• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
    • Privacy Policy
  • FAQ
  • Recipes
    • Keto Desserts
    • Keto Breakfast Recipes
  • WORK WITH ME
  • KETO COOKBOOKS
  • PRESS
  • CONTACT
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

All Day I Dream About Food

All the best low carb keto recipes for a healthy lifestyle

  • Recipe Index
  • Main Dishes
  • Breakfast
  • Muffins & Scones
  • Side Dishes
  • Keto Cakes
  • Cookies
  • Dairy Free

May 29, 2013

Homemade Whatchamacallit Bars – Low Carb and Gluten-Free

This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

4.2Kshares

Low Carb Peanut Butter Caramel Candy BarsA mistake in the kitchen led to one of the most delicious low carb treats I’ve ever made.  A homemade candy bar packed with peanut butter, caramel and chopped peanuts.

When I was growing up, there was a huge cultural divide between the US and Canada in one very important regard…candy bars.  This divide was so big, so utterly divisive, that in Canada we didn’t even call them candy bars. Any sort of confectionary covered in even the thinnest chocolate coating were always called chocolate bars.  And although we had several brands in common with our American friends, we definitely had chocolate bar envy.   We got many American TV channels and it always seemed like the US had endless varieties of sweets we couldn’t get on our side of the border.  A vast array of nutty, nougat-y, caramel-y combinations with intriguing names like 100 Grand, Mr. Goodbar and PayDay.  We were like kids with our noses pressed against the glass of the candy store window. On the outside, looking in.

Low Carb Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Bars

Now that I live on this side of the border, I know that US candy bars aren’t really any more interesting than all the lovely Cadbury’s varieties which are hard to find here in the US.  But there still remain quite a few American sweets I haven’t even tried.  Such as the Whatchamacallits.  Never even had a little taste, so you must wonder what I am doing creating my own homemade, low carb version.  The truth is that I did not set out to create such a thing at all.  And not having actually tasted a Whatchamacallit, I can’t really say that these bear all that much resemblance to the original.  But I honestly DON’T know what to call them, and since they include caramel, peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate, it seemed a rather fitting name.

See, I actually set out to create a homemade version of another candy bar altogether.  I had formed an idea of a low carb PayDay bar, with a peanut butter caramel center rolled in salted peanuts.  But I made a wrong turn somewhere along the way and ended up with a strange peanutt-y filling that globbed and seized and wouldn’t smooth out at all.  I attempted to save it with the addition of some peanut flour, thinking that might un-clump the mixture.  It did not.  So I finally poured it into a pan, smoothed it as best I could, and popped it into the fridge.  It tasted far too good to throw away, but I really wasn’t sure what to do with it.  And then I hopped on Facebook and sought comfort in my lovely followers, who kindly sympathized with my huge recipe fail.  One  sweet soul said “At least you fail once in a while, like us mere mortals”.  Ah, balm for the baker’s bruised ego!

Low Carb Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Bars

And when my husband arrived home, I showed him my clumpy, lumpy, peanut buttery mess and he, wise man that he is, said “Well, just dip it in chocolate!”.  Give that man a medal, because he not only saved the recipe, but turned it into one of the best low carb treats I’ve ever made.  Seriously!  His words crystallized the idea in my head and I knew exactly what to do.  I cut the whole mess into small squares, popped them in the freezer and then dipped them in 90% cacao chocolate.  And somehow that took them from pretty tasty but seriously ugly to insanely tasty and relatively attractive. Presentable, at the very least!

 The whole adventure proved two things to me, both of which I already knew on some level.  First, that every recipe I create, whether it fails or succeeds, teaches me something valuable about my ingredients and how they behave.  Secondly, that peanut butter and chocolate was, is and always will be the best flavour combination ever.  Bar none.
Now, what the heck would YOU call these things???  Because if any of you can come up with a really great name for them, I will send you a batch.
Low Carb Peanut Butter Caramel Candy Bars
Print
Homemade Whatchamacallit Bars
A mistake in the kitchen led to one of the most delicious low carb treats I've ever made. A homemade candy bar packed with peanut butter, caramel and chopped peanuts.
Servings: 16 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol
  • 1/4 cup xylitol
  • 2 tsp molasses
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup peanut flour could use almond flour
  • 1 cup chopped peanuts
  • 4.5 oz 85% or 90% chocolate chopped
Instructions
  1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment or waxed paper, with a 1 inch overhang on the sides for lifting out the cooled bars.
  2. Combine water, Swerve Sweetener and xylitol in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until Swerve and xylitol dissolve.
  3. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring 7 to 9 minutes, until mixture begins to darken in colour. Mixture may smoke slightly. Stir in molasses or honey.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in whipping cream, butter and kosher salt.
  5. Stir in baking soda. Mixture will bubble vigorously.
  6. While caramel is still warm, stir in peanut butter. Mixture will likely seize and get clumpy, but that's okay.
  7. Stir in peanut or almond flour until well combined, then stir in chopped peanuts.
  8. Spread mixture in prepared baking pan and chill until firm, 30 minutes.
  9. Lift the bars out by the overhanging parchment and cut into 16 squares (or more - I made mine bite-sized). Place bars on a cookie sheet and freeze 30 minutes.
  10. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth.
  11. One at a time, drop frozen bars into melted chocolate, quickly tossing with a fork to coat. Lift out and gently tap fork on the side of the pan to remove excess chocolate.
  12. Place bars on a waxed paper-lined plate or baking sheet to set.
  13. Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes

Serves 16. Each serving has 9.3 g of carbs and 2.8 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6.5 g.

4.2Kshares

Filed Under: Brownies & Bars, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Other Desserts Tagged With: caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, peanut flour, peanuts

free email series

Secrets to Keto Baking

Tips and tricks to delicious and healthy recipes!


Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

Reader Interactions

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Comments

  1. Katharine says

    May 29, 2013 at 7:46 am

    No. You. Didn’t!! I Looooooooooove Whatchamacallit bars (or did, anyway). Will try this one for sure.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 29, 2013 at 9:14 am

      I honestly can’t promise these are the same, since I’ve never even had Whatchamacallits. I just didn’t know what else to call them! 🙂

      Reply
      • Alison says

        June 1, 2013 at 10:27 pm

        Whatchamacallit bars were/are like a hard peanut butter rice krispy bar topped with a thin layer of caramel then covered in milk chocolate. They always sounded better than they actually tasted! These more remind me of a dark chocolate Snickers bar. Yum!! I look forward to trying them out.

        Reply
  2. Theresa says

    May 29, 2013 at 8:17 am

    The peanut butter & molassas mixture makes me think of Mary Janes… Chocolate Covered Mary Janes.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 29, 2013 at 9:15 am

      I’ve never heard of Mary Janes! Sound good, though…

      Reply
  3. Susan Pelter says

    May 29, 2013 at 9:29 am

    These remind me of a great old candy called Goldenberg’s peanut chews. (I always loved ’em and they were my father’s absolute favorite candy of all time.) It looked like a candy bar in the wrapper but when you opened it, there were 5 or 6 little chocolate-covered rectangles. They were highly peanutty and slightly molasses-y and covered with dark chocolate (a plus for those of us who don’t care for wimpy milk chocolate). And CHEWY! Definitely going to try these at our house!

    Reply
  4. MK says

    May 29, 2013 at 9:36 am

    Oh, these look like Heavenly Crunchy Pillows to me!

    Reply
  5. Sandra Ricardo says

    May 29, 2013 at 9:40 am

    Since the delish treats are the result of a happy accident, then you may want to call them Serendipity Dream bars!

    Reply
  6. LG says

    May 29, 2013 at 9:40 am

    haha, “mistakes happen” … i LOVE it when food experiments turn out accidentally delicious in the kitchen! these looks superyum!

    Reply
  7. Cary says

    May 29, 2013 at 10:34 am

    These look wonderful! You have been an inspiration for me since I was recently diagnosed with diabetes out of no-where (5′ 5″, 130 lb. former college athlete).

    Happy Chance Bites!

    Reply
    • Sharron Timmins says

      February 13, 2014 at 12:46 pm

      How about Disaster Delights!
      or Delightful Disaster Bites! LOL

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 13, 2014 at 3:01 pm

        Ha, not sure they would really take off with “disaster” in the name!

        Reply
  8. Alison says

    May 29, 2013 at 10:37 am

    I think it should be a Mayday for a couple of reasons. Obviously one reason being because it happended in May. 🙂 Secondly because Mayday is a “distress signal” and means “come help me” which is what your husband did when he suggested the chocolate over your peanut buttery “mess”. It can also be a mayday “come help me” treat since we all (or is it just women?) look for something chocolate when life deals us distress. 🙂

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 29, 2013 at 11:39 am

      That’s hilarious! Great idea!

      Reply
      • Denise J says

        May 29, 2013 at 7:58 pm

        That’s a perfect name! You were going for a “Payday” and it turned into a “Mayday”! I think that’s your winner!

        Reply
        • Carolyn says

          May 29, 2013 at 8:12 pm

          I rather agree, but I may put it to a vote. Stay tuned!

          Reply
  9. RavieNomNoms says

    May 29, 2013 at 11:04 am

    Whoa, this stuff is amazing! Blown away, looks so good!

    Reply
  10. Syvella Symonds says

    May 29, 2013 at 11:16 am

    GOLDEN Chocolate Nuggets

    Reply
  11. Tammy Cruz says

    May 29, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Dream Delights, Heavenly Nuggets, Oopsie Bars, Dynabites (dynamite), Choco Colassol, Choco Nuttals and any variations of these. ie : Heavenly Delights, Dream Nuggets, Choco Bites etc.

    Reply
  12. Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says

    May 29, 2013 at 12:21 pm

    I miss peanuts! 🙁 These look fab!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 29, 2013 at 1:21 pm

      Why do you miss peanuts? Is one of your sons allergic? 🙁

      Reply
  13. Mary Hougaard says

    May 29, 2013 at 12:48 pm

    How about Nutty Good Bites…they taste great and are good for you too!~

    Reply
    • Mary Hougaard says

      May 29, 2013 at 12:55 pm

      Or Scrumptious Good Bites…or Wholesome Good Bites…

      Reply
  14. Kim - Liv Life says

    May 29, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    I have never been much of a candy person, but these whatchmacallit treats look tempting even to me!! My family?? Total candy freaks!!! I’m certain they would love ’em. Well done Carolyn!

    Reply
  15. Regan @ Cabot Creamery says

    May 29, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    I must, must, must try these. I’ll admit to being a candy bar eater as a kid, but I’ve all but completely let them go. This will bring me out of candy-bar-hybernation

    Reply
  16. Sandi DeFalco says

    May 29, 2013 at 3:16 pm

    Okay, since these didn’t come out the way you intended, but in fact came out better, how about ‘BooBoo Bars’. Easy to remember!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 29, 2013 at 3:59 pm

      Cute!

      Reply
  17. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says

    May 29, 2013 at 4:46 pm

    These look amazing, Carolyn! You’re a little low-carb kitchen wizard, and I love it!

    Reply
  18. Lindsay Coleman says

    May 29, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    I think you should called them Bingo Bars. Because, it seems, that when your husband told you to dip it in chocolate you went, “BINGO!” And then you got the rest of the recipe idea.
    Now send me some of those Bingo Bars, please. Haha!
    🙂

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 29, 2013 at 5:30 pm

      I like that one!

      Reply
  19. Vanessa says

    May 29, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    Thank goodness for occasional mistakes..especially when they’re as great and tasty as this one!

    Reply
  20. Michelle says

    May 29, 2013 at 7:54 pm

    The first thing I thought was “Nutty Bars”. They look so yummy! I made your raspberry coconut muffins and they were so delicious , thank you! I was diagnosed with class B gestational diabetes during my pregnancy last year and have missed baking so very much. Thank you for taking the time to share your recipes , even the “mistakes” with us. 🙂

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 29, 2013 at 8:11 pm

      Thanks, Michelle!

      Reply
  21. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says

    May 29, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    Oh, I love this one. Recipe fail turned awesome amazingness. I love those!!

    Reply
  22. Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says

    May 29, 2013 at 11:42 pm

    I haven’t had a whatchamacallit bar in years. These look fantastic!

    Reply
  23. Edith Patchan says

    May 30, 2013 at 8:58 am

    CHNIPS is what my husband came up with when I asked him. He said it meant chocolate and peanut snack. Great recipe! Thanks for all your hard work.

    Reply
  24. Christine says

    May 30, 2013 at 9:14 am

    It may interest you to know that ‘Whatchamacallits’ were invented by a Canadian! The son of my GP started that company right in the family kitchen ):

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 30, 2013 at 10:32 am

      Ha ha, great little tidbit! 🙂

      Reply
  25. Stephanie says

    May 30, 2013 at 12:46 pm

    Love all the ideas, especially Bingo Bar, BooBoo Bar,and MayDay Bar!

    Is there a substitution possible for the xylitol? Or is that a must-have?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 30, 2013 at 1:46 pm

      In this one, you could probably do full erythritol, because the end result doesn’t need to be liquid like caramel sauce.

      Reply
  26. Dita says

    May 30, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    Carolyn’s Best Ever Mistake Bars should be the name. Again, you have outbested yourself.

    Reply
  27. Stephanie says

    May 30, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    What would be the effect if I left our the molasses?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 30, 2013 at 2:22 pm

      Probably not much, it’s mostly to help caramelize/brown the erythritol.

      Reply
      • Alison says

        May 30, 2013 at 4:10 pm

        would some xylitol-sweetened honey do the same thing?

        Reply
        • Carolyn says

          May 30, 2013 at 5:22 pm

          Doubtful, since it doesn’t contain really sugar to caramelize. But it’s worth a try!

          Reply
  28. Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says

    May 31, 2013 at 7:32 am

    Oh dear! How did I miss this fabulous recipe post? OK, Carolyn…I’m throwing my hat into the ring here. With Peabody’s recent kitchen mishap being called “Hot Mess Brownies”, I dare say you could do something similar with “mess” in the title like, “A Hot Cold Mess” (as to how they’re made) or “Solid Cold Mess”. Have fun coming up with a new name!

    Reply
  29. Sandi DeFalco says

    May 31, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    Carolyn – HELP! I gave it a try and it is not lumpy or holding together like I see yours in the photo. I’m thinking it might be the peanut butter I use. It’s very creamy, smooth, and so easy to spread. What brand do you use? Right now it’s in the freezer, and has been there for over 2 hours, something is definitely wrong with mine.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      June 1, 2013 at 9:17 am

      Do you have any xanthan or guar gum to thicken it??? That’s the best way to save it, I think.

      Reply
      • Sandi DeFalco says

        June 2, 2013 at 2:35 pm

        Yep, added xanthan gum, no luck in making it thick. I think my peanut butter is just too smooth to use for this.

        Reply
        • Carolyn says

          June 2, 2013 at 5:24 pm

          That’s so strange. What was the consistency after you put in the peanut butter?

          Reply
  30. Sandi DeFalco says

    May 31, 2013 at 8:16 pm

    Added note: It does taste really good!!!

    Reply
  31. Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama says

    June 1, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    Wow these look so good! It’s funny I always had candy bar and chocolate envy for the Canadian varieties. When we travel up to Montreal I smuggle a huge bag of Cadbury back home. That and chips…. Ketchup Chips have to be one of my favorite treats but I can’t get them around here.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      June 1, 2013 at 2:50 pm

      Haha, Ketchup chips, I never liked those much but I know a lot of people who love them. Have you ever had the dill pickle chips.

      Reply
  32. debbie says

    June 1, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    Maybe I’m missing something, but in step 4 it says to add kosher salt and I don’t see the amount listed. I can’t wait to try these – always love your recipes now that I’ve gone low carb 🙂

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      June 2, 2013 at 5:29 pm

      Ugh, sorry. I borrowed some of the instructions from another post that included caramel sauce. I will erase the kosher salt now.

      Reply
  33. Michele says

    June 2, 2013 at 12:03 am

    Whatchamacallit bars aren’t my favorite type of candy bar, but I have always liked them, so I’ll definitely need to give these suckers a try. Nummy num!

    Reply
  34. dara says

    June 3, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    Wow. I can’t believe you replicated these so well. They look delish.

    Reply
  35. Jeanette says

    June 5, 2013 at 8:18 am

    You are the queen of low sugar Sweet Treats Carolyn – even your mistakes turn out great!

    Reply
  36. Brian @ A Thought For Food says

    June 5, 2013 at 8:22 am

    How totally cute are these bars? Love them!

    Reply
  37. Shaina says

    June 14, 2013 at 5:10 pm

    These look so good! I love homemade candy bars. The only way to go.

    Reply
  38. FRAN says

    September 7, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    Was going to try these until I saw the artificial sweeteners in them–get a really bad case of heartburn from that stuff. Might experiement making them with regular sugar though.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      September 8, 2013 at 4:57 pm

      Feel free. But erythritol is not an artificial sweetener. It is not man-made, and is no more processed than getting sugar from sugar cane. It is found in fruits and fermented foods.

      Reply
  39. Anne Van de Kamp says

    February 15, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    My daughter and I have decided that they should be called PMS Bars (Peanutbutter Mistake Surprise Bars). 🙂

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      February 16, 2014 at 10:03 am

      Ah, that’s cute!

      Reply
  40. Roxanne says

    April 1, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    is molasses on plan for thm?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      April 1, 2015 at 6:22 pm

      I don’t know. I think many people use it in small quantities.

      Reply
  41. CeliaT says

    April 12, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    I just found this recipe and plan to try it. Is the xylitol necessary? I bought a pound of the xylitol from birch before I found out it really didn’t like me, so I do have it on hand if it’s best not to sub. It definitely spikes my BG and I would prefer to use something else if possible.

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      April 12, 2015 at 9:51 pm

      Just use all erythritol/Swerve.

      Reply
  42. Toria says

    October 21, 2015 at 11:43 pm

    I’m definitely going to try these (I LOVE your recipes!) but wanted to know if you ever did come up with a Payday bar recipe? Paydays are one of my favorites and I really miss them.

    Reply
  43. Alison R. says

    March 26, 2016 at 8:46 pm

    Hi Carolyn!! Thnx for all your truly wonderful creations!!

    What brand of peanut flour do you recommend?? I’ve not had any experience with it as of yet but I’m determined to make this recipe. Yumm!!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      April 27, 2016 at 10:04 am

      Here you go! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052OOYOW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0052OOYOW&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&linkId=GAJHFV5BS2MSBIBF

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Homemade Whatchamacallit Bars | Good Stuff Only says:
    June 6, 2013 at 8:38 am

    […] For more details please visit this link were you will find instructions : alldayidreamaboutfood.com […]

    Reply
  2. Easter Recipes says:
    April 10, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    […] Homemade Whatchamacallit Bars from All Day I Dream About Food […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

free email series

Secrets to Keto Baking

Tips and tricks to delicious and healthy recipes!

Carolyn PortraitLooking for the best low carb recipes? You've come to the right place! I'm Carolyn, a major carnivore and an unrepentant sweet tooth. Here you will find all you need to enjoy the low carb keto lifestyle to the fullest! Read more

Recipe Key

Diet & FitnessPaleoKeto Meal Plans
Low Carb Gluten Free

Footer

All Day I Dream About Food
COPYRIGHT © 2021 · ALL DAY I DREAM ABOUT FOOD · DISCLOSURE POLICY · PRIVACY POLICY