Butterfinger Candy bars are one of my favorite candies ever, so I really wanted to make a copycat version, because I’m like that. Most homemade versions are chewy rather than crunchy, though. For my homemade Butterfinger recipe, I wanted to make sure the results were crunchy and crispy rather than soft and chewy. If I want chewy, I’ll eat fudge, am I right?
For an easier candy recipe packed with Butterfinger flavor, you may want to check out my Butterfinger bark recipe. It doesn’t require a candy thermometer and would be appropriate to make with your kids. My Butterfinger ice cream is also a great way to get your Butterfinger fix!
Anyway, settle in friends, and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Butterfinger candy. For ease of browsing, here are all of my candy recipes. Thanks for stopping by!
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Watch my Butterfinger candy bar web story.
These are DELICIOUS! You did an amazing job! I made another recipe that didn’t require a candy thermometer but they really were not even close to a butterfinger.
Reader Patty G.
Your recipe is spot on and it is really good even without chocolate coating.
I do suggest for people trying this for the first time to read through the instructions and keep them close to refer back to. Your steps are well written and easy to understand.
Crunchy Butterfinger Bar Recipe, At a Glance
✅Skill Level: Advanced
✅Skills: Cooking Sugar, Folding and manipulating molten sugar, dipping candies
✅Type: Candy
✅Number of Ingredients: 10
✅Prep Time: 10 minutes
✅Cook Time: 20 minutes
✅Yield: 60 pieces if cut in small squares. Maybe 12-15 “full size” candy bars
Jump Straight to the Recipe
Recipe Testing to Get It Right
I am Extremely Excited, stoked even (and I never use that word), to bring you this crispy Butterfinger recipe, you guys. This is my most tested recipe ever.
I submit I have developed a homemade copycat for Butterfinger candy bars that is as close to the factory-produced kind as I can get while using my regular kitchen equipment.
Nine times.
That’s the number of times it took me to get these Butterfingers just right.
- I made some with a sugar syrup.
- I made others with melted down candy corn.
- Some I added molasses to.
- I tried different proportions of peanut butter to syrup.
- I tried folding the candy around the peanut butter (never try that. You’re welcome).
- And finally, after 8 tries and a two week break, I have it. Potion #9 is it.
Crispy.
Crunchy.
Peanut buttery.
It’s notable that the new version of Butterfingers no longer contains molasses or confectioner’s corn flakes.
Honestly though, my copycat version is pretty darned good just the way it is, so I’m not changing it!
Made these today. Wow! Absolutely delish and exactly what I hoped for! Thank you for your efforts to perfect this recipe. You succeeded! Working with exact weights and temperatures makes it almost foolproof.
Reader and Hero to Her Kids Trina
There is a bit of a learning curve on the folding at the end. You warned me to err to the side of too soft, but I made one fold too many so the final layers didn’t quite marry. Once cool most of my pieces peeled into two thinner pieces. Not ideal, but twice as many! Lol. And the crumbly bits got stirred into a bit of chocolate and dropped by spoonfuls to set up. Nothing wasted!
Gonna try another batch tomorrow. My kids think I’m a genius, but you get all the credit! Thanks for sharing!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s a rundown of what you’ll need to make them, with the exception of one sneaky ingredient you’ll get in the recipe.
If you’re adept at working with and manipulating molten sugar, you can skip down to the recipe.
Otherwise, I’ll go over the ingredients, the steps to make them, and give you some tips that will help you be successful with this recipe.
- cornflakes: Adds a bit of textural contrast and helps to create the layers in the Butterfingers. NOTE the “new version” of commercially available Butterfingers doesn’t contain cornflakes anymore, but they are readily available and work well in this recipe, so I’m not changing it
- peanut butter: I use Smucker’s Natural. I expect you could use a peanut powder like PB2, but I have not tested it. And Smucker’s works great and lends a truly peanutty peanut taste to the candy
- cocoa powder: There is just a touch of cocoa powder in the official recipe, so I use it here too
- dry milk powder: Ditto
- candy corn: Provides the perfect balance of sugars. If it’s not Halloween and you can’t find candy corn, you can substitute orange fondant (see below)
- water: Added to the pan with the candy corn so it can dissolve evenly before it gets too hot
- molasses: Adds a bit of backbone to the candy centers. The new formula leaves it out, but I’m a fan of the OG Butterfinger, so in it stays
- milk chocolate chips: A mixture of two chocolates to pretty closely approximate the kind of chocolate used in the “real” ones. I use Ghirardelli chips for both milk and dark
- dark chocolate chips: Opt for bittersweet over semisweet if there is a choice
- coconut oil: Melted together with the chocolate, adding coconut oil turns the chocolate into coating chocolate, which you do not need to temper to ensure it sets up nicely
What To Use Instead of Candy Corn
Candy corn is basically fondant with some confectioners’ glaze on the outside.
If you don’t like candy corn, use fondant.
Don’t go with the standard, found-in-craft-stores fondant, because it doesn’t taste very good.
Here’s my recommendation:
If you still want the classic Butterfinger color on the inside of your candy, use orange fondant. If it doesn't matter to you, this same link will take you to all the colors--just choose the one you want. Note that this is for 2 pounds of fondant, which is much more than you need to make Butterfingers. This stuff is tasty, so roll it out and use it to cover a cake or individual cupcakes.
This is such a beautiful treat but it tastes delicious at the same time! And what a great treat for Halloween!
Reader REbecca
How To Make Homemade Butterfingers, Step by Step
It will take roughly 30 minutes to make your Butterfingers, not counting cooling time, dipping time, or time for the coating chocolate to set up, so plan accordingly.
- Get Corn Flakes Ready
Spread out your corn flakes in the center of a Silpat-lined half sheet pan. Put the pan close to the stove. - Mix Up Your “Dry” Ingredients
Stir together the peanut butter, milk powder, and cocoa powder. Place that bowl convenient to the stove as well. - Cook the Candy
Add candy corn and water to your pan. Heat over medium heat until the candy corn has melted. Then you can raise the temperature and cook the candy until it reaches 290F. Add the molasses and continue cooking until the candy reaches 305F. - Stir all ingredients together.
Once your candy reaches 305F, immediately remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter mixture. Be careful and use a long-handled wooden spoon to minimize your chances of burning yourself. - Pour candy out onto prepared Silpat.
Scrape the candy out onto the corn flake-lined Silpat. Use the Silpat to fold the candy over to incorporate the corn flakes. - Roll and fold the candy.
As the candy cools and becomes more solid, you will be able to fold the candy over on itself into thirds, like folding a letter. Do this a couple of times using the Silpat to help you so you don’t burn yourself. As the candy continues to cool, you’ll be able to roll it out and fold it without the Silpat (although it will still be very hot, so be careful.) - Score, Cool, and Dip. Done!
Give the candy a final roll to about 1/3″. Use a pizza wheel to score the candy about halfway through. You can make whatever shapes you like. I’m a fan of tiny squares rather than large bars, but make them how you want them. Once cool, break the candies apart and then dip them in the chocolate coating and let harden.
You really do need Silpat or some other silicone baking mat in order to make these. Otherwise, the sugar is entirely too hot to touch safely.
- Can be used over and over again
- Great for baking macarons, profiteroles, and eclairs
- Perfect for pouring molten candy on to shape and cool
Are These Candy Bars Hard to Make?
I would definitely categorize this recipe as intermediate to advanced.
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It’s not hard to make, per se, but you are working with molten sugar, and you have to be careful. This is not a recipe to make with your kids unless they are older. Like maybe teenagers.
Let younger kids help you dip the candies in chocolate, but keep them out of the kitchen or at least at a respectful distance while you’re making the centers.
And definitely keep pets out of the kitchen while working with boiling sugar. Much better safe than sorry.
PRO TIP 1: When working with molten sugar, keep a bowl of very cold water handy so you can immerse your finger or hand if a little bit of sugar splashes on you.
Whatever you do, don’t stick your finger in your mouth. You’ll just end up with a burned finger and a burned mouth.
PRO TIP 2: unless you’re making a ton of specialty chocolates, using a regular fork for dipping will work just fine. No need to get fancy chocolate dipping forks unless you really want them.
What Can Possibly Go Wrong?
For one, you can burn yourself. We’re cooking the candy corn mixture to just over 300F, and then we have to stir in some really thick peanut butter so be careful.
Once I stir in the peanut butter, I scrape the molten candy out onto a Silpat and then knead it through the Silpat by folding it over.
But, I have a fairly high tolerance for heat. If you don’t, consider using an oven mitt or even better, get an Ove-Glove to help you in kneading through the Silpat.
You could also cook the candy too hot so it caramelizes, which is not what we want.
Or you might not get it hot enough so that when it cools, your candy won’t be crispety crunchety.
The only help for that is to have an accurate instant read thermometer or candy thermometer so you can monitor the temperature and know just when to add the peanut butter to the pot.
Please note that a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pot might not take a true temperature as the candy is generally cooler at the sides. Also, it might not read accurately unless the molten candy is deep enough.
For this candy, you’re only looking at 8 oz of candy, so either double it or plan on tipping the pan to get a good reading with a clip-on thermometer.
Are Butterfingers Gluten Free?
According to the Celiac Disease Foundation: regular Butterfinger bars are gluten free, but: “…only in fun size, singles, and share pack (Butterfinger Bites, Butterfinger Minis, Butterfinger Cups, and special holiday-shaped Butterfinger items are NOT considered gluten-free).”
Be cautious if you have a gluten allergy or are Celiac.
These copycat crispy Butterfinger bars are gluten free as long as you are careful with your ingredient sourcing.
Do I Have To Temper Chocolate To Make This Recipe?
No. I mean, you could use couverture and temper it, but since tempering can be finicky and I don’t know what the conditions are in your particular kitchen, I wrote this recipe to use homemade coating chocolate.
It still sets up shiny like tempered chocolate, but it requires no special skill except for the ability to wait for the chocolate to set completely. And that can take a couple of hours if not more.
The secret? Refined coconut oil. The formula is this: use 10% of the weight of the chocolate in oil. So for 10 oz of chocolate, you’ll need one ounce of oil. I will say it again.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale yet, please get one. I promise it will make your life much easier. You will be so happy.
Other Homemade Candy Recipes You Might Enjoy
Looking for more candy? Try this bourbon honeycomb candy. Or maybe this cashew toffee is more your style. And do not miss my butterscotch hard candies. Seriously.
If you’d prefer to not work with molten sugar, try my butter mints. No cooking necessary, and they’re really tasty!
Don’t deny yourself. Make some candy. It’s rewarding and delicious!
And remember, if something goes awry and your candy gets crumbly (this happened to me AT LEAST TWICE while testing), stir the crumbles into ice cream. Seriously, they’ll still be delicious!
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
A Note About Measurements
My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.
For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.
I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.
This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
Please Take A Moment to Rate and Review
It will help me and other readers so much if you take a moment to rate and leave a review for this recipe.
You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.
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Thank you so much for taking the time!
Crispy Homemade Butterfinger Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Centers
- ½ cup corn flakes cereal lightly crushed
- 8 oz peanut butter I use Smucker’s Natural
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder sifted
- 2 teaspoons dry milk powder
- 8 oz candy corn
- 2 oz water
- 2 teaspoons molasses I use Grandma’s
For the Coating Chocolate
- 8 oz milk chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli
- 8 oz 60% bittersweet chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli
- 1.6 oz refined coconut oil
Instructions
For the Centers
- Spread the corn flakes out in the center of a half-sheet-sized Silpat. Set aside convenient to the stove.
- MIx together the peanut butter, cocoa powder, and milk powder in a small bowl. Set aside convenient to the stove.
- Put the candy corn and water in a medium saucepan. Melt over medium-low heat, smashing the candies down with the side of a heat resistant spatula until the mixture is smooth.
- Increase heat to medium/medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture reaches 290F.
- Add the molasses and swirl the pan to distribute it. Continue to cook until the candy reaches 305F.
- Immediately remove from the heat and scoop the peanut butter mixture into the candy. Be careful, and stir it together as completely as you can.
- Scrape the candy onto the corn flaked Silpat. Using the Silpat (and possibly an Ove Glove) fold the candy together with the corn flakes so it is somewhat layered. Fold the candy over, then press it out (again, with the Silpat folded over it), then use the Silpat to fold that.
- The candy will firm up in a couple of minutes at which point you can use a rolling pin directly on the candy to roll it out to about 1/4″ and then fold it in thirds, like you’re making puff pastry. Continue rolling and folding until the candy is stiff but not hard. Err on the side of too soft rather than too hard, or you won’t be able to score it.
- Roll the candy one last time to 1/3″ or so. Use a metal pizza cutter or a bench knife to score the candy about halfway to three quarters of the way through. You can choose to make them into small squares or into traditional bar shapes. It’s your call.
- Allow candy to cool completely. Break along score marks.
To Dip in Chocolate
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the two kinds of chocolate chips and the coconut oil on medium power in 30 second bursts. Stir in between. When chocolate is mostly melted, stir until it is completely melted.
- Line a half sheet pan or two with Silpat. Keep them close.
- Brush off any errant candy crumbs from your centers. Put 5-6 into the melted but not super hot chocolate.
- Using a candy fork or just a regular fork, turn them to coat. Pick one up on the tines of the fork and tap it against the rim of the bowl to even out the chocolate and let the excess drip off. Make sure the candy is right-side up. You can tell because the bottoms are completely flat and the tops have a slight curve from the scoring. Place each dipped and drained center on Silpat to cool completely. This could take a couple of hours.
- You can stop with one dip, but I like chocolate, so I double dipped mine. Reheat the chocolate and dip and drain all the candies a second time. Allow to cool. I drizzled some additional melted chocolate over the tops of the candies. This is completely optional, but it looks cool.
- Store, uncovered, in a dry place to cool/set for a few hours or overnight. I put my tray in the microwave. The oven (as long as it’s off and you don’t forget they’re there) is a great place to put them as well, especially if you have animals or kids who might try to sneak them. As long as you know where they are and you can sneak them, it’s all good.
- Package however you’d like, in cello bags or small candy boxes, or just put them on a plate. Share, or don’t. I’m not judging.
- These crunchy Butterfinger candy bars will stay crunchy for at least a week or two, depending on humidity. They will be gone well before they lose their crunchiness, though. Trust me.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
- 4.5 oz of light corn syrup
- 3.5 oz granulated sugar
- 2 oz water.
- Stir together well, put the lid on your pan and bring to a boil.
- Allow this mixture to boil for a minute or two to wash down any sugar crystals off the sides of the pan, and then continue with the recipe as written.
Nutrition
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And that’s it, you guys. Maybe not quite as crispy as the originals, but just as crunchy. Homemade Butterfinger candy, y’all. Nine times is the charm.
Thanks for spending some time with me today, friends. Enjoy the copycat crunchy Butterfinger candy bars!
Take care, y’all.
Join in Today!
The first batch I made I messed up but didn’t know it! I couldn’t tell because the taste was phenomenal! I didn’t cook the candy corn long enough or hot enough. I was afraid the thermometer wasn’t working because I couldn’t see the temp go up in my shallow pot. I doubled the recipe then I was able to actually get a correct reading. Mistakes still taste so so so so so delicious
Oh, yeah, if you are making a single batch, you do need to use a smaller pot so you can get an accurate temp reading. So glad it didn’t go to waste and that you still enjoyed it, Terri!
I’ve not made ” any” candy or weighed my ingredients before this! I used crunchy Pbutter nearly ate the whole batch to myself (batch is too small) great for practice. Doubled the batch, now I’m gonna share! Superb recipe, friends want this recipe now! Thank you so very much I will treasure this! Better than any store!
Terri, you are showing great willpower to share–I am a terrible share-er when it comes to this candy! lol I am thrilled you love the Butterfingers!
if not using candy corn, I do not understand where exactly to come into the recipe. can you be .a little more specific?
You can substitute an equal amount of fondant for the candy corn. Use orange to keep the color “butterfinger-y” but white will work just as well. I hope that helps. Enjoy the candy!
My candy crumbled too much to make into bars, but the basic recipe and the hints were “spot on” and the fault was completely my own. In any event, I used the crumbles, with a bit of peanut butter and chopped peanuts, to make truffle-like candies, which were a huge success. (I took them to a party and every single one was immediately grabbed, my beloved complaining that he didn’t get one. I reminded him that he had been the original taste tester who had declared the truffles to be yummy. That put an end to the complaining:) The taste of the candy was unbelievably delicious – better than commercially made Butterfingers IMHO. I didn’t find candy corn, so used the corn syrup alternative provided and it worked just fine. You can’t go wrong with any recipe Jenni provides and this is just one more example of that fact.
I love that these guys are super tasty even if they crumble. Good save with the truffles, and I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them!
I just made these using the alternative/no candy corn method, but w/ DARK corn syrup (recipe calls for LITE)….and they’re pretty amazing. I’ve made also made the original version w candy corn and it simply can’t be beat. Thank you for sharing this fun recipe!
Hey, Gino! I’m always so happy when someone tries and loves this recipe! It can sometimes be a bit temperamental, but I think it’s really great too.
These are amazing! My husband can’t have peanut butter, and wanted to give him a chance to try butterfingers, so I used this and substituted almond butter. These do not disappoint! I did a side by side taste test and they are spot on. I guess I’m going to have to bulk buy candy corn during the Halloween season to stock up…
Alia, I’m so excited you made these, and it’s great to know that almond butter works as well as peanut butter. Definitely stock up on candy corn.
Ich werde dein Rezept mal nachmachen, leider gibst du keine Gramm Angaben an, ich hoffe es geligt mir.
Bis jetzt habe ich imer das Rezept – https://americanbakeringermany.blogspot.com/2021/05/recipe-butterfinger-candy-bars-copycat.html nach gemacht, es ist großartig, bin gespannt, wie dein Rezept wird, wenn es mirgeligt.
Viele Grüße sendet,
Gabriel
Hey, Gabriel. My recipe is patterned after the ingredient list for “real” Butterfingers, so I hope you enjoy it.
The recipe is written in ounces by weight, so if your scale does conversions between ounces and grams, you should be fine. If not, multiply all the ounce amounts by 28.35 to get grams.
Enjoy!
MY peanut butter and sugar mixture keeps solidifying when I stir them together. Any help?
Hey there. This can definitely be a finicky recipe. Consider heating the peanut butter in the microwave to give you a bit more working time.
Um, hello, it’s CRISPETY, CRUNCHETY lolol
You are correct, but those extra letters made the title too long! lol