Around this time of year, my apartment goes missing and in its place is a workshop of chocolatey proportions. I have traditional holiday candies I make every year as well as some other basic treats to bring over to potlucks and parties, and any other homemade gifts Mr. Geek and I concoct. And while some of the candies and gifts are fairly tedious to make, there’s one that I love making over and over, and it’s these chocolate peanut butter balls.
I wish I could say the recipe has been passed down for generations, but in reality I found a magazine clipping years back and have made it my own since. These peanut butter balls are easy to make, take under an hour (plus some chill time in the fridge), and are absolutely delicious. I usually make way more than I actually need to give out, and steal some whenever I need a quick pick-me-up. So if you’re looking for a quick and delicious treat to make for the office party or need a creative and homemade gift for a friend or family member, don your apron and get ready to party. (Bonus: Kraft currently has a ton of coupons you can use at Target, and you can use them to save $1 off of the peanut butter used in the recipe!)
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 sticks (8 oz.) Melted Butter
- 1 cup (8 oz.) Planter's Peanut Butter (I used creamy, but feel free to go wild with crunchy or one of their other flavors!)
- 2 11.5 oz bags of Milk Chocolate Chips
- Sprinkles (optional)
- In a large bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, melted butter, and peanut butter until smooth. Consistency should be almost play-doh like and easy to roll into a ball. If not, add more powdered sugar.
- Roll the mixture into small, even balls (around the size of a large marble or gumball).
- Melt the milk chocolate chips in a double boiler or by very carefully microwaving them in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time. Don't burn the chocolate!
- Dip the balls in the milk chocolate until they're evenly coated and place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Top the chocolate covered balls with some sprinkles if you'd like (I love the extra crunch and pop of color!), and then place in the fridge for around an hour to chill.
Package them up for your friends/parties before you eat them all yourself.
Or heck, just eat them all yourself.
What’s your go-to holiday treat?
From shopping for gifts to planning family dinners, it’s hard to keep up with all your holiday to-do’s. This year, Kraft is helping out with great weeknight meals and entertaining ideas to make the season a little bit easier. Plus, Kraft is offering up to $20 in coupons, redeemable exclusively at Target, to make food shopping easier and to help you have a happy holiday season.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kraft. The opinions and text are all mine.
In Ohio, you leave a little circle at the top naked and they’re called Buckeyes. 🙂 A family favorite.
I knew it! I saw a buckeye recipe recently and thought it sounded very similar. I’m still personally a fan of as much chocolate on them as possible. 😉
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I tweeked it a bit when I made them, but they’ve been a huge hit at my holiday parties so far! And I added Halloween sprinkles to some to make “Nightmare before Christmas” Balls. 🙂
Ooh, how’d you tweak them? I love hearing how other people do recipes! (And Nightmare Before Christmas balls sound perfect!)
I made the following tweaks:
– used no sugar added natural peanut butter (it’s not 100% smooth so it gives it a bit of texture)
– used only 3 cups of powdered sugar (I don’t like really sweet candies)
– used semi-sweet chocolate chips
– chilled the balls or let them sit for a bit (it hardens them and makes it easier to cover in chocolate!)
– added fancy sea salt instead of sugar sprinkles to some (goes great with the semi-sweet chocolate)
I was thinking of trying to add crispy bacon crumbles or a whole almond either inside or to the top for something totally different next time I make them.
Yum! Love the idea of toning down the sweetness and adding some salt to the top. Great idea!