1. With the mixer on high speed, combine 1 tablespoon water, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, peanut butter, and salt until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar.

2. When the mixture has the consistency of dough, remove it from the bowl with your hands and press it into a lightly greased 9 x 9 inch pan. Set in the refrigerator.

3. Melt the caramels in a small pan with 1/4 cup water over low heat.

4. When the caramel is soft, mix in the peanuts. Pour the mixture over the refrigerated nougat in the pan. Let this cool in the refrigerator.

5. When the refrigerated mixture is firm, melt the chocolate over low heat in a double boiler or in a microwave oven set on high for 2 minutes. Stir halfway through cooking time.

6. When the mixture in the pan has hardened, cut it into 2 x 1-inch sections.

7. Set each chunk onto a fork and dip into the melted chocolate. Tap the fork against the side of the bowl or pan to knock off any excess chocolate. Then place the chunks on waxed paper to cool at room temperature (less than 70 degrees F). This could take several hours, but the bars will set best this way. You can speed up the process by placing the bars in the refrigerator for

30 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen bars.