How to make dreamy, creamy 4 ingredient buckeyes, peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Easy small batch buckeye recipe perfect for the holidays! It’s the quintessential must have Christmas candy and holiday dessert.
Every Christmas since I was a little girl, I’ve made buckeye candy, or easy chocolate peanut butter balls with a creamy peanut butter center. If you’ve never had homemade buckeyes, they tie right up there with fantasy fudge and microwaveable peanut butter fudge as #1 must have Christmas candy.
When I was a kid during the holiday season, we’d store all the Christmas candy, including chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls, in the stairs that led up to my room because there was no heat or insulation. So they’d stay nice and chilled, and they were pretty easy to access on the way to my room.
It just wouldn’t be the holidays without a small batch of buckeye balls and Ritz crackers with peanut butter. In fact, this small batch buckeyes recipe is one of our family’s favorite Christmas recipes. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day too, alongside chocolate dipped strawberries, especially if your significant other loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
Sometimes I like to make them crispy too. Rice Krispie peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies are just the ticket. If you want even quicker and easier (no rolling or dipping), you’ll love buckeye bars.
Why I Love This Easy Buckeye Recipe
- Classic peanut butter balls consist of a creamy peanut butter center inside a chocolate coating.
- This buckeye balls recipe is super easy to make and only requires 4 ingredients.
- Kids can get in on the fun of making them too, as it’s a very kid-friendly recipe.
Is There a Difference Between Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls and Buckeyes?
Actually, yes, there is. And I didn’t really think it was that big of a deal until a few years ago, when a friend from Ohio (where the state tree of Ohio is the Ohio Buckeye tree) educated me otherwise.
Chocolate covered peanut butter balls are just that… They’re completely covered in chocolate. Buckeye candy is mostly covered in chocolate but with a bit of the peanut butter uncovered, so to look like actual buckeyes.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes
You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make this easy buckeye recipe…
- Salted Butter – Be sure to give the butter time to soften and come to room temperature before mixing. You can also substitute plant-based or vegan butter if you need to make dairy-free buckeyes.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – You can also sub crunchy peanut butter. I do recommend using a regular creamy peanut butter vs. a natural peanut butter, where you have to stir in the oil before using, because the chocolate will coat better with less oily peanut butter.
- Powdered Sugar or Confectioners’ Sugar
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – You can use any type of melting chocolate, but I do recommend using a higher quality chocolate for better flavor. I have used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but an actual melting chocolate has better flavor, in my opinion.
How to Make 4 Ingredient Buckeyes Peanut Butter Balls
- Your first step will be to soften the butter and adding it to a large bowl. You can soften it by either getting it out of the fridge and letting it sit beforehand or putting it in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Add in the peanut butter with the butter.
- Finally, add in the powdered sugar.
- Mix everything together until it’s blended well.
How to Shape the Peanut Butter Balls
- At this point, you’ll need to shape all of the dough into creamy peanut butter balls. You’ll take about a tablespoonful or small cookie scoop of the peanut butter mixture and begin to roll it between your hands. Shape it into round 1-inch balls and place each one on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Add toothpicks (for dipping) to each ball.
Once all of the dough is rolled into balls, chill the whole sheet in the fridge or freezer for about half an hour.
How to Melt Chocolate for Dipping
While your peanut butter balls are chilling, it’s a good time to melt the chocolate and get it ready to go.
Depending on the chocolate you decide to use, you can melt it a couple different ways:
- Melt it using a double boiler on the stove – This is basically a pan inside of another pan with boiling water in the bottom pan. It allows for more even melting without burning, and it also keeps the chocolate warm for dipping.
- Melt it in the microwave – This is usually the route I go.
- Use a fondue pot and make it a family affair.
Also, depending on the type of chocolate used, some people like to add vegetable shortening or paraffin wax to their chocolate as it melts. This allows for a thinner coat and stretches your chocolate a little further. If you use a good quality chocolate, you likely won’t need this step.
I started using Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers a few years ago, and I love them so much better than almond bark. They’re so much easier to work with, and they have fantastic flavor.
How to Dip the Peanut Butter Balls
- Dip the chilled peanut butter balls, leaving the very top part of each undipped, so to resemble an actual buckeye. We’ve used a regular table fork in the past, as well as tongs or toothpicks. You can also use a dipping fork or tool to dip your peanut butter balls into the chocolate.
- At this point, you’ll need to chill the buckeye peanut butter balls for about 15-20 minutes in the freezer; then remove all the toothpicks and cover up each toothpick hole with your finger (totally optional).
As you can see in most of my pictures, I didn’t really care about the holes being there… But if you do, just smooth it over.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
For best results, make sure the peanut butter you’re using isn’t a super greasy peanut butter. If it’s too oily, the chocolate may not want to coat the peanut butter mixture.
Put the melted chocolate in a deeper dish for dipping; I prefer my 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup because I can use it in the microwave, and it’s the perfect depth and breadth for dipping.
My homemade buckeyes usually have kind of a chocolate ring around the bottom of the buckeyes. You can avoid this by letting excess chocolate drip off the buckeye after dipping; and just lightly press the bottom of the buckeye on a separate sheet of wax paper before putting it back on your cookie sheet.
If you like to have a little crunch to your peanut butter balls, you most certainly can use crunchy peanut butter. I’ve also used honey peanut butter, which really does make delicious peanut butter balls.
Keep them chilled. Freezing or chilling the dough before dipping, then after dipping, will make the buckeyes sweat if removed from the fridge or freezer. So when not eating, keep them stored in the fridge.
As noted above, be sure to keep this candy in an airtight container, lined with wax paper, in the fridge. They can be kept out, but they won’t keep as long as they will if you keep them in the fridge.
Yes, you can. You can freeze them before or after dipping. Just be sure to store them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container to avoid freezer burn. They should keep for up to 3 months.
More Easy Candy Recipes:
If you love this small batch buckeye recipe as much as I do, you’ll love these candies too…
- Homemade chocolate covered cherries
- Chocolate covered almond coconut trees
- Chocolate peppermint bark
- Chocolate peanut butter hearts
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Easy 4-Ingredient Buckeyes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter*
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 10 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers (or milk chocolate)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the softened butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.
- Take about a tablespoonful or small cookie scoop full of the peanut butter mixture and begin to roll it between your hands. Shape it into as round of a ball as you can, and place it in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet lined with wax paper. Continue rolling the rest of the dough into balls. (If the mixture is too gooey, try chilling it in the fridge or freezer for 20-30 minutes before rolling into balls.)
- Add toothpicks, for dipping, to each ball.
- Chill the peanut butter balls in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl; and melt, starting at 30 seconds, then stirring every 15-20 seconds, 'til melted and smooth.
- Remove the peanut butter balls from the freezer, and using the inserted toothpicks, dip every single peanut butter ball, partially immersing each one into the melted chocolate. Place each dipped buckeye back on the wax paper lined cookie sheet.
- Chill the chocolate covered peanut butter balls in the fridge or freezer ’til set, probably about 15-20 minutes.
- Then remove all the toothpicks and cover up each toothpick hole with your finger (optional step).
- Store the buckeyes in a wax paper lined airtight container or festive Christmas tin in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- Melt it using a double boiler on the stove – This is basically a pan inside of another pan with boiling water in the bottom pan. It allows for more even melting without burning, and it also keeps the chocolate warm for dipping.
- Melt it in the microwave – This is usually the route I go. I like to use my 2-cup Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup for dipping. Whatever you do, put the melted chocolate in a deeper dish for dipping; I prefer my Pyrex measuring cup because I can use it in the microwave, and it’s the perfect depth and breadth for dipping.
- Use a fondue pot and make it a family affair.
I made these today and was so disappointed. Bad luck today. The mixture was very dry and did not come together well at all. The first three rolled nicely but then stuck to my hands big time. I oiled my hands and it got worse. Had enough each time on my hands to make another. It did not roll out smooth either. They were ugly. I must have done something wrong but I have no idea what. I think the butter would have been better melted as it showed in the pictures as opposed to instructions to soften. No matter how much I mixed I could see little pieces of butter not incorporated. Any advice?
Nancy, what kind of peanut butter did you use? I’m not sure as to why the mixture would be so dry. It’s never done that to me before.
Merry Christmas 2021. Making a double batch for the ones that don’t have significant others to make them. Along with many more goodies.
My youngest daughter and I enjoyed this recipe. Thanks
That’s cool, Karen! Thanks so much for trying the recipe.
My boyfriend is a dark chocolate & peanut butter man. OMG—I just made the batch and there are only a dozen left right now. I know they will be gone by the time we go to bed tonight. I will make another batch after dinner. Whew! They are delicious and so quick & easy to make. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you guys like them, Earline! They’re a family favorite around here.
Awesome taste
Thanks so much, Brian!
How do you keep it from sticking to your hands while trying to roll them
A light touch certainly helps, but you can spray some cooking spray on your hands before rolling the dough out.
BY KEEPING YOUR HANDS COVERED WITH THE POWDERED SUGAR. LIKE YOU WOULD WITH WHEN YOUR ROLLING DOUGH OUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP FLOUR ON THE ROLLING PIN AND FLOUR MAT AND HANDS
I used rubber gloves.
Hello! These look delicious!
I’m a bit confused though… instructions say ‘softened butter’ but the video shows melted butter.
Thanks, Robyn. Yes, I used partially melted butter in the video, but I would use softened if possible. It’s okay if it’s slightly melted, but softened is preferred.
I only have unsalted butter as well. May I use that? Thank you for sharing your recipe!
That’s perfectly fine, Sheri. Just add an extra pinch of salt!
I only have unsalted butter. How much salt should I add to make up for that?
Thanks!
That’s fine. Just add an extra pinch of salt to the recipe. Enjoy!
Approximately how many balls does his recipe make?
Linda, I’d guess that it usually makes a dozen or two. It depends on how big you make them.
Hi, I was wondering about how you melt the chocolate in the microwave? Do you just put it in a Pyrex and melt it or do you do a double boiler in the microwave? I assumed the former but both places it’s mentioned here suggest a double Pyrex method so..