These healthy “Butterfingers” have the same crispy, crunchy texture of the popular name-brand candy bars, without any of the high-fructose corn syrup or preservatives. They’re not even that difficult to make, once you know what you’re doing!
It took me seven attempts to figure out what I was doing, so I’m hoping to save you some time by sharing what I’ve learned in the process.
The concept of making Butterfingers is surprisingly easy. The filling is essentially a hard candy mixed with peanut butter, to create a crispy, crunchy, and buttery texture. To make the hard candy base, you simply need to boil pure maple syrup or honey until it reaches the “hard crack” stage, at 300-degrees Fahrenheit. For this purpose, you’ll need a candy thermometer on hand. I tried making this a few times without the candy thermometer, and it simply won’t work without it. Trust me on this, and save yourself some precious maple syrup!
This recipe can be made with honey or maple syrup, depending on your preference and dietary needs. I prefer the rich, complex flavor of the maple syrup, but either way, you’ll be left with a delicious, crunchy candy bar that’s sure to impress!
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Healthier Homemade Butterfingers
makes about 20 bars, depending on size
Adapted from this recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup pure maple syrup, or honey
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (to prevent crystallization)
1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 cups dark chocolate chips, as desired for coating
butter or coconut oil, for greasing the saucepan
Directions:
Pour the maple syrup or honey into a small saucepan, and stir in the cream of tartar until dissolved. This is the ONLY time you will stir this mixture!
Attach the candy thermometer to the saucepan, making sure that the stem of the thermometer is not touching the metal sides, or bottom, of the pot. Ideally, the tip should be submerged in 2-inches of syrup, for the most accurate results. (See notes below) To prevent the maple syrup from boiling over, use your finger to spread of bit of butter or coconut oil around the inner rim of the saucepan.
Bring the maple syrup or honey to a boil, over low-medium heat, and allow to heat up to 300F. This may take longer than you expect– close to 10 minutes of boiling! Do not stir the mixture.
While the sweetener is boiling, measure out the cup of natural peanut butter and salt. You’ll want these two ingredients ready to go when the maple syrup or honey is ready, because things will move quickly once the boiling is done! You’ll also want to line a baking sheet with parchment paper, so it’s ready when the time comes.
When the maple syrup has reached 300F, remove the pan from the heat immediately! It will burn quickly after that, so be sure to watch closely!
Quickly mix in the peanut butter and salt, stirring as fast as possible. The mixture will become difficult to stir as it cools. (I mixed mine in a separate mixing bowl, but I think mixing it directly in the saucepan would be a better idea– it would keep the mixture warmer and more malleable.)
Transfer the peanut butter mixture to the parchment-lined baking sheet, and press it into a relatively flat sheet, according to desired thickness. Use an oiled-knife to score the bars, as it’s easier to cut into them while the mixture is still a bit warm. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer to cool completely.
You could actually stop right here, with some perfectly delicious peanut butter candy, but for an authentic “Butterfinger” you’ll want to coat each bar in a layer of melted dark chocolate.
I use my oven to melt my 70% dark chocolate chunks, by placing them in an oven-safe bowl at 350F for about 5 minutes. (A microwave works, too!)
Coat both sides and edges of each bar, and place them on parchment paper to set. For best texture, place the coated bars in the freezer for at least an hour before serving.
These bars are most crunchy when served directly from the freezer, but they are delicious at room temperature, too– just a little softer.
Healthier Homemade Butterfingers
Ingredients
- 1 cup pure maple syrup , or honey
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1-2 cups dark chocolate chips , as desired for coating
- butter or coconut oil , for greasing the saucepan
Instructions
- Pour the maple syrup or honey into a small saucepan, and stir in the cream of tartar until dissolved. This is the ONLY time you will stir this mixture!
- Attach the candy thermometer to the saucepan, making sure that the stem of the thermometer is not touching the metal sides, or bottom, of the pot. Ideally, the tip should be submerged in 2-inches of syrup, for the most accurate results. (See notes below)
- To prevent the maple syrup from boiling over, use your finger to spread of bit of butter or coconut oil around the inner rim of the saucepan.
- Bring the maple syrup or honey to a boil, over low-medium heat, and allow to heat up to 300F. This may take longer than you expect-- close to 10 minutes of boiling!
- While the mixture is boiling, measure out the cup of natural peanut butter and salt. You'll want these two ingredients ready to go when the maple syrup is ready, because things will move quickly once the boiling is done! You'll also want to line a baking sheet with parchment paper, so it's ready when the time comes.
- When the maple syrup has reached 300F, remove the pan from the heat immediately! It will burn quickly after that, so be sure to watch closely!
- Quickly mix in the peanut butter and salt, stirring as fast as possible. The mixture will become difficult to stir as it cools. (I mixed mine in a separate mixing bowl, but I think mixing it directly in the saucepan would be a better idea-- it would keep the mixture warmer and more malleable.)
- Transfer the peanut butter mixture to the parchment-lined baking sheet, and press it into a relatively flat sheet, according to desired thickness.
- Use an oiled-knife to score the bars, as it's easier to cut into them while the mixture is still a bit warm. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer to cool completely.
- For the chocolate coating, melt 1-2 cups of dark chocolate chunks, by placing them in an oven-safe bowl at 350F, stirring after 5 minutes until melted completely. (A microwave works, too!)
- Coat both sides and edges of each bar with melted chocolate, and place them on parchment paper to set. For best texture, place the coated bars in the freezer for at least an hour before serving.
- These bars are most crunchy when served directly from the freezer, but they are delicious at room temperature, too-- just a little softer.
Video
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 292, Fat: 21g, Carbohydrates: 24g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 3g
Recipe Notes:
Because candy-making has a bit of a learning-curve, here are some helpful notes that may prevent any disasters during the process.
- Once you have a candy thermometer, be sure to test it! (This would have also prevented a couple batches of scorched maple syrup on my end.)
You can test your thermometer by placing it in a pot filled with at least 2 inches of water, and bringing it to a boil. Boiling water should read about 212-degrees Farenheit. If your thermometer is off, adjust accordingly!
- To prevent the maple syrup or honey from boiling-over, swipe a small amount of butter or coconut oil along in the inner rim of the saucepan. (I don’t know why this works, but it does! Otherwise, there’s a good chance it will boil over…)
- The thermometer’s temperature-reading will vary, based on the level of liquid in the saucepan. My smallest 1 1/2 quart sauce pan is too wide to have the liquid level cover enough of the thermometer’s tip, and as a result, I didn’t get an accurate reading. I ended up compensating for this measurement by figuring out how many degrees “off” my thermometer was with such a low level of liquid. (To do this: Boil exactly 1 cup of water, and see what the thermometer reading is. For mine, it only reached 180F, but I know the boiling point for water is actually 212F. So, there was a 32-degree difference, which I accounted for by only boiling my maple syrup to 268F, which would be the equivalent of 300F. Math is fun, huh?) You could also make life easier by simply doubling the recipe–> 2 cups of maple syrup will more than cover the thermometer, and will result in a more accurate reading. You’ll also have LOTS of leftovers!
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While this is probably one of my more challenging kitchen endeavors, the result is more than worth it. I’m pretty proud of this authentic crunch!
I hope I’ve taken out some of the guess-work for you, so you can enjoy these healthier Butterfingers in the near future. I’m pretty sure you’ll impress-the-pants-off your friends and family with these homemade candy bars!
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever tried making candy before? If not, would you be willing to try it now?
Is there a substitute for the cream of tartar?
I used to melt paraffin with chocolate coatings to keep them from melting in your hands. Not exactly natural or the healthiest thing to eat. What would you recommend for a substitute for the paraffin?
Hey Ricia!
Have you tried cocoa butter? The kind I mean comes in little squares, which stay solid at room temperature. The kind I have is Big Tree Farms raw cacao butter, which my American sister Amber sent me from her home in California. Big Tree Farms Raw Cacao Butter is made in Ashland, Oregon. The next best kind is Sunfoods Cocoa Butter, which you can find here: https://www.sunfood.com/food/cacao-chocolate-cocoa.html
I have tried to make this 3 times and now at 40 minutes the maple syrup hasn’t reached 300 degrees. ( 240°) What am I doing wrong???
Bought a new saucepan and thermometer.
Thanks
Cheryl
Have you tried turning up the heat on your stove? If I feel it’s taking too long, I’ll increase the heat so that the process goes faster.
Loved these! Followed direction exactly and they turned out perfect.
Thank you!
We made these tonight, and they were great! I can’t eat butterfingers anymore (most candy, actually) for allergy/autimmune reasons. Thanks so much for posting this!!! I bet this recipe would be great for people with peanut allergies – just swap the p.b. for a safe alternate like cashew or sunflower butter (if making for a friend, check the label tto be sure it’s a variety made on different equipment/in a different facility).
Some notes: I did have problems heating the maple syrup. Once it got to around 230F, it started burning. I am not sure what I did wrong. I was concerned so I stirred it, but that only seemed to make it worse! I have been making my own body sugar (for waxing) for years – it’s basically candy that you use on your skin. It never burns, even at 260F with no stirring. Same cooking pot too.
Since I didn’t want to sink another $6-$8 in burned syrup, I decided to use my body sugar recipe to get some experience with the recipe. I used 1/2 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 2 tbsp lemon juice in place of the syrup and cream of tartar. The bars came out AMAZING!
I am not experienced with chocolate coating. I will definitely make a thinner coat next time (like in your photo). The thick coating was a bit much even for me… lol.
Despite the few bumps, I feel this is an easy recipe to work with. Once the peanut butter is added to the candy mixture, the filling starts cooling quickly. I was able to cut and shape the bars within minutes. Sticking the bars in the freezer before coating them helped the chocolate solidify quickly and evenly.
If you are on the fence and think this recipe seems hard, make the leap! It’s actually very easy 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s an oldie but goodie. I made these yesterday and used both maple syrup and honey, and added about 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast to give it more of that “cheesey” butterfinger flavor. I also used someone else’s advice to spread it on a silpat and then fold it over itself to make more crunchy layers. Worked great! Love being able to eat some of my favorite candy after going gluten and dairy free with a clear conscience!
What size pants should I use if making one batch or two? I’m hesitant to try to wing it without knowing which size pan these will work in without being tooooo thin or toooo thick and instead, more true to the actual bar.
I think I used a 1/4 sheet pan in the photos here, but you can use something bigger if you want because the pan size doesn’t really matter. You could skip the pan and just press the batter out on a piece of parchment paper on your counter, instead. You get to choose the thickness of the bars, and you just press out the batter until you reach that thickness. I think of it like cinnamon roll batter, only much stiffer– so you have to work fast!
I made these today for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day and wow! The candies tasted just like store-bought butterfingers!
THANKS FOR THIS! My wife and son went nuts over it! To me it was not just like Butterfinger insides, but that’s OK. They LOVE it! I used a small amount of real butter, 1/2 cup maple syrup because that’s all I had, and 1/2 cup Sourwood honey. At the end of boiling, right before adding the PB, I added 1 tsp vanilla extract. Reminded me more of Mary Janes or Squirrel Nut Zippers.
Could I just caramelize sugar instead of using honey or maple syrup?
Can I sub with a different nut butter?
Yes, texture-wise I think any nut butter should work, it will just change the flavor.
This looks delicious! Do you think date syrup would work in place of maple or honey?
I love this recipe and have shared it several times. It does take a few tries to nail it down though. One question I have is why does the maple syrup take longer to get to temp than 10 minutes. I am using a small sauce pan on med heat and it seems to take more. Along the 20 minute mark to get to 300. I have tried increasing the temp but ended up with a semi burnt flavor (i ate them all up regardless). Any thoughts?
Hey Megan!
I am a blind woman who absolutely loooooooooooooooooves to cook! And I’m one of those girlies who absolutely loooooooooooooooooooooooves anything sweet! I guess you could say I’m a sweetoholic! I made some of your Butterfinger Candy bars yesterday with my provider, Mary. I’ve gotta tell you, they taste amazing! They taste like paradise! Heaven in the stars! The downside, however, is that my thermometer was not able to go into the pan but 1/4 inch deep. That seems rather strange when you have 1 cup of maple syrup in there. I think I might need a different pan, possibly a smaller but deeper pan, as the pan I used is a Teflon saucepan. Mary says I might need a pan that’s 1/3 the size of the one I have. Another downside is, we were able to bring the syrup to a boil, but not enough to reach 300 degrees, as I don’t have something to attach my thermometer to the pan. I have a Talking Cooking Thermometer, which I purchased from The Braille Superstore (http://www.braillebookstore.com/Talking-Cooking-Thermometer), and it works wonders! However, Mary was having a hard time holding the thermometer still, where it wouldn’t touch the bottom or sides of the pan. Do you have any recommendations as to a clip with which I could attach the thermometer to the pan so it will hold still? Also, do you recommend any specific pan for melting things like maple syrup? I used “Maple Gold” pure maple syrup, made in Canada! $20 for a bottle, but a good $20, as it lasts a long time!
Sorry about that, the website is actually http://www.braillebookstore.com/Talking-Cooking-Thermometer.1
I made this didn’t have a thermometer used hard crack method it didn’t get hard just felt like smooth peanut butter even when it was in the freezer. Could I put the whole thing back in the pot
Just to let you know… corn syrup is NOT the same thing as High-Fructose corn syrup. Corn syrup has been around since the early 1800, is made of 100% Glucose, and is no worse for you than maple syrup (they are both boiled down sugars). Both should be used in moderation…
High-fructose Corn Syrup has had it’s Fructose enzymes changed chemically and is the one associated with severe insulin changes in the body, Diabetes, PCOS, Metabolic Disease, Heart disease, obesity, etc etc. Fructose is bad but modified fructose is even worse.
Regular corn syrup is GLUCOSE. It doesn’t mean it’s good for you by any means… all syrups are boiled down sugars and, as I said earlier, need to be moderated.
The following are other examples of basic syrups:
— Acetomel – a syrup made from honey and vinegar with a sweet and sour taste
— *Agave syrup* – a sweetener commercially produced from several species of agave
— Attar – a type of sweet syrup used in the preparation of Middle Eastern desserts
— *Barley malt syrup* – an unrefined sweetener processed by extraction from sprouted, i.e.,
malted, barley, containing approximately 65 percent maltose, 30 percent complex carbohydrate, 3% protein
— Birch syrup – a savory mineral-tasting syrup made from the sap of birch trees and produced in much the same way as maple syrup
— Bludwine – flavored syrups that were used in soft drinks
— Brown rice syrup – derived by culturing cooked rice starch
— Chashni – the generic name in North Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Afghan languages for a sugary syrup
— Cheong – a name for various sweetened foods in Korean cuisine in the form of syrups, marmalades, and fruit preserves
— Cherry Smash – a fountain syrup made from cherry syrup along with a blend of other fruit flavors which soda jerks mixed with carbonated water and phosphate.[1]
— Chocolate syrup
— *Cider syrup* – is also known as apple molasses, a kind of fruit syrup
— *Date honey* – a thick dark brown, very sweet, fruit syrup extracted from dates
— Evaporated cane juice – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines evaporated cane juice as any sweetener derived from sugarcane syrup. The US FDA considers the term “evaporated cane juice” to be misleading because the term incorrectly suggests that it is a juice, when it is sugar syrup. Instead, the US FDA recommends using “sugar cane syrup” or “dried cane syrup” on food labels.[2][3]
— Falernum – a syrup liqueur from the Caribbean, best known for its use in tropical drinks
— Flavored syrup – typically consists of a simple syrup, that is, sugar (fully mixed with water while heated), with naturally occurring or artificial (synthesized) flavorings also dissolved in them.[4]
— Fruit syrup – concentrated fruit juices used as sweeteners
— Glucose syrup – also known as confectioner’s glucose, is a syrup made from the hydrolysis of starch
— *Golden syrup* – or light treacle, is a thick amber-coloured form of inverted sugar syrup made in the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid.
— Grape syrup – a condiment made with concentrated grape juice
— *Grenadine* – a commonly used, non-alcoholic bar syrup, characterized by a flavor that is both tart and sweet, and by a deep red color.
— Honey syrup – made by stirring a heated mixture of honey and water until the honey dissolves.
— *Inverted sugar syrup* – (also called invert syrup) is an edible mixture of two simple sugars – glucose and fructose – that is made by heating sucrose (table sugar) with water.[5]
— Kuromitsu – a Japanese sugar syrup, literally “black honey”, it is similar to molasses, but thinner and milder
— *Maple syrup* – usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species.
— Mizuame – a Japanese glucose syrup of subtle flavor, traditionally made from rice and malt.
— *Molasses* – a thick, sweet syrup made from boiling sugar cane.
— Orgeat syrup – a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and rose water or orange flower water
— *Palm syrup* – an edible sweet syrup produced from the sap of a number of palms, it is produced in the Canary Islands and coastal regions of South America.
— Pekmez – a molasses-like syrup obtained after condensing juices of fruit must, especially grape
— Rose syrup – made from rose water with added sugar
— Squash – a non-alcoholic concentrated syrup used in beverage making
— Steen’s cane syrup – a traditional American sweetener made by the simple concentration of cane juice through long cooking in open kettles.
— Sugar beet syrup – “The beet-root, when being boiled, yields a juice similar to syrup of sugar, which is beautiful to look at on account of its vermilion color”[6] (1575).[7] This was written by 16th-century scientist, Olivier de Serres, who discovered a process for preparing sugar syrup from the common red beet.
— Sweet sorghum – Sweet sorghum has been widely cultivated in the U.S. since the 1850s for use in sweeteners, primarily in the form of sorghum syrup
— Syrup of Maidenhair – a syrup made from adiantum (maidenhair fern)[citation needed]
— *Treacle(golden syrup)* – any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar.[8][9] The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and a darker variety known as black treacle. Black treacle, or molasses, has a distinctively strong, slightly bitter flavour, and a richer colour than golden syrup.[10]
— Vincotto – In Salento – in the heel of Italy – Vincotto is produced from the slow reduction together of a blend of cooked grape must and of a wine that has started to spoil and sour attaining the consistency of dense non-alcoholic syrup. This tradition goes back to the times of the ancient Romans.
— Yacón syrup – a sweetening agent extracted from the tuberous roots of the yacón plant (Smallanthus sonchifolius) indigenous to the Andes mountains.[11]
— Yeot – a variety of hangwa, Korean traditional confectionery, it can be made in either liquid or solid form, as a syrup, taffy, or candy.
MEGAN. Oh my goodness. These are AMAZING! I love butterfingers, they used to be one of my favorite candies, and it was hard watching my kids eat all their Halloween butterfingers and not enjoy one myself. (While I think it is absolutely ok to indulge every so often, for me “real” butterfingers don’t taste as good as they used to. They’re too sweet. It’s me, not them, lol. Not worth the indulgence.) But THESE!!! They are absolutely perfect. Not too sweet, and THAT CRUNCH. It’s spot on. Thank you for this better-than-the-original recipe!!!
These came out perfect. Although I stopped the sugar at 285, because it looked like it was going to burn. My whole family said they were one of the best things I ever made. Thank you! Other butterfingers recipes add a lot of junky ingredients.
Can you use Dark Chocolate baking bar instead of the chips?
I value your opinion. Thank you.