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buckeye cookie ball bitten in half on a small white plate full of buckeye balls

Buckeye Cookie Balls

Classic buckeye cookie balls for your holiday candy assortment! Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate with easy make-ahead & freezing tips.
4.54 from 41 votes
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Course: Christmas, Desserts, No Bake Desserts
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 24 buckeyes
Calories: 132kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Equipment

Ingredients

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

*Use regular creamy peanut butter, and avoid oily, all-natural peanut butters that will separate and make your peanut butter dough greasy.
*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. 
*You can also melt your chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. That said, 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.
How do you store buckeye balls?
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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1buckeye | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g
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