Peanut Butter Buckeyes

This might be a huge shock to some of you, especially with all of the chocolatey recipes that I have on this site, but I have to admit…I’m not a chocoholic. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love chocolate in small doses. I also enjoy baking with it and creating all sorts of tasty treats to serve to family and friends. However, when asked if I want chocolate or vanilla, you can bet that my answer will always be vanilla. My husband on other hand is what you call a chocoholic. Opposites attract, right? Well, when it comes to sweet treats, they do in my house.

Our trips to the ice cream aisle are always so interesting. I tend to stay in the area of vanilla and strawberry ice creams while he will most likely be found perusing options such as double chocolate fudge, brownie batter fudge chocolate galore, chocolate fudge brownie…in other words, the more chocolate the better.

Often, we are able to come to an agreement with ice cream flavors such as cookie dough, cookies and cream, and candy bar ice creams (e.g. Snickers, Twix, Reese’s). To me, this is the perfect combination of our likes: I am satisfied with the vanilla ice cream that covers his favorite chocolatey pieces. These ice cream flavors are a perfect match to satisfy both of our late-night cravings.

Which brings me to another interesting point. I love candy bars. A girl who doesn’t love chocolate but who loves candy bars…? I know, it doesn’t make much sense. But, if you really think about it, the chocolate flavors in candy bars is balanced out by the peanuts, caramel, nougat, or peanut butter found in most candy bars. To me, when it comes to chocolate-flavored treats, this is the best of both worlds.

Recently, I found myself in the kitchen surrounded by bag after bag of chocolate. A girl with a love-hate relationship with chocolate…what was a girl supposed to do? Could you imagine my dismay? Unsure of what to do with all of this chocolate, I had to figure out a way to pair it with some type of sweet or savory treat that could tone down the richness…and that’s when I found a jar of peanut butter.

With just a few simple steps, I had these super cute Peanut Butter Buckeye lollipops that, once again, satisfied both of our cravings. A Reese’s Peanut Butter cup in ball form on a lollipop stick…what’s not to love?

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4 cups milk chocolate

Directions:

1. Combine the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a bowl. 
2. Roll the mixture into tablespoonful size balls.
3. Stick a lollipop stick in the center of each ball.
4. Place balls on a plate lined with parchment paper.
5. Place the plate in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
6. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
7. Remove the balls from the freezer and carefully dip them in the melted chocolate, leaving a small portion of the peanut butter still showing. Return the balls to the plate.
8. Place the plate in the refrigerator and allow to cool for about two hours before serving.

What is your favorite chocolatey treat?