This recipe for buckeye balls is classic peanut butter balls dipped in dark or white chocolate and coated with sprinkles. An easy no bake holiday dessert!
Rich and creamy peanut butter balls are dipped in chocolate and decorated with festive sprinkles for a no bake treat that’s perfect for a special occasion. These buckeye balls make a great gift and are always a welcome addition to any holiday dessert table along with classics such as rum balls and Christmas crack.
The holidays are here and we are busy decorating, crafting and creating delicious treats! Our lights are up and I’ve made quite a few batches of these amazing peanut butter buckeye balls to give out to family and friends. These chocolate covered peanut butter balls are a classic holiday treat that I make every year. They’re a great project to do with the kids, my kids call it “peanut butter play doh” which is actually pretty accurate!
Make these buckeyes as part of a Christmas party spread along with holiday favorites like Grinch punch, peppermint bark, crock pot candy and Grinch cookies!
Table of Contents
Ingredients For Buckeye Balls
To make these buckeye balls you will need creamy peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, chocolate, sprinkles and shortening.
How Do You Make Buckeye Balls?
To make this buckeye ball recipe first place peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) in a large bowl. Stir until a dough forms. You may need to use your hands to knead everything together. Roll the peanut butter mixture into balls, then chill the balls on a baking sheet. Melt the chocolate and shortening together in a bowl, then use a toothpick to dip each ball halfway in the chocolate. Roll the balls in sprinkles if desired. Use your finger to smooth the top of each buckeye ball to remove the hole from the toothpick. Chill the peanut butter balls until the chocolate sets, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Buckeye Balls
- I typically use a measuring spoon or small cookie scoop to portion out my peanut butter “dough” so that all of the balls are the same size.
- The traditional way to do buckeye candies is to dip them in semisweet chocolate. I decided to mix things up a bit, and dipped half my balls in semisweet chocolate and the other half in white chocolate and holiday sprinkles.
- You can use whatever type of sprinkles you like. It’s fun to switch out the sprinkle colors to match whatever occasion you’re celebrating. Or you can leave off the sprinkles altogether, there are so many ways to decorate buckeye balls!
- You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to mix the peanut butter dough together. Make sure to keep the mixer on a lower setting until the powered sugar incorporates into the dough so it doesn’t get thrown out of the mixer.
Quick Tip
It’s worth it to take the extra time to sift the powdered sugar. Otherwise you might end up with a lumpy dough.
Recipe FAQs
You can store peanut butter balls in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. You can also store your buckeye balls for up 2 months in a freezer. Just be aware, if you choose to freeze your buckeye balls, when you thaw them, the chocolate may have a little condensation on it. That said, they’ll still taste great!
The easiest way to coat your peanut butter balls in chocolate is to stick a toothpick into each ball, then lower the ball into a bowl of melted chocolate. This works best if your peanut butter balls are very cold, so make sure you chill them first. You can use your finger to smooth over the little hole that the toothpick leaves behind.
Buckeye balls are named after the nuts of the buckeye tree which have a similar look. The nuts of this Ohio state tree resemble peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate.
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Flavor Variations
While these buckeye balls are delicious as-is, you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Chocolate: Milk chocolate is another great option aside from the dark and white chocolates listed in the recipe.
- Toppings: You can roll your balls in other toppings such as finely diced nuts or coconut.
- Add-ins: Feel free to add some texture to your peanut butter balls by mixing in 3/4 cup of rice krispy cereal. Another great option is to use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth.
- Flavoring: You can change the flavor with a few drops of vanilla extract or almond extract.
Peanut butter balls are a classic treat that never goes out of style. I have been eating them as long as I can remember! There’s just something amazing about the peanut butter chocolate combo. I urge you to try these with the white chocolate too, you won’t regret it.
More No Bake Treats
Buckeye Balls Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Buckeye Balls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 8 ounces chocolate chips or candy melts/almond bark can be dark chocolate, white chocolate or both
- 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
- optional: 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Place the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated, then knead with your hands until a smooth dough forms.
- Shape the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on a sheet pan that’s been lined with parchment paper.
- Refrigerate the peanut butter balls for at least 30 minutes.
- Place the chocolate chips or candy melts and shortening in a medium bowl. If using 2 types of chocolate, place 4 ounces of each chocolate with 1/2 tablespoon shortening into 2 bowls.
- Microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals or until melted. Stir until smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Remove the buckeye balls from the fridge. Use a toothpick to pick up each ball and and dip it into the melted chocolate. Quickly roll the ball in sprinkles if using (optional). Repeat with each ball. Use your finger to smooth over the top of each ball to remove the mark from the toothpick.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set, then serve.
Notes
- I typically use a measuring spoon to portion out my peanut butter “dough” so that all of the balls are the same size.
- It’s worth it to take the extra time to sift the powdered sugar; otherwise you might end up with a lumpy dough.
- Buckeye balls will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Can you believe I’m a Buckeye and never made Buckeye Balls? Well it’s about time! Thanks for sharing!
Love peanut butter desserts, and this looks delicious and festive. Thanks for the recipe.
SO GOOD!!!
These are sooo good! It will be a miracle if some make it to a Christmas plate to give away 😉
Buckeyes are one of my favorites. I love that you dipped them in both white and dark chocolate and that they have festive sprinkles for the Holidays. They will go perfectly on my Holiday dessert table.
Wondering what kind of peanut butter to use?
I usually buy the natural, no sugar added variety. Can I use that for this recipe, or is your classic Skippy better?
Classic Skippy or Jif work best!
My family always had these and now finally I’ve found your perfect recipe! So yummy!
Hello! If your dough is crumbly and won’t form into a ball, how can you fix that? This is my first try at maki g these 😊
You can add a bit of water, 1 teaspoon at a time!
Lol right…its never JUST one ball. Haha enjoy. Merry Christmas
If gifting, can they be put in gift bags that won’t be refrigerated?
Yes that’s fine!
What is the best shortening to use.
I use Crisco.
My mom made these every year when i was growing yp for as long as i can remember. I then continued making them each year at Christmas with my children, and grand children. It is a family favorite. Although im an empty nester now, i continue to make them. My mom and I mix icening sugar with the peanit butter to thicken them, then dip the whole peanut butter ball in chocolate… very yummy
Merry Christmas everyone, and happy baking
I love these this way, but a relative, who is deceased put Rice Krispies in with the peanut butter and they were good that way. Ever hear of this?
I have heard of it but I’ve never tried it myself!
I make three every year sometimes for no reason at all
In the video, after a bite is taken, there is visibly two distinct layers in the ball. One is peanut butter and the other is a lighter creamier layer under the chocolate. What is that?
There’s just peanut butter and chocolate, no extra layer!
t’ve always loved buckeyes but haven’t had them in so long!! these turned out sooo good, such a great recipe <3
So glad you enjoyed the, thanks for reporting back!
I was looking for a Christmas cookie recipes for my jobs Christmas party bake off and came across this recipe! Although these aren’t exactly cookies, I wanted to give them a try because they look simple to make and very delicious! Thanks for posting this recipe! Looking forward to making these for the party!
Peanut butter is an all time favorite at home. No wonder this recipe will be a huge hit, especially for my nieces.
How many balls make up a serving? Someone in my house is sugar sensitive so can only have one serving.
It’s one ball per serving!
Ahahaha! One ball!!! I’m still laughing 🙂
I would go with a sugar substitute. Check Amazon for THM sweetener blend of Trivia that’s good for baking. Also, lilyes sugar free chocolate and a natural peanut butter with no added sugar. They’re supposed to be very good. It may be worth the extra cost to avoid the sugar.
We love these in our house! My grandma made these every year for Christmas Eve. I can’t wait for them this year too!