unwrap the frozen log and using your hands, take one section of caramel and spread it over the center completely. It will feel like you’re working with playdoh. 

Once the entire log is covered, press the chopped peanuts into the caramel. Re-wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate. Repeat for each log. 

When ready to enjoy, slice each log into 1-inch pieces.