Make classic buckeye cookie balls for your holiday candy assortment! These creamy peanut butter dessert balls are dipped in chocolate, no baking required. They’re so simple to make, and I’ll share make-ahead & freezing tips.
I’ve been making buckeye balls since I was a little girl, and now my kids help me roll and dip a couple tins full at the beginning of every holiday season. They make a great gift for friends, family and neighbors, and they last so long in the fridge that we can enjoy them all season long! Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to get that firm, rollable peanut butter dough and a smooth chocolate coating that doesn’t crack, and here’s exactly how I do it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “they’re a HUGE hit with my husband and grown kids!”
“I found your recipe and I gotta tell ya, they’re a HUGE hit with my husband and grown kids! Made them as a ‘try out’ test phase for them! No doubt, these are so easy and super delicious, that they’re always asking me to make ’em….Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe for these wonderful lil gems!”
-Brenda B., Flour on My Fingers reader
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Creamy Peanut Butter – Use regular creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy), and avoid natural peanut butters. Natural peanut butters tend to be greasy, and your dipping chocolate may not want to coat the peanut butter balls. It’s also hard to roll greasy peanut butter dough.
- Salted Butter – Real butter makes the richest candy, but margarine will work if that’s all you have. Let it soften to room temperature first.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as Confectioners sugar, powdered sugar makes the dough rollable. It also makes your chocolate peanut butter balls delightfully sweet.
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – I use Ghirardelli melting wafers. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark, and alternatively almond bark, chocolate baking bars, or chocolate chips.
How to Make Buckeye Cookie Balls
Before getting started, line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. This recipe makes about 24 buckeye dessert balls, which is enough to fill a 10×15 jelly roll pan.
Mix Up Your Peanut Butter Dough
- Add your peanut butter and softened butter to a large mixing bowl.
- Dump the powdered sugar into the same bowl.
- Mix everything together by hand or with an electric mixer until it’s blended well.
Shape into Balls
- Roll about 1 tablespoonful or a small cookie scoop full of the peanut butter dough between your hands. Continue to roll the dough into 1-inch round balls, and set on your baking sheet.
- Poke toothpicks into each ball. This is what you’ll use to dip them in chocolate.
Once all of the dough is rolled into balls, chill the whole sheet in the fridge or freezer for about half an hour.
Melt the Chocolate
To melt chocolate in the microwave, pulse it at 15 to 30 second intervals, stirring in between each cycle ’til melted. I recommend melting it in a deeper microwave-safe bowl for dipping, or in a 2-cup glass measuring cup like I do. Tip: Never melt it in a single saucepan on the stovetop, because the direct heat can cause it to seize; if you must use the stovetop, use a double boiler instead.
Depending on the type of chocolate, and especially with chocolate chips, some people like to add about 1 tablespoon of shortening or pre-melted paraffin wax per 1 cup of chocolate. This allows for a thinner, more shiny, glossy coat, but it’s not usually necessary with a high quality chocolate melting wafer.
Dip Your Buckeye Candy Balls
- Dip each peanut butter ball in the melted chocolate, leaving the very top un-dipped to resemble a real buckeye. Then set back on your baking sheet. If you don’t have toothpicks, we’ve used a couple table forks and a pair of tongs. You can also buy a dipping fork or tool.
- Chill them for about 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Then remove all the toothpicks and cover up the holes in the top of the ball with your finger (totally optional).
My buckeyes usually have kind of a chocolate ring around the bottom. You can avoid this by letting excess chocolate drip off the buckeye after dipping, and then lightly press the bottom of the buckeye on a separate sheet of wax paper before putting it back on your cookie sheet.
Let the chocolate dry and harden up before packing away into festive Christmas tins with chocolate peanut butter Ritz cracker cookies and fantasy fudge. One of my favorite ways to enjoy these bite-sized treats is with a mug of hot chocolate from chocolate chips!
Optional Add-Ins & Recipe Variations
There are quite a few ways you can change things up with this recipe.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the peanut butter mixture.
- Dip in white chocolate instead of regular chocolate.
- Make Buckeye balls with Rice Krispies mixed into the peanut butter dough.
- Add mini M&M’s or mini chocolate chips to the peanut butter mixture before shaping into balls.
- Sprinkle sea salt, chopped nuts, festive sprinkles, or Christmas colored sugar on top after dipping.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the top after the chocolate coating has hardened.
Recipe FAQs
This is usually caused by oily, all-natural peanut butters. I recommend a regular creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy, because natural peanut butters will separate and cause a greasy dough that’s hard to form and resists the chocolate coating.
Sometimes chocolate can “seize” when it’s overheated, making it too thick for dipping. You can usually save it by thinning it out with 1 tablespoon of melted vegetable shortening per cup of chocolate, giving it a good stir. Pop it back into the microwave for a few seconds if necessary to get everything to incorporate.
Pack your buckeye candy balls into an airtight container or Christmas tin with a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper in between each layer. They’ll last a couple days on the counter, but I prefer to store mine in the fridge where they’ll easily keep for up to 2 weeks.
Yes, buckeyes freeze very well either before or after dipping. Stored in an airtight container or freezer bag to prevent freezer burn (don’t crush them by setting anything on top of them), they’ll last 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before eating.
More Chocolate Covered Treats
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. And subscribe to my email list too!
Buckeye Cookie Balls
Equipment
- Wax Paper or parchment paper
- festive Christmas tins for storage
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter *
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 10 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers (or chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Before getting started, line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Add your peanut butter and softened butter to a large mixing bowl.
- Dump the powdered sugar into the same bowl.
- Mix everything together by hand or with an electric mixer until it’s blended well.
- Roll about 1 tablespoonful or a small cookie scoop full of the peanut butter dough between your hands. Continue to roll the dough into 1-inch round balls, and set on your baking sheet.
- Poke toothpicks into each ball. This is what you’ll use to dip them in chocolate.
- Chill the whole sheet in the fridge or freezer for about half an hour.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15 to 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until melted.*
- Once chilled, dip each peanut butter ball in the melted chocolate, leaving the very top un-dipped to resemble a real buckeye. Then set back on your baking sheet.*
- Chill them for about 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer.
- Remove all the toothpicks and cover up the holes in the top of the ball with your finger (totally optional).
- Let the chocolate dry and harden up before packing away into festive Christmas tins.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
You can find my original recipe for buckeyes over at Adventures of Mel!
Very easy recipe and they turned out great . Thanks Karen
That’s awesome! I’m glad you liked it.
My sister no longer makes these, so I found your recipe and I gotta tell ya, they’re a HUGE hit with my husband and grown kids! Made them as a ‘try out’ test phase for them! No doubt, these are so easy and super delicious, that they’re always asking me to make ’em! With Christmas coming up, and being a diabetic, knowing full well, this holiday will be a ‘cheat’ day for me, I was looking at the calorie value. You have here that they’re 132kcal so when that is converted to calories, it adds up to 132,000 calories! I know that can’t be right (hopefully, prayerfully!), we’d all be as big as a hot air balloon! So, I’m thinking that the value is actually just 132 calories (cal) and not 132 kilocalories (kcal). Please tell me that’s correct, or we won’t ever be able to indulge in these decadent pieces of heaven again!
Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe for these wonderful lil gems!
Hey Brenda, that’s actually just 132 calories. Kcal and cal are both used interchangeably and essentially mean the same thing. In other words, 1 kcal = 1 calorie, rather than 1 kcal equaling 1,000 calories, as I believe you are thinking. I hope this is helpful, and thanks for the feedback!
These were beyond great and do last if you hid some:)
That’s awesome, Judy! Thanks for the great feedback!
I bake often but thought this recipe sounded simple and decided to try it.
Won’t ever use this recipe again. a mess. Sorry but true.
I followed the recipe exactly as written.
The dough was super sticky, I could only roll a few before it was stuck all over my hands and fingers.
Tried refrigerating it for awhile. Dough became almost hard. Started to roll more balls, but then became super sticky again.
Just microwaving choc chips was problematic for “dipping. Too thick.🤷♀️
The taste was only “ok”. Super sweet with a lack of peanut butter flavor.
Messy and hard to work with.
Too much of a short cut recipe. Not worth the time. Sorry
I’m sorry to hear that, Terri! If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of peanut butter did you use? Some peanut butters can be very oily and greasy, which can cause the same result as what you described. This is why I recommend staying away from the “natural” peanut butters for this recipe. In any case, thank you for the feedback.
Mine were unbelievably greasy. I used jiffs smooth peanut butter
It is likely that the peanut butter was too greasy. I have had similar trouble with Jiffs in the past. You need a dry but creamy peanut butter for this to work well. If there is oil on the top when you open the can, pour it off.
Personally if a certain brand of peanut butter works well, I would not vary from it I have made that mistake with recipes and it was a disaster. That and not measuring precise amounts can be the cause of a not so perfect recipe. I guess the old adage, “if it ain’t broken, don’t try to fix it” is apt here.
Paula, I too have noticed that peanut butter can really vary depending on the brand. Actually, some brands vary from jar to jar. I agree that if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, but I’m also open to try new things!
I’ve made these before and they turned out great. This time, however, the peanut butter mixture was too soft and sticky, hard to work with and wouldn’t set. I used room temperature butter and regular creamy peanut butter. Any thoughts on what may have gone wrong?
Update: the balls finally set (with the chocolate coating) in the fridge overnight. Some of them look messy because the soft peanut butter didn’t form perfect balls. Still curious about the type of peanut butter you prefer using.
Also, they are delicious as always. Thank you!
Olga, that’s very weird. What kind of peanut butter did you use this time?
I used a grocery store smooth peanut butter. I keep it at room temperature and now that I look at it, it maybe a little “whipped” at the top. Maybe I needed to stir it so it would be thicker. I will try that next time!
My buckeyes may not look picture perfect, but they still taste delicious! Thank you!
Super easy
Thanks, Janice!
I only have unsalted butter. How much salt should I use? Couple pinches?
Diane, a couple pinches would be fine. A general rule of thumb is to use 1/4 tsp. salt + 1 stick unsalted butter for every 1/2 cup stick of salted butter.
I’ve made peanut butter balls in the past but this technique was by far the easiest! Freezing them with the toothpick is genius & the wafers melted perfectly in the microwave. I will say that I doubled the ingredients except the chocolate & there was the perfect amount if chocolate for the balls. This made about 1 cookie sheet full.
That’s great, Marcy. I’m glad it turned out well. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without buckeye balls.
You can get in the candy baking supplies just regular chocolate in a bag to melt for candy such as these or chocolate covered cherries. I like the taste of that chocolate. All you have to do is melt it. Can I use this type chocolate that u melt made for dipping? I like the taste of it.
That’s fine, Veda. Just substitute it 1:1.