Chocolate Billionaires are full of crispy, crunchy, caramel goodness covered with a rich chocolate coating. One taste, and you’ll agree that the name is totally appropriate!
Some years ago, I came across a recipe for chocolate billionaires. From what I remember, it was in some sort of a pamphlet. The recipe looked good and also easy, so I gave it a try. That was the first of many times that I’ve made the chocolate billionaires for the holidays.
Through the years, I’ve been told by a lot of people that the chocolate billionaires are a favorite candy. Who wouldn’t go crazy over crispy, crunchy caramel goodness covered in chocolate? I typically close my eyes to savor the first bite!
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Only five ingredients are used to make these extraordinary confections.
- The Caramel: Store bought caramel bits lightly thinned by some water form the basis of the chocolate billionaires.
- The Crunch: Rice Krispies and toasted pecan pieces provide the crunch for this awesome candy.
- The Chocolate Coating: I like to use Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers for the chocolate coating. It tastes great and forms a sturdy coating for the candy.
Making the Chocolate Billionaires
Chocolate Billionaires are one of the easiest candies you can think of to make.
- First, I added the caramel bits and water to a heavy saucepan over medium low heat.
- Next, I occasionally stirred the caramel bits and water with a wooden spoon until the bits were melted. This took about 12 minutes.
- Once the caramel bits were fully melted, I added the toasted pecans and Rice Krispies. I stirred the mixture together until everything was fully incorporated.
- Then, I used a 2 teaspoon ice cream scoop to portion out the candy onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Because the candy was quite sticky at this point, I would have had a sticky mess without the parchment paper. I could also have used a well buttered piece of wax paper.
- With the ice cream scoop, I ended up with rounded pieces of candy. I prefer a less round candy. Therefore, after it had cooled a bit, I flattened each piece of candy with my hand.
- Next comes the time-consuming part of making the Chocolate Billionaires – dipping each piece of candy in the chocolate coating. I started by melting the chocolate melting wafers in a double boiler.
- I’ve tried different techniques for actually dipping the candy. However, I keep coming back to the use of a toothpick to actually hold the candy while dipping, and another toothpick to remove the coated piece of candy from the first toothpick.
Is the effort worth it? Absolutely! I usually end up with between 3 and 4 dozen incredibly delicious little morsels.
Chocolate billionaires are one of my most requested holiday treats. They will surely become one or your most requested holiday treats as well. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
The Chocolate Billionaires will keep for several weeks if stored in an airtight container.
If you use a candy coating like Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers, refrigeration is unnecessary. The candy coating hardens nicely out of the refrigerator.
I’ve found through the years that the taste of whatever I make the includes pecans is greatly enhanced if the pecans are toasted. It doesn’t take long to toast the pecans and the resultant candy is a order of magnitude better with the toasting.
You can certainly melt the melting wafers in the microwave according to the package directions. I like to use a double boiler because it keeps the chocolate nicely melted while I’m dipping the candy.
Other Edible Holiday Gifts
If you’re looking for other edible holiday gifts, try the following:
- Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough Bites
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Chocolate Covered Roasted Pecans
- Toasted Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- Christmas Swirled Peppermint Bark
- Chocolate Pecan Toffee Clusters
- Chocolate Christmas Mice
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Meltaways
- 5-Minute White Chocolate Holiday Bark
- Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle
Watch my Story on Making Chocolate Billionaires
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Chocolate Billionaires
Ingredients
- 11 ounce package caramel bits (See Tip 1)
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans, toasted (See Tip 2)
- 1 cup Rice Krispies
- 2 cups dark chocolate melting wafers (See Tip 3)
Instructions
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or well-greased wax paper. Set aside. (See Tip 4)
- In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the caramel bits and water; cook and stir over medium low heat until smooth, about 12 minutes. Add toasted pecans and Rice Krispies; stir until well coated. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared pans.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate candy coating in a double boiler over simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the pan with chocolate does not touch the water. Be careful not to boil the water. Dip each piece of candy into the chocolate, coating all sides. Place on prepared pans. When fully set, store in airtight container. Yield: 3 to 4 dozen, depending on size of each piece.
Chula’s Expert Tips
- May also use store-bought caramels that have been unwrapped.
- To toast the pecan pieces, place in preheated 350°F oven for 8 to 9 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid over toasting.
- I like to use Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers, but you could also use 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips carefully melted with 1½ teaspoons of Crisco in place of the chocolate candy coating. However, if you heat the chocolate chips too much, they will not harden.
- The candy is quite sticky. Therefore, it’s important to use either parchment paper or well-greased wax paper. Otherwise, you’ll have a sticky mess.
