Ingredients
1 c. (240 g.) creamy unsweetened peanut butter
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 c. (230 g.) powdered sugar
2 c. (340 g.) semisweet chocolate
2 tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable shortening
Preparation
Step 1In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, cream peanut butter, butter, and salt until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low and blend in powdered sugar until batter is smooth and homogenous.Step 2Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop batter and roll into balls about 1" in diameter. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours.Step 3In a small heatproof bowl, microwave chocolate and oil in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.Step 4Using a toothpick, dip chilled peanut butter balls into melted chocolate, leaving a small circle uncovered at the top. Return to parchment-lined sheet, remove toothpick, and smooth over hole. Step 5Refrigerate buckeyes until firm, 1 to 2 hours more. Step 6Make Ahead: Undipped buckeyes can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Dipped buckeyes can be made up to 1 month ahead. Freeze individually on baking sheet until firm, then transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen.
For ultimate peanut butter flavor, we recommend making these buckeyes with all-natural, unsweetened salted peanut butter. Yes, it’s a little extra work—we recommend stirring up the peanut butter until it’s homogenous and then refrigerating it for a few hours so it firms up before you use it—but it’ll give you a punch of true peanut flavor that the sweetened, homogenized stuff just won’t. Definitely worth it. Read on for more tips on these no-bake treats. Looking for more peanut butter fun? Try this chocolate fluffernutter pie; we can’t stop making (or eating!) it. Why are they called buckeyes? Buckeyes come from Ohio, where they were named for their resemblance to the nut of the state buckeye tree. This is also the reason we leave the round circle at the top of the peanut butter ball un-chocolated, to keep that resemblance to the buckeye tree nut. How do I dip these buckeyes? When you’re dipping anything in chocolate, there are a few things to keep in mind. Start with good-quality chocolate (we like Ghiradelli’s 46% semisweet baking chips) and melt them slowly in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds to make sure the heat is evenly distributed. We also recommend adding 1 tablespoon of coconut or vegetable oil for each cup of chocolate that you’re melting. The oil adds a beautiful shine to the chocolate and also helps thin it out to the perfect dippable consistency. Once your chocolate is melted, use a toothpick to dip your chilled buckeye balls into the melted chocolate (you can use a spoon to help cover some of the upper areas of the ball if your chocolate isn’t deep enough to reach) and then place the dipped buckeye back on your parchment-lined baking sheet. How do you store buckeyes? Buckeyes are best kept chilled. We recommend chilling them on the baking sheet until their chocolate coating is completely firm before transferring to an airtight container and storing in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them if you like. Refrigerated or frozen, they should stay good for at least 3 weeks… if they last that long! Made these? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
