Friday, December 21, 2012

Food: Buckeyes Recipe AKA Peanut Butter Balls

Buckeyes are a must in our family during the holidays. They are super easy to make and so yummy. 

To make Buckeyes you will need... 

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup melted butter
1 (32 oz) bag powdered sugar AKA confectioners sugar
Almond Bark or Chocolate Chips
Paraffin Wax

Mix peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar in a large bowl. It should form a large ball.

Pinch off pieces of the mixture and roll it into smaller balls. Lay them on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until hard. I don't cover them with anything. Just stick them in the freezer as is for about 15 minutes or so.
Now is a good time to melt your chocolate. You can use almond bark or chocolate chips either one. When you melt the chocolate you will need a double boiler or two cookers stacked on top of each other like I used in the photo below. Fill the bottom cooker about 1/2 full of water and sit the other on top. Turn your burner on medium-high. The water will need to be at a steady boil, but not enough to boil over. Make sure you keep enough water in the bottom cooker to touch the top one.

 Add your chocolate and paraffin wax into the top cooker and stir until it melts. There is no set ratio for the chocolate and wax. I usually use 1/2 a block of wax per bag of chocolates or package of Almond Bark. If it looks too thick, just add a little more wax. If it is too thin, add some more chocolate.
Once your chocolate has melted and your peanut butter balls are cold/hard, it is time for dipping. I take a plastic fork and break 3 of the prongs off leaving a single prong attached. I stick the fork into the peanut butter ball and dip it into the chocolate. Some people use a tooth pick, but the fork works better for me. Less chance of getting burned with the steam. Swirl the peanut butter ball around in the chocolate, leaving the top uncovered. This makes it resemble a buckeye. Let excess chocolate drip back into the cooker. Then place the chocolate covered ball on wax paper lined cookie sheet. When they all have been dipped, move them back to the freezer for about 5 minutes to cool. 

When they are cool, you will be able to easily move them from the wax paper to the cute dish or bowl for serving. 

That's it. Easy! Enjoy! 
I'm sharing this post at Farmgirl Friday

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