Buckeyes are no bake peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, with a round patch of peanut butter left showing on top. This recipe uses 1½ cups creamy peanut butter, ½ cup softened butter, 3½ to 4 cups powdered sugar, and 12 ounces of chocolate chips, and it makes 36 candies.
Mixing, rolling, and dipping take about an hour. Add two short chills: 30 minutes before dipping and 30 minutes for the chocolate to set. No candy thermometer, no oven. The one thing to get right is the dough, which should be stiff enough to roll without sticking to your hands.
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They are named after the nut of the Ohio buckeye tree, a shiny dark brown nut with a pale tan eye. Here is everything that goes in:
- Peanut butter: 1½ cups creamy peanut butter, a regular brand, not natural
- Butter: ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- Flavor: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon salt
- Powdered sugar: 3½ to 4 cups
- Chocolate: 12 ounces semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
- Optional: 1 tablespoon shortening or coconut oil to thin the chocolate
- Makes: 36 buckeyes, each rolled from about 1 tablespoon of dough
Regular vs Natural Peanut Butter in Buckeye Dough
Use a regular creamy peanut butter, the kind that does not separate in the jar. It has stabilizers that keep the oil bound in, so the dough firms up with the sugar and holds a round shape.
Natural peanut butter is just peanuts and salt. Its oil seeps out as you mix and roll, and you get a soft, greasy dough that slumps on the tray and slides off the toothpick. Crunchy peanut butter works if you like the bits, but the balls are harder to roll smooth and the chocolate catches on the rough spots.
How Stiff the Peanut Butter Dough Should Be
Leave the butter on the counter for about an hour first, so it beats into the peanut butter without lumps. Beat the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time. Start with 3½ cups, then roll one test ball. If it sticks to your palms, add another ¼ cup. The dough is ready when it feels like soft play dough: it holds a fingerprint, it does not crack at the edges, and your hands stay clean.
Stop at 4 cups. If the dough is still soft, chill it for 10 to 15 minutes instead of adding more sugar. Too much sugar gives dry, crumbly centers that taste sweet and chalky, and a warm kitchen or a soft peanut butter is usually what makes it sticky in the first place.
Rolling 36 Balls and Chilling Them Firm
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it between your palms into a smooth ball, about 1 inch across. A small cookie scoop keeps them the same size. Line them up on a parchment lined baking sheet with a little space between each.
Chill the tray in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. The balls should feel firm when you press one. Soft balls twist on the toothpick and drop into the chocolate.
Melting Chips for Dipping: Microwave or Double Boiler
The microwave is quicker. Put the chocolate chips and the shortening or coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second bursts, stirring after each one. Stop while a few small lumps are left and stir until they melt in the warm chocolate. Overheated chips turn thick, dull, and hard to dip.
A double boiler gives you more control, and the chocolate stays fluid longer over the warm water. Keep the heat low so the water steams but does not boil, and wipe the bottom of the bowl when you lift it. One drop of water or steam in the chocolate makes it seize into a grainy paste.
Dipping So the Tan Circle Shows on Top
Take out a dozen balls at a time and leave the rest in the fridge. Push a toothpick into the center of each one and dip it about three quarters of the way into the chocolate, so a circle of peanut butter stays bare on top. Hold it over the bowl for a few seconds to let the extra drip off, then set it back on the parchment.
Twist the toothpick as you pull it out. While the chocolate is still soft, smooth over the little hole with a clean fingertip or a small offset spatula.
When the chocolate starts to thicken in the bowl, warm it again for 10 to 15 seconds. Thick chocolate leaves a heavy, lumpy shell.
Shortening or Coconut Oil in the Chocolate Shell
Both thin the chocolate so it coats evenly, and both are optional. Shortening gives a slightly thicker, more stable shell that holds up better at room temperature, so pick it for a party table, a warm room, or buckeyes you plan to ship.
Coconut oil makes a thinner shell with a softer bite. It softens faster in the heat, so it is the better choice for buckeyes served straight from the fridge at home.
Cracked Shells, Sticky Dough, and Other Buckeye Fixes
- Dough sticks to your hands: add powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time, or chill it for 10 to 15 minutes if you are already at 4 cups.
- Dough is dry and crumbly: too much sugar went in. Knead in 1 to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
- Chocolate cracks after dipping: the balls were very cold, usually straight from the freezer. Let the next batch sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes first.
- Chocolate is too thick: stir in 1 teaspoon of oil or shortening, or warm it for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Balls fall off the toothpick: they are too soft. Put the tray back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Chocolate turned grainy and stiff: it seized from water or overheating. Start a fresh bowl of chips rather than dipping with it.
Keeping Buckeyes in the Fridge or Freezer
Once dipped, put the tray back in the fridge for about 30 minutes, until the chocolate is fully set and no longer shiny wet.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, with parchment between the layers. For longer, freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight, so the shells do not sweat. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. The centers soften a little and the bite is much better.
Buckeye Trays for Holidays, Game Days, and Gifts
Buckeyes are a Christmas cookie tray regular, and in Ohio they turn up at every football party too. For gifts, pack them into small candy boxes lined with parchment, about 12 to a box, and keep the boxes cold until you hand them over.
On a dessert platter they sit well next to peanut butter fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, and peanut butter no bake cookies. If you want the same flavor in a pan, try these buckeye brownies. The same dough, shaped into ovals, becomes peanut butter Easter eggs in spring. For a bigger chocolate and peanut butter bake, there is Reese’s peanut butter cake and these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.
Easy Buckeyes Recipe
This buckeye candy recipe makes classic no bake buckeyes: creamy peanut butter balls made with butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar, dipped in semi sweet or dark chocolate with a circle of peanut butter left showing on top. It makes 36 easy buckeyes in about 1 hour, plus 30 minutes of chilling before dipping and 30 minutes for the chocolate to set. The dough should be stiff enough to roll without sticking to your hands, so add the powdered sugar slowly and chill the balls firm before dipping. Serve buckeye balls on a Christmas cookie tray, at football parties, or pack them in boxes as homemade candy gifts. Keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter (not natural)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ to 4 cups powdered sugar
- 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon shortening or coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
- MIX THE PEANUT BUTTER DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, softened butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, about ½ cup at a time, mixing until the dough becomes stiff and no longer sticky. You should be able to roll it into balls easily.
- ROLL INTO BALLS: Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball using your hands. Place each ball onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Once all the balls are rolled, chill them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or freeze for 15–20 minutes until firm.
- MELT THE CHOCOLATE: In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and optional shortening or coconut oil. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the mixture is fully melted and smooth. Alternatively, melt the chocolate using a double boiler if preferred.
- DIP THE BUCKEYES: Insert a toothpick into the center of each chilled peanut butter ball. Dip each ball about three-quarters of the way into the melted chocolate, leaving the top portion exposed to resemble a buckeye. Let any excess chocolate drip off, then place the dipped ball back on the baking sheet. Smooth over the toothpick hole if desired.
- LET THEM SET: Refrigerate the dipped Buckeyes for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate is fully set. Once firm, they are ready to serve or store.
Notes
Use regular creamy peanut butter, not natural; its oil separates and makes a soft, greasy dough. Add the powdered sugar gradually and stop at 4 cups. If the dough is still sticky, chill it for 10 to 15 minutes instead of adding more sugar, which makes the centers dry and crumbly. Melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts and keep all water away from it, or it will seize. If the shells crack, the balls were too cold; let them sit about 5 minutes before dipping. Shortening gives a sturdier shell for parties and shipping, coconut oil a softer bite. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 311Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 8mgSodium 69mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 1gSugar 47gProtein 3g
