Buckeye balls are also known as chocolate covered peanut butter balls. I make them every year at Christmas time. They are easy to make and they don’t require any baking! I made them for the cookie exchange I attended last week and made enough to give some to our preschool teachers too. They are good! Here is the recipe I use. I like to double the recipe below to make a lot of them.
24 ounces of creamy peanut butter
2 lbs of powdered sugar
2 sticks of melted butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 packages of 16 ounce semi sweet chocolate chips
2-3 Tablespoons of shortening (used to thin the chocolate)
Toothpicks
Wax paper
1. Mix the butter and peanut butter until well blended.
2. Add the vanilla and blend.
3. Add the powdered sugar gradually until it is all well mixed together.
4. Form the dough into small balls and place on a cookie sheet to put into the refrigerator.
5. Chill the dough balls for about an hour. If your balls fall apart when you dip them in the melted chocolate then you may need to freeze your balls.
6. Melt the chocolate on the stove top or in the microwave. I add 1 tablespoon of shortening per package of 16 ounce chocolates. Depending on the brand I sometimes need to add more. It helps to thin the chocolate, so your balls aren’t too thick with chocolate. It also makes it easy to drizzle the chocolate on top of the balls.
7. Use toothpicks to dip your balls into the chocolate. Place them onto wax paper to dry.
8. I use any extra chocolate to drizzle on top of the peanut butter balls.
Yields approximately 75 Buckeyes