Nut Goodie is a candy bar that has been manufactured by Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Pearson’s Candy Company for over 100 years. The popular Midwest candy bar is a blend of chocolate, maple and peanuts and is decadent and purely delicious.

I’d never heard of this candy bar until my friend and colleague, Pam, brought bags of them to a conference our company exhibited at a couple years ago. Our midwest-based clients went nuts (pun intended) over the treats and we heard many stories of how they loved the bars as kids.

I was able to get the recipe for the tasty, chewy bites from Pam and sharing it with you.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces chocolate chips
• 12 ounces butterscotch chips
• 2 cups peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup powdered vanilla pudding (not instant)
• 2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. maple extract
• 16-ounce jar of dry-roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. Butter or coat in cooking spray a 12×16 pan.
2. In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips and peanut butter, mix well to combine. Pour half the mixture into the buttered pan and refrigerate.
3. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the butter, evaporated milk and vanilla pudding mix. Bring to a boil, cook for a minute and remove the pan from the heat.
4. Add the confectioners’ sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the hot butter mixture to the confectioners’ sugar and mix until well-combined. Add the maple extract and mix for another 30 seconds, until mixture is smooth.
5. Pour/spread the butter/confectioners’ sugar mixture over the refrigerated chocolate base in the pan. Put the pan back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
6. Add the peanuts to remaining melted chocolate mixture and spread over the chilled butter/confectioners’ sugar filling in the pan. Refrigerate for an hour then cut into squares.

Yields 24-32 squares.