Buckeyes have been a new dessert for me but I suppose with as much traveling as Ive done to Cincinnati this year (especially for someone who has no family or SO in Ohio) this was bound to happen. For those of you who don't know, a buckeye dessert is basically a peanut butter ball dipped in chocolate. It's that simple.
For 'friendsgiving' I've decided that buckeyes would be the perfect contribution to a night of eating and drinking with friends because they're such a crown pleaser and super easy to make! (Also, a wonderful gluten free choice for a party where the host herself is gluten intolerant and guests have mild ciliacs.)
I've never made these suckers before but my last visit to Cinci, Megan made some for her work's cookie exchange, and seeing how simple the process was, I decided to take on the task myself! I looked up a couple of online recipes and made some personal modifications and got to work.
In a large bowl, I softened 2 sticks of butter then added in 1.5 cups of peanut butter along with a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and slowly stirred in about 3 cups of powdered sugar. I used additional powdered sugar to keep the mixture from sticking to my hands or my spoon and scooped and rolled 1tbsp worth of the peanut butter mixure into a ball and placed them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They went into the freezer for about an hour then I pulled them out and began dipping them in chocolate. I melted about a cup of chocolate at a time and went through a 12oz bag of chocolate for maybe around 30 or so buckeyes (I forgot to actually count..sorry!!) I picked up each peanut butter ball with a toothpick and swirled them around in the chocolate, put them back in the freezer for another 40 minutes while I got ready and tried to wash the smell of peanut butter off my hands and put them in a container for the party!
These are a big hit and easy for everyone to eat. Simple to make with few ingredients and fun if you don't mind getting a little peanut buttery. These may just be my go to treat to share for awhile!