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Buckeye Candy:
1 cup (240 grams) creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons (42 grams) butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (120 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
Chocolate Coating
5 ounces (140 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon (4 grams) shortening
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Buckeye Candy: Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Place the peanut butter and butter in a bowl and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix until combined. (You can add a little more sugar if the dough is too soft.)
Next, take about 1 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams) of the peanut butter mixture and roll into round balls. (If the dough is too soft to roll into balls, place in the freezer for about 10 minutes or until firm.) Place the round balls on the cookie sheet, cover, and place in the freezer until firm (about 1-2 hours). (Freezing makes it easier to dip in the melted chocolate).
Melt the chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water. (Remove the peanut butter balls from the freezer in batches (about 10 at a time) so they don't become too soft before dipping. Once they are dipped in chocolate then remove another 10 peanut balls from the freezer until all the peanut butter balls are dipped in the chocolate.)
Insert a toothpick into the top of each peanut butter ball and dip the balls, one at a time, leaving the top quarter of each ball bare of chocolate. (See video for demonstration.) Remove the peanut butter balls from the melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the chocolate covered balls back on the baking sheet. When all the balls have been dipped in the chocolate, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set (about 30 minutes). Then gently remove the toothpicks, smoothing the holes. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for about 10 days. They can also be frozen.
Makes about 40 Buckeyes. Preparation time 30 minutes.
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Buckeye Candy, also known simply as Buckeyes, are similar to Peanut Butter Balls. Both are a round bonbon that have a smooth and creamy peanut butter filling encased in a coating of shiny dark chocolate. The difference between the two is that Buckeyes leave the top of each bonbon bare of chocolate, so the peanut butter filling can be seen. Buckeyes are so named because they look like the nut of the Buckeye tree, which just happens to be the State Tree of Ohio. So popular are Buckeyes in Ohio that they say an Ohio State versus Michigan football game wouldn't be complete without this candy. A bit of trivia; the name "buckeye" comes from Native American folklore and is said to come from the fact that the Buckeye nut resembles the eye of a buck deer.
Buckeyes are a No Bake Confection. The filling ingredients are simply mixed together, rolled into small balls, chilled, and then dipped in melted chocolate. Once you roll the filling into round balls, they need to be chilled until firm. You can do this by placing the peanut butter balls in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight. But a faster way is to freeze them until firm (about 60 minutes). Freezing the peanut butter balls also makes it easier to dip them in the melted chocolate. You can use either semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, or even a combination of semi sweet chocolate and milk chocolate. Since the Peanut Butter Balls need to be stored in the refrigerator, adding a little shortening to the melted chocolate keeps the chocolate nice and shiny. The peanut butter balls can be stored in the refrigerator for about 10 days, or they can be frozen.
Peanut butter is a smooth paste made from roasted peanuts. The peanuts are ground, and then salt, a sweetener, and sometimes a stabilizer (to keep the oil from separating) are added. Peanut butter that is labeled "Old-Fashioned" or "Natural" does not contain a stabilizer which means the peanut butter will separate and you will have to stir the peanut butter before using. You can use either type in this recipe.