Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters (5-Minute Recipe!) (2024)

Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters are easy to make using 5 simple ingredients. These crunchy cashew and toffee bits candies are coated in melted chocolate and are a perfect no-bake confection that can be prepared in 5 minutes.

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Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters are the easiest edible gifts or sweet and salty snacks to make using only 5 simple ingredients. These crunchy cashew and toffee bits candies are coated in melted chocolate and are a perfect no-bake confection that can be prepared in 5 minutes.

Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters (5-Minute Recipe!) (2)

Homemade Candy: Chocolate Cashew Clusters

These easy-to-make Chocolate Cashew Clusters are a delicious sweet treat that adds a fun, festive flair to the traditional holiday dessert display, especially when you’ve had your fill of Christmas cookies. I LOVE the combination of rich, smooth chocolate and hard, buttery toffee bits that cover the outside of crunchy, slightly salty cashews–it’s the perfect contrast of textures and flavors that simply set into the tastiest, melt-in-your-mouth morsels.

Did you know that this delicious dessert has a healthy dose of nutrition in every bite? Dark chocolate is high in flavonoids and antioxidants and contains vitamins and minerals while cashews are rich in fiber, heart-healthy fats, and plant protein.

So this holiday season, let’s skip the customary cookie recipe and make this healthy-ish chocolate nut indulgence, because homemade sweets are always more satisfying and create pure holiday happiness in the form of a candy cluster!

Why We Love This Chocolate Cashew Clusters Recipe

Quick and easy to make in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Delicious contrast of sweet and salty flavors with a satisfying crunch.
Perfect forsharing asedible gifts during the holidays or for serving on a festive party platter.
Fun to make with kids and enjoyable to eat by all.
Gluten-free treat made with nutrient-dense ingredients.
Easy to customize according to your taste preferences.

Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters (5-Minute Recipe!) (3)

Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Dark chocolate chips
Roasted salted cashews
English toffee bits
Sea salt
Sprinkles, optional garnish

Substitutions and Additions

Choose Your Chocolate: Depending on your chocolate preference, you can use all semisweet chocolate chips, add or only use milk chocolate, or all dark chocolate, etc.
Customize Your Cluster: Cashews are used in this recipe, but any assortment of nuts like almonds, pecans, peanuts, or walnuts will taste great!
Christmas Clusters: For a festive flair, add some chopped dried cranberries, and sprinkle some red and green sprinkles or nonpareils on top.
Chocolate Cashew Turtle Clusters: Swap the toffee for caramel bits to create a homemade “Turtle.”
Change The Chip: You can add some peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, or mint chips for different pops of flavor.
Fruit: Mixing in dried fruit like cranberries or blueberries will give this chocolate cashew cluster recipe a gourmet candy shop feel.
Seeds: Add chia seeds, hemp seeds, or sunflower seeds for an extra boost of nutrition.

Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters (5-Minute Recipe!) (4)

Large sheet pan
Parchment paper (You can use wax paper or aluminum foil in a pinch)
Double boiler
Mixing tools
Measuring tools

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How to Make the Cashew Clusters

Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters are the easiest edible gifts or sweet and salty snacks to make using only 5 simple ingredients. These crunchy cashew and toffee bits candies are coated in melted chocolate and are a perfect no-bake confection that can be prepared in 5 minutes.

Melt the semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips together using either a double boiler or microwave.
Pro Tip: See FAQ for instructions on how to make your own double boiler. If you have an urgent need to cure a chocolate fix, use the microwave to melt the chocolate. If you want something a little fancier, you can slowly melt the chocolate using a double-boiler. This will give your clusters a little bit of a shine.
Add cashews and toffee bits to melted chocolate and mix until nuts and toffee are completely chocolate covered.
Pro-Tip: If you want to use raw cashews instead of pre-roasted, you should roast them first until well toasted, allow them to cool, and then use them to create your chocolate clusters.
Scoop mixture into mounds and place on chilled sheet pan.
Sprinkle with sea salt and sprinkles (optional).
Pro-Tip: Be sure to sprinkle the sea salt on as soon as you form the cluster on the parchment paper. If you wait too long you run the risk of the clusters hardening and the sea salt not sticking.
Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or let clusters set at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Pro Tip: Clusters should be hardened so that they stick together and the chocolate is solid.
Plate, serve, and enjoy!

Storage Tips

To Store: You can store these Chocolate Cashew Clusters in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. I like to store them in the refrigerator to make sure the chocolate doesn’t melt.

Homemade Chocolate Cashew Clusters (5-Minute Recipe!) (9)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this recipe be doubled?

Yes, if you are making these for a potluck or party, you can definitely double this recipe!

Can I use a different type of chocolate chips?

You can absolutely use different types of chocolate chips. I find that when using different varieties such as dark chocolate, I still need to add in some semi-sweet chocolate along with it as it has less fat content and will melt differently.

Can I use melting chocolate instead of chocolate chips in this recipe?

Yes, you can certainly use melting chocolate, but for this recipe it is so easy to use simple chocolate chips. Since you don’t have to worry about a smooth finish that melting chocolate provides, chocolate chips work just fine, especially because these clusters are bumpy!

Other Easy Homemade Candy Recipes

Tiger Butter Fudge
Jello Divinity Candy
DIY Peppermint Candy Spoons
Jolly Rancher Shot Glass – an edible shot glass!
DIY Peppermint Candy Bowls
Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle
Chocolate Turtles
Crock Pot Candy
Jello Roll Ups

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Cashew Clusters

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves — 28

Ingredients

▢ 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
▢ 10 ounce bag dark chocolate chips
▢ 2 cups roasted salted cashews
▢ ½ cup English toffee bits
▢ Sea salt
▢ Sprinkles, optional garnish

Instructions

Prepare a large sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper and setting it in the refrigerator to chill.
Use a double boiler or microwave to melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips together.
Once the chocolate has completely melted, add in the cashews and toffee bits. Mix until the cashews and toffee bits are completely covered in chocolate.
Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to scoop out mounds of the mixture onto the chilled sheet pan.
Sprinkle it with sea salt and optional sprinkles.
Let the clusters set by chilling them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or by leaving it at room temperature for 45 minutes. They should be hardened so that they stick together and the chocolate is solid.
Plate and serve.

Jenn’s Notes

Storage:

You can store these Chocolate Cashew Clusters in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. I like to store them in the refrigerator to make sure the chocolate doesn’t melt.

Tips:

Be sure to sprinkle the sea salt on as soon as you form the cluster on the parchment paper. If you wait too long you run the risk of the clusters hardening and the sea salt not sticking.
If you want to use raw cashews instead of pre-roasted, you should roast them first until well toasted, allow them to cool, and then use them to create your chocolate clusters.
If you have an urgent need to cure a chocolate fix, use the microwave to melt the chocolate. If you want something a little fancier, you can slowly melt the chocolate using a double-boiler. This will give your clusters a little bit of a shine.

Nutrition Info