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Buckeye candy balls are an easy Christmas candy you can make in advance. Bite-sized chocolate peanut butter balls are perfect for gift-giving and serving at a party. Like homemade Reese’s cups, Buckeye peanut butter balls are the ideal no-bake treat for all the chocolate and peanut butter lovers in your life.
Roll sweetened peanut butter into balls and dip them in melted chocolate for melt-in-your-mouth buckeye candy balls that are so simple to make. These creamy chocolate peanut butter balls are popular at parties, during the holidays, and whenever you need a sweet treat. Keep a batch of this easy Christmas candy in your freezer to enjoy all year long.
If you love chocolate and peanut butter, try my Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal, No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars or Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars.
Why You’ll Love Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
- It’s so simple. Simply sweeten peanut butter with powdered sugar, roll and dip it in melted chocolate.
- It makes a big batch. Quickly make two dozen buckeye candy balls or easily double the recipe and make enough for gift giving.
- They are smooth and delicious. This easy Christmas candy will melt in your mouth and satisfy your sweet and salty cravings.
Buckeye Balls Ingredients
- Peanut Butter: use your favorite brand of smooth or creamy peanut butter. You can use crunchy if you prefer, but we don’t recommend sugar-free peanut butter.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: Also called powdered sugar or icing sugar. The sugar should be scooped and then sifted.
- Butter: melt and cool unsalted butter.
- Vanilla Extract: adds a mild vanilla taste to the buckeye candy balls.
- Salt: enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Chocolate: chop dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate for melting. You can also use chocolate chips.
How To Make Buckeye Candy Balls
- Prepare the equipment. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, melted (cooled) butter, salt and vanilla.
- Beat until it has a thick, dough-like consistency and holds its shape when rolled into a ball.
- Form the peanut butter balls. Using a small cookie scoop, measure about one tablespoon of the dough. Roll it into a ball and place it onto the tray with parchment paper. Repeat this process until all the dough is used. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch.
- Coat with chocolate. Melt the chocolate using a microwave oven or double bath until it is warm and smooth but not hot. Use a toothpick or a wooden skewer to pick up the peanut butter and dip it into the melted chocolate. Leave a small circle of peanut butter visible on top to make them look like Buckeyes.
- Smooth and refrigerate. Shake off any excess chocolate and place the balls onto the parchment paper. Use a spatula or your finger to smooth the hole left by a toothpick. Refrigerate balls for the chocolate to set. Serve well chilled.
Tips To Make Easy Christmas Candy
- Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the peanut butter.
- If the dough is too soft, add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and mix until it can stay in a ball shape.
- Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper to prevent the buckeye candy balls from sticking.
- Use a small cookie scoop to make uniform-sized candy balls.
- Refrigerating or freezing the peanut butter for a short time before dipping it in chocolate is important to help the candy keep its shape.
- We don’t recommend using sugar-free peanut butter for this recipe as it doesn’t hold its shape as well.
- Make sure the chocolate is melted but not hot.
- Leave a bit of peanut butter exposed when dipping in the chocolate, so they look like Buckeye nuts.
- Use a spatula or your finger to smooth over the hole left by the toothpick.
- Let the chocolate set completely before moving it to a storage container, or the candy balls will stick together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buckeye candy is popular in Ohio and other states in that region. It got its name from its resemblance to the nut that falls from the Buckeye tree.
Chocolate is an essential part of this recipe, so you should use high-quality chocolate whenever possible. Dark or bittersweet chocolate offers a nice contrast to the sweetness of the peanut butter.
Using a toothpick makes it super easy to dip the peanut butter into the chocolate, but it leaves a hole behind. You can easily cover this whole with the end of a decorating spatula. Alternately, give the peanut butter a little pinch and wet your finger to smooth the peanut butter.
Buckeye candy can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about a month. You can serve them at room temperature, but we don’t recommend you leave them out for longer than a few hours.
Buckey peanut butter balls can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Defrost them overnight in the fridge.
Make a wonderful Christmas cookie tray with these peanut butter balls and Oatmeal Jam Cookies, Peppermint Holiday Shortbread Cookies, Christmas Gingerbread Tree Cookies, and Traditional Danish Butter Cookies.
More Cookie Recipes
- Brown Butter Blondies with M&M’s
- Oatmeal Jam Cookies
- Crispy Almond Oatmeal Cookies
- Strawberry Jam Linzer Cookies
- Maamoul Cookies with Pistachio
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious chocolate peanut butter balls recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Buckeye Candy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, powdered sugar scooped and then sifted
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted but not hot
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 8 oz dark chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, melted (cooled) butter, salt and vanilla. Beat until it has a thick, dough-like consistency and holds its shape when rolled into a ball.
- Using a small cookie scoop, measure about one tablespoon of the dough. Roll it into a ball and place it onto the tray with parchment paper. Repeat this process until all the dough is used.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch.
- Melt the chocolate using a microwave oven or double bath until it is warm and smooth but not hot.
- Use a toothpick or a wooden skewer to pick up the peanut butter and dip it into the melted chocolate. Leave a small circle of the peanut butter visible on top to make them look like Buckeyes.
- Shake off any excess chocolate and place the balls onto the parchment paper. Use a spatula or your finger to smooth the hole left by a toothpick.
- Refrigerate balls for the chocolate to set. Serve well chilled.
Notes
- Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the peanut butter.
- If the dough is too soft, add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and mix until it can stay in a ball shape.
- Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper to prevent the buckeye candy balls from sticking.
- Use a small cookie scoop to make uniform-sized candy balls.
- Refrigerating or freezing the peanut butter for a short time before dipping it in chocolate is important to help the candy keep its shape.
- We don’t recommend using sugar-free peanut butter for this recipe as it doesn’t hold its shape as well.
- Make sure the chocolate is melted but not hot.
- Leave a bit of peanut butter exposed when dipping in the chocolate, so they look like Buckeye nuts.
- Use a spatula or your finger to smooth over the hole left by the toothpick.
- Let the chocolate set completely before moving it to a storage container, or the candy balls will stick together.
