New and Improved Buckeye

Those who know me know that I have a tendency for a wicked sweet tooth. Good news is I don't always induldge. Bad news is, I know how to make anything to sooth that sweet toothed monster. So it's no surprise that on one specific occassion of a sweet tooth attack, I sat home trying to think of what I could make quickly that would take care of that. Something small, but I could eat one or two and give the rest away if need be.

I went through the usually suspects of cookies, tart, mini souffle...what could I make. And it hit me, BUCKEYES!!! For those of you who don't know what that is, that means peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Now when I was little, I never had a buckeye or even knew it was called that. I just remembered my mom having this warm balls of peanut butter that I ate. No chocolate just the peanut butter. And she doesn't even remember how she made them. So I took it upon myself to search out the greatest recipe online could give. Well....I got nothing from one so I got a basic one and did what I do best...UPGRADE!!! LOL, You will soon realize there is no such thing as plain ole anything with me.

And shazam, here is my loaded, upgraded peanut butter ball. It tastes as good as it looks, trust me! I included the recipe that I found below and you can throw in any addtion that you want. I threw in pecans in the ball itself and a little coconut, and sprinkled it in chooped peanuts. The sky is the limit. I hope that you enjoy these as much as I did. Side note, the recipe says it makes 4 dozen. Ha! I made a dozen and a half because mine were the size of a jumbo jaw breaker. :) Enter at your own risk....

Ingredients:

Center:

2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

1 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 7 full graham cracker sheets)

¾ cup pecans, finely chopped

½ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut

½ cup unsalted butter

½ cup creamy peanut butter

Coating:

10 ounces milk chocolate

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

4 ounces dark chocolate

Directions:

Center:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, pecans, and coconut; mix together. Set aside.
   
2. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, combine butter and peanut butter; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until melted. Add to powdered sugar mixture. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
   
3. Shape dough into small balls, about 1” in diameter. Tip: An ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized candies. Cover balls and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
   
   Coating:
4. Line 2 large baking pans with waxed paper or parchment paper.
   
5. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt milk chocolate and shortening; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine.
6. Place each ball on the end of a toothpick; dip the balls into the melted milk chocolate mixture to coat, allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the pan. Place balls on baking pans; let sit until the chocolate is set.
   
7. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt dark chocolate. Using a small spoon, place a small amount of dark chocolate onto the top of each milk chocolate coated ball. Place balls on baking pans; let sit until the chocolate is hardened.
   
8. Store in an airtight container so they won’t dry out.
   
   Makes about 4 dozen Peanut Butter Balls