Buckeye Balls Recipe

Melissa Bahen

We’re sharing our favorite Buckeye Balls recipe - full of delicious peanut butter and chocolate. They're the perfect holiday treat and a great addition to a cookie plate.

Buckeye balls are an absolutely delicious addition to any holiday cookie or confection plate. My family goes crazy for peanut butter and chocolate together, and the combination of flavors is at its finest in these easy-to-make candies.

Buckeye Balls Recipe Photo

They're an easy, no-bake treat that's a mainstay during the holiday season and beyond for many families. Plus they're a perfect option for little hands when you're baking with kids!

What Are Buckeye Balls?

Buckeye balls have two essential components: a filling made with peanut butter, sweetened and firmed up with powdered sugar; and an outside coating of chocolate.

Traditionally, the chocolate coating covers most of the peanut butter ball inside, but leaves a small patch uncovered, giving them the look of a nut.

Specifcially, Buckeye Balls were first created in Ohio - the Buckeye State! These impossible-to-resist treats look just like the nuts from the Ohio Buckeye, the Ohio state tree.

Buckeye Balls Recipe Picture

Buckeye Ball Ingredients

These decadent, no-bake sweets are made with just six ingredients making them incredibly simple to make. Most of these ingredients are ones you'll generally have right in your pantry.

Because they are made without flour, Buckeye Balls are generally grain free and gluten free, too, making them a great dessert option for people with certain dietary considerations.

Buckeye Balls Ingredients Photo
  • Peanut Butter - For this Buckeye Balls recipe you will need creamy peanut butter. Crunchy peanut butter nor natural peanut butter work well for Buckeye Balls.
  • Powdered Sugar - Also known as confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar adds sweetness and firmness to the peanut butter ball center.
  • Vanilla Exract - A splash of vanilla extract rounds out the flavor of these simple Buckeye Balls.
  • Semi-Sweet Chocolate - You can use chips or morsels, but semi-sweet chocolate is the most common when making Buckeye Balls. Dark chocolate would also be delicious! 
  • Vegetable Shortening - Vegetable shortening or, alternately, refined coconut oil help to create a smooth, glossy chocolate for dipping the peanut butter balls.

How to Make Buckeye Balls

Making buckeyes or buckeye balls is easy! They have very few ingredients and only require a few steps.

How to Make Buckeye Balls Photo
How to Make Buckeye Balls Picture

Step 1. Cream together softened butter, creamy peanut butter and vanilla extract. A hand mixer works well for this step.

How to Make Buckeye Balls Pic
How to Make Buckeye Balls Image

Step 2. Sift and add powdered sugar in thirds. Continue to mix with a hand mixer until well combined. The mixture will look a bit crumbly.

Making Buckeye Balls Photo
Making Buckeye Balls Picture

Step 3. Next, roll away! Using a small cookie dough scoop or a melon baller is a great way to scoop Buckeye Balls quickly and get evenly-sized buckeyes. Chill the balls once rolled.

Making Buckeye Balls Pic
Making Buckeye Balls Image

Step 4. Add semi-sweet chocolate and shortening or coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl. Heat until just melted, and stir until completely smooth.

Buckeye Balls Photo
Buckeye Balls Picture

Step 5. Dip the chilled buckeye balls most of the way in the chocolate, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or a baking rack to set up.

Buckeye Balls Image

Can You Freeze Buckeye Balls?

Yes! Buckeyes freeze well. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet so that they aren’t touching, and put them in the freezer until they are frozen solid.

Once they’re completely frozen, you can transfer the buckeyes to an airtight container for long term storage. They last in the freezer for several months, but who are we kidding? They’re so delicious they’ll be long gone by then.

When you are ready to eat them, simply get the number of buckeyes you need out of the freezer, and allow them to come to room temperature before eating.

The chocolate coating might show some tiny water beads as they thaw, but the flavor and overall appearance of the buckeye balls will not be negatively affected by freezing.

Buckeye Balls Recipe Image

More Delicious Buckeye Ball Recipes

Can’t enough of those delicious buckeye flavors of chocolate and peanut butter? Try these other Buckeye Ball recipes:

  • Buckeye Bars: All of the delicious chocolate and peanut butter buckeye ball flavors, but in a super-easy-to-make bar form, these Buckeye Bars are hugely popular.
  • Buckeye Graham Crackers: Graham crackers topped with that yummy, peanut buttery buckeye filling, dunked in chocolate, and drizzled with even more sweet peanut butter are a unique take on thit classic dessert.
  • White Chocolate Buckeye Balls: For the white chocolate lovers, these luxurious Buckeye Balls are dipped in buttery white chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate.
  • Buckeye Brownies: Two delicious treats combined into one over-the-top taste sensation, these brownies are worth writing home about.
  • Grilled Buckeye Sandwiches: You read that right! Sweet Hawaiian bread is topped with peanut butter buckeye filling and smooth chocolate then grilled to perfection.
Buckeye Balls Recipe Pic

While not strictly only for the holiday season, Buckeye Balls do make a delightful and festive addition to a cookie plate with other Christmas cookie recipes

They're also lovely served alongside coffee or spiked hot chocolate.

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Buckeye Balls Recipe

    1 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 4 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 4 cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
  • 4 tablespoons Vegetable Shortening

Directions

  1. Using a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter, creamy peanut butter and vanilla extract.
  2. Sift and add a third of the powdered sugar. Continue to mix with a hand mixer until well combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix again until the mixture is combined and looks a bit crumbly.
  3. Using a small cookie scoop if you have one, scoop the mixture and roll into 1” balls. Place the balls on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each ball. Refrigerate and chill for about 2 hours. Alternately, you can place them in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
  4. Once the peanut butter balls are chilled, prepare the chocolate coating. Combine the chocolate and vegetable shortening (or coconut oil, if using) in a medium, microwave-safe bowl, and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Microwave the chocolate for 15 more seconds, then stir, and repeat until all of the chocolate is melted and smooth.
  5. When the buckeye balls are chilled, dip each one in chocolate using the following method: Poke a toothpick down into the center of a ball, pick it up, and dip the ball in melted chocolate, leaving a patch about the size of a dime uncovered. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, then place the chocolate-dipped buckeye back on the parchment paper and remove the toothpick. Repeat until all the balls are dipped.
  6. Refrigerate the dipped Buckeye Balls for about 2 hours until the chocolate is set. Optionally, smooth over the toothpick hole in each buckeye before chilling.

Recommended

Published:
Modified:
Author:
Cooking Method:
No Bake
Cuisine:
Gluten Free
Category:
Candy
Tags:
, , , , , , ,
Related Recipes:
Candy Recipes, Homemade Candy Recipes, Chocolate Recipes, Peanut Butter Recipes, Gluten Free Dessert Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, No Bake Dessert Recipes, No Bake Recipes
Recipe Yields:
4 dozen
Prep Time:
refrigeration:
Total Time:
Related Post:
Published:
Author: Melissa Bahen
Recipe Yields: 4 dozen
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 150 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 1

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 4856
Calories 9108

% Daily Value*
934%
Total Fat 607g
1343%
  Saturated Fat 269g
4%
Sodium 93mg
309%
Total Carbohydrate 927g
42%
  Dietary Fiber 34g
  Sugars 827g
242%
Protein 121g

* Percent Daily Value are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrition Facts are estimated based on ingredients and data provided by Fat Secret. Please consult a doctor if you have special dietary needs.
Melissa Bahen

About Melissa

Melissa is an author and blogger living with her husband and four kids on a darling hobby farm in western Oregon. Her cookbooks, Farmhouse Weekends and Scandinavian Gatherings, and her blog, Lulu the Baker, celebrate her love for food and modern country life.

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