Paydates (Peanut Butter Dates) – Clean Copycat Payday Candy Bar Recipe!

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Paydates: A Cleaner Version of the Beloved Payday Candy Bar

These Paydates, or peanut butter dates, are sweet, salty, chewy, and absolutely delicious! They are a copycat recipe for the original Payday candy bar with clean ingredients, and these Paydates are even naturally sweetened. If you’re a peanut butter lover, you’ll absolutely love this easy PB-packed recipe.

Calling All Peanut Butter Lovers: You’ll Love This Clean Payday Candy Bar Recipe

If you love peanut butter, you’re going to be enamored with these clean ingredient Payday Candy dupe. Store bought Paydays have a caramel-like nougat center, covered in salted peanuts. They’re chewy, salty, sweet, and so delicious – they were easily one of my favorite candies growing up! I still love Paydays, but as someone who tries to cook with whole foods, no refined sugars, and make everything from scratch, I decided to develop a Payday candy bar recipe for people like me who want something made with real, wholesome ingredients.

The Secret Behind the Nougat – Date Caramel x Peanut Butter

I knew that using date caramel in this recipe would give the candy that chewy center, and decided to combine my homemade date caramel (check out the recipe here!) with creamy peanut butter (peanut butter recipe here) to add that extra peanut flavor to the nougat center.

Lastly, the date caramel and peanut butter nougat is rolled in chopped roasted and salted peanuts to give it that signature Payday look and mouth feel. They’re absolutely divine!

This is a No Bake Dessert!

Who doesn’t love a simple, no-bake dessert? These Paydates don’t require an oven or stove – just an hour or so in the freezer! Once your nougat is shaped, you’ll want to give it time to harden in the freezer to make the chopped peanut rolling process easier. When your nougat completely hardens, it will resemble the consistency of a thick caramel candy and be much easier to shape and roll than if you were to skip the freezer step altogether! Because these copycat Paydate Candy Bars don’t require any heat, they’re the perfect treat for warmer months when you don’t want to cook inside but still want a sweet treat.

Paydate Candy FAQs:

Can I use unsalted peanuts instead?
Yep! If you like a little less salt, go for unsalted. You can even toast them lightly for extra flavor. But if you love that sweet-salty combo, stick with salted!

What’s the best peanut butter to use?
Creamy, natural peanut butter is the way to go! Look for one with just peanuts (and maybe salt). Anything with extra oils or sugar might make the mixture too soft.

Can I make the date caramel ahead of time?
Absolutely! Whip it up in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week—or freeze it for even longer.

My peanuts aren’t sticking—help!
Make sure your candies are firm enough before rolling, and press the peanuts in gently. If they’re still struggling to stick, try brushing the surface with a little extra date caramel.

Can I make this nut-free?
Totally! Swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter and use roasted sunflower seeds instead of peanuts. Same delicious vibes, no nuts!

How long do these need to freeze?
At least 45 minutes to an hour before rolling them in peanuts, then another 30 minutes after that. (If you can wait that long 😉)

Can I dip these in chocolate instead?
Omg yes! Melt some dark chocolate, dip the frozen candies, and pop them back in the freezer to set. Think of it as a cross between a Payday and a Snickers!

How do I store these?
Keep them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2-3 months (if they last that long). Let them sit out for a few minutes before digging in!

Paydate Candy Ingredients:

• Roasted + Salted Peanuts
• Creamy Peanut Butter
• Date Caramel (full recipe linked)

How to Make Paydates:

Make Your Base: Start by combining your creamy peanut butter and date caramel in a bowl. Use a spatula to fold the two together until fully combined – you should have a thick, caramel-like texture. 

Pipe Your Candies: Transfer your creamy peanut butter and date caramel mixture into a piping bag or plastic bag and cut the tip off about 1/2 inch up the corner of the bag so that you are able to pipe a thick line that is the width of a fun size piece of candy. Pipe the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper, creating the base of your candy bars. 

*Note: They don’t have to be perfect when you pipe them because you’ll be able to re-shape them after you freeze them!

Freeze Your Candies: Once all of your candies are piped onto your parchment paper, place them in the freezer to set for 45 minutes to and hour (at least).

Coat Your Candies: Add your chopped peanuts to a small plate or bowl. Once your candies have set/hardened, remove them from the freezer and roll each one in your chopped peanuts, putting light pressure on your candy as you roll so the peanuts stick to the outside of the candy. Repeat with each bar until they’re all coated in peanuts, then place them back into the freezer to set for another 30 minutes before enjoying them. 

Store Your Paydates: You can store your copycat Payday candy bars in the freezer for 2-3 months!

Tools:

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper

Full Paydates Recipe:

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