Buckeye Candy Recipe

plate of chocolate peanut butter buckeye candies

5 from 2 votes

An Ohio tradition, buckeyes are peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. They're a huge favorite! Read all the instructions and notes before buying the ingredients. You'll need toothpicks!

Prep Time2

Freezing time1

Total Time3

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: buckeyes

Calories: 142kcal

Author: Mamma C

Equipment

1 mini scoop

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup creamy peanut butter (see notes if using natural)
4 tablespoons salted butter (softened)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar

Chocolate for Dipping

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (See notes if using bittersweet chocolate.)
1 tablespoon canola oil (or vegetable oil, coconut oil or shortening)

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set it aside. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on a plate so you can dust your hands before you roll each ball of peanut butter later.
For the peanut butter balls, add the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt to a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with a mixer until creamy. Gradually add the 1 ⅓ cups of confectioners sugar, beating after each addition until blended. The dough should be crumbly.
Using a small scoop if you have one, scoop about a teaspoon of dough. Dip your palms onto the plate of powdered sugar and then roll the dough into a ball. Set the ball on the wax-paper lined baking pan. Continue scooping and rolling, dusting your hands with confectioners sugar each time so the dough won't be sticky. Insert a toothpick into each ball (until you reach the center of the ball) and then freeze the peanut butter balls on the baking sheet for an hour.
To prepare for dipping, have 5 or 6 paper dinner plates ready with a roll of wax paper. Just before you take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer, melt the chocolate chips and canola oil in the microwave (use a microwave-save bowl). I heated mine on high for a minute, stirred, then heated it for 15 seconds, stirred, then heated it for another 15 seconds. Stir until the chocolate mixture is melted and smooth.
Take five peanut butter balls out of the freezer at a time and set them on a wax-paper lined plate. Using the toothpick as a handle, dip each peanut butter ball in the chocolate, leaving a circle of peanut butter exposed at the top. Dip once, lift it out, then dip again. Lift out the buckeye and let the chocolate drip off the bottom into your bowl. Set the buckeye on your wax-paper lined plate to dry. When you have dipped five buckeyes, pull out the toothpicks (if needed, you can gently press the buckeye with a toothpick held horizontally in one hand while you pull out the other toothpick with your other hand.) Using your fingertip, smooth over the toothpick hole until it's closed. Refrigerate the plate of buckeyes and grab another plate and five more peanut butter balls from the freezer. Continue dipping.
As soon as the chocolate starts to seize up (solidify) heat it in the microwave a bit until it's melted again, giving it a stir. Continue dipping the rest of your buckeyes in small batches, refrigerating them after dipping.
The buckeyes are ready when the chocolate is set. Store them in the refrigerator or freezer. They're delicious right out of the freezer, but you can let them sit at room temperature a bit first. If you need them for a party, freeze them, and when you are ready to serve them, set a platter of buckeyes on a tray of ice to keep the chocolate from melting.

Notes

Chocolate

If you use bittersweet chips, use 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar in the peanut butter balls.

I don't recommend using milk chocolate, because the buckeyes will be too sweet. You can't use less than 1 ⅓ cups of powdered sugar, or else the peanut butter balls won't be sturdy enough.

You will have leftover melted chocolate (you need a good amount to be able to dunk the peanut butter balls.) You can refrigerate the leftover chocolate and heat it in the microwave to use for dipping fruit.

Peanut Butter

If using natural peanut butter, stir it if you just bought it and refrigerate the jar until it's chilled before using the peanut butter in this recipe. Use 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar in the peanut butter mixture, so it's sturdy enough. You may want to use bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet, or the buckeyes will be a bit sweet.

Nutrition