Chocolate, Caramel and Peanut Candy Bar Pizza

Sweet and salty, this dessert pizza is an elevated version of a Halloween fun-size candy bar (cough, Snickers, cough). Designed to please the adults and little ones alike, it’s got a pastry cream base that’s covered in zigzags of chocolate and caramel. Chopped peanuts sprinkled on post-bake add a dash of salt and crunch. 

While the toppings are designed to be approachable (and make ready-made substitutions easy), we do recommend making everything from scratch. Never made pastry cream before? This custard comes together quickly on the stovetop, and with a few “tells” to watch for, it’s easy for a beginner. We like to make our own caramel and chocolate, but store-bought caramel sauce and hot fudge will work just as well. 

When it comes to the pizza dough, use your favorite recipe for a Neapolitan-style dough. Our crust is parbaked with only the pastry cream on top; we drizzle on the rest of the toppings afterward, while the crust is still hot, so they gently melt together. 

The name of the Halloween game might be trick-or-treating, but who needs a bag full of candy when you’ve got a Snickers-inspired pizza on your table? 

Chocolate, Caramel and Peanut Candy Bar Pizza

Note

Pro tip: Using a squirt bottle to apply the chocolate sauce and caramel will allow you to make those precise, Instagram-worthy lines. If you don’t want to involve more equipment, spooning the toppings on, while not as neat, will be just as delicious. 

1: This recipe would suit a variety of pizza styles, but we think our classic pizza dough would be a great fit.

Make sure to prepare your dough ahead of time to ensure it rises at room temperature before firing up your oven.

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2: To make the caramel, add the sugar and water to a small saucepan, stir together to make a paste, and set on the stovetop at medium-high heat.

Let the mixture come to a simmer until golden amber, about 4 minutes. Swirl the mixture occasionally, but be sure not to stir it, since this can make the texture of the caramel grainy.

3: If you’re using a candy thermometer, aim for 350°F (176°C) to keep from overcooking the sugar, which can make the caramel bitter.

When the caramel is a golden amber color, turn off the heat and immediately add the cream, stirring constantly with a heatproof, nonstick spatula.

4: Once the cream is incorporated, add the butter one cube at a time, stirring until each is incorporated before adding the next piece.

Season with salt and pour into the squeeze bottle.

5: For the pastry cream, add the whole milk and vanilla to a medium saucepan and bring to just below simmering (you’re looking for occasional, small bubbles and little wisps of steam).

6: Meanwhile, add the sugar, cornstarch, and egg to a separate mixing bowl and whisk until incorporated.

Temper the mixture by ladling¼ of the warm milk and vanilla into the bowl, stirring constantly to bring the mixture to temperature without cooking the egg.

7: Once tempered, pour the mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly, and cook until the custard thickens.

Bring the mixture close to boiling — you may see some bubbles — but be careful not to curdle the egg by cooking at too high of a heat. When the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and immediately strain through a sieve into a bowl. Let cool for about 10 minutes, or until the cream comes down to 140°F (60°C). When slightly cooled, whisk in the butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming, then chill the bowl over ice.

8: For the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate, butter and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 60 seconds, stopping every 15 seconds to stir.

If the mixture is a little thick, stir in very small amounts of water until smooth. (You shouldn’t need more than a teaspoon or so of water.)

9: Fire up your oven, aiming for 850°F to 950°F (450°C to 500°C) on the stone baking board inside.

Use an infrared thermometer to quickly and accurately check the temperature of the stone.

10: Place a dough ball on your lightly floured work surface.

Push the air from the center out to the edge with your fingers. Stretch the dough out to a 12-inch-round base, and then lay the stretched dough over your lightly floured pizza peel or countertop. With the back of a spoon, spread one-sixth of the pastry cream onto the dough, then launch the pizza into the oven.

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11: Cook for 60-90 seconds, turning to ensure an even bake.

Remove from the oven when finished and place on a cutting board.

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12: To build the pizza, sprinkle some of the roasted peanuts evenly over the pastry cream.

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13: Then, using a squeeze bottle or spoon, drizzle the caramel sauce over the pizza in a zigzag pattern.

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14: Next, drizzle the chocolate sauce over the top.

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15: Sprinkle with sea salt, slice, and enjoy.

Repeat all steps for the remaining pizzas.

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16: Psst: If you dip into the extra caramel, our lips are sealed.

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