eat make read

How did the holiday season sneak up on me like this? Goodness gracious! With mere days before we hit the road, I wanted to get at least one holiday treat made. I’ve been eyeing this recipe for buckeyes since I saw it a few months ago. Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic combination, one that I never pass up and I don’t think I’m the only one who feels that way. So with a little free time, I whipped up a batch of these little guys and boy, they are awesome!

I’d never made buckeyes before, I’ve only eaten them, so I didn’t quite know what it took to make them… I thought it was just whipped peanut butter coated in chocolate. There’s all sorts of goodness inside. We’re talking peanut butter, graham crackers, powdered sugar and cream cheese! Who knew?! I even ended up making my own peanut butter because I didn’t have any of it on hand but I had peanuts.

After the peanut butter mixture was made, I rolled it into little balls and lined them up on baking sheets. Next, I melted some chocolate in a rigged up double broiler*. Once the chocolate melted, I tried a few different dipping techniques. None of them where perfect, but my best bet seemed to be dropping a ball in the chocolate, then poking a skewer in it, letting a little of the excess chocolate drip off, then placing it on the baking sheet. I decided to jazz things up by sprinkling a little flaky salt over each one. When all of them were coated in a lovely jacket of chocolate, I put them in the fridge to harden.

Of course we had to at least taste-test them before giving them away, and whoa. Whoa, ho, ho! I mean, I don’t see how these could be bad, but really, they are fantastic. The filling is light and peanuts, certainly not too sweet. They taste like a grown up reese’s peanut butter cup. Yum!

*You can rig up a double boiler by placing a small pan with water on a burner, then placing a metal bowl over it. Bring the water to a simmer and melt chocolate in the metal bowl.

Buckeyes
Adapted from smitten kitchen
makes 36 to 42 tablespoon-sized candies

1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups honey roasted peanut butter*
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full size graham crackers)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
12 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
maldon salt or other flaky salt

Make the filling:
1
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together until combined.
2
Add the graham cracker crumbs and beat for 10 seconds.
3
Add the sugar and butter, and mix on the lowest speed, then increase the speed until the ingredients are combined.
4
Scrape down the whole bowl well, then mix again. The mixture will be quite sturdy and a little dry — perfect for shaping. Set it aside while you prepare the coating.
5
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Scoop out about one tablespoon’s worth of filling and use your hands to form it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared sheet and repeat the process until all of the candies have been shaped. They can sit close to each other but make sure they are not touching.
Make the coating:
6
Melt the chocolate either over a double boiler, stirring until it is completely smooth or in a microwave in 30 then 10 second increments, stirring before you start it again until it is completely smooth.
Make the candies:
7
Using a fork or large skewer, drop each ball into the chocolate and roll it about so that the entire candy is coated. Gently stick a skewer into the ball and lift out of the chocolate, letting the excess drop off, then gently place back on the parchment. Play around with a few practice pieces until you find what works best for you.
8
Sprinkle each with a little salt, if desired.
9
Chill the buckeyes until they are set, about 30 minutes.

* I made my own peanut butter because I didn’t have any on hand, but you can use creamy of chunky, whatever you have on hand.