For almost as long as I can remember, peanut butter balls have been a staple part of my family’s traditional Christmas baking. Somehow, they often end up being one of the last things to get made and one of the first things to get eaten!
If you’re a fan of Reese’s peanut butter cups, you’ll love these smooth yet crispy peanut butter balls coated in chocolate!
What are peanut butter balls?
Peanut butter balls are exactly what they sound like by their name. The centres are primarily made of crispy rice cereal and peanut butter, which gets rolled into balls and covered with chocolate. They look like peanut butter truffles, and they are way too easy to eat!
Are peanut butter balls and buckeyes the same thing?
They are very similar, but not the same. Buckeyes are not fully dipped in chocolate, and they are typically made with more of a peanut butter fudge kind of centre.
What kind of peanut butter is best to use?
You can use any kind, but my favourite is to use natural peanut butter. The reason for this is that the centre ends up being a little less sweet and a lot more pure tasting than they do otherwise. What’s not to love about that?
How to coat peanut butter balls in chocolate
I like to coat mine in chocolate using a fork, knife, and spoon. All you have to do is:
- Melt the chocolate
- Set a peanut butter ball on a fork
- Immerse it on the chocolate
- Spoon chocolate over top of it
- Scrape away the excess
- Use a knife to move it onto wax or parchment paper to set
What kind of chocolate to use
To keep my life simple, I honestly just use melting chocolate, which is a no-tempering-required type of coating chocolate.
Are peanut butter balls gluten free?
Yes! Provided that your rice cereal is gluten free (you do have to check, unfortunately), peanut butter balls are great for the gluten free person in your family!
Do peanut butter balls need to be refrigerated?
No, although I do like to. If you want to make these a little more shelf stable, you can avoid natural peanut butter for that part of the recipe (and use whatever brand name peanut butter spread you prefer instead).
My peanut butter balls are too soft; what went wrong?
This could be a ratio issue, a temperature issue, or a peanut butter issue. Here are some reasons your peanut butter balls might be too soft:
1 – Ratio
This recipe, like many in North America, has you measuring your ingredients by cup. However, not all people measure the same! For example, 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 100g-170g, depending on who scoops it (almost twice as much)!
To make sure your ratios are correct, follow these tips:
- Make sure your cups are filled to the brim and leveled flat across the top.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour or icing sugar, loosen them up with the cup before you scoop it to make sure it isn’t compacted.
- Only sift dry ingredients prior to measuring if prompted to do so by the recipe.
2 – Temperature
Warm temperatures or too much handling can cause your peanut butter balls to be too soft. To avoid this problem, try scooping them with a cookie scoop instead of shaping them just with your hands. When you go over the peanut butter balls again to make sure they are smooth and round, just use your fingertips, and touch them as minimally as possible to avoid softening them with the heat of your hands.
3 – Peanut Butter
Some peanut butters have a higher oil content in them and are thus less stable. If you are using natural peanut butter (as I recommend), the oils will separate and need to be stirred before you use it. Make sure the peanut butter is well mixed before you measure it.
Tips for coating soft centres in hard chocolate
I show this method in my tutorial for dipping truffles in chocolate. Basically, in a nutshell, what I find most helpful is to dip the base of each centre in chocolate and let it set. Then, coat the filling in chocolate as you would before. This prevents the soft centre from leaking out the bottom once the chocolate is set.
You will need:
- Ingredients (see recipe card)
- Mixing bowls (or a stand mixer)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Glass bowl or Double boiler
- Silverware
- Spatula
- Mini cookie scoop
- Parchment paper or wax paper
- Cookie sheet
- Sharp knife
- Containers or cookie tins for storage
Printable Recipe:
Scroll down for process photos!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
This recipe is one of my all-time favourites, right from my childhood home.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 2 cups crunchy peanut butter
- 3 cups rice crispies
- 4 cups dark or milk chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add the icing sugar and rice crispies, and stir until well combined. Roll into 1-inch balls, and set aside.
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Melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
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Note: When melting chocolate, keep the temperature from getting too hot. If the bowl of chocolate is getting hot to the touch, let the chocolate sit until the bowl is just lightly warm or room temperature before you put it back into the microwave.
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Coat peanut butter balls with chocolate, using a fork to dip them in, a spoon to cover them, and a knife to scrape off the excess.
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Set the peanut butter balls in fridge or freezer until the chocolate is set (4-10 minutes), or leave them to set at cool room temperature.
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Trim the excess chocolate with a sharp knife, and store the peanut butter balls in sealed containers.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
- Easy Milk Chocolate Truffles
- Dark Chocolate Coconut Cream Truffles
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Coconut Peanut Butter Balls
So there you have it! Another great recipe for your collection. If you make this recipe, make sure to let me know in the comments! Or as always, feel free to tag me in your pictures on Instagram @naomicakesofficial – I love to see what you’re making!
Until next time,
-–Naomi
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These look great! Was wondering if the chocolate was tempered. Not sure of the date here. Have you posted the contents of the white drizzled bon bons yet?
Thanks Cheryl! I used simple chocolate melting wafers, no tempering required. The white drizzled ones are Coconut and Peanut Butter together – you can see how I made them at this link: http://www.naomicakes.com/chocolate-coconut-peanut-butter-balls
Thanks for your comment!