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These Peanut Butter Balls (or “Buckeyes” as their affectionately known by in Ohio and the midwest) are a no-bake treat made with a peanut butter center dipped in chocolate. They’re a classic holiday favorite that’s easy to make with just a handful of ingredients.
Homemade Buckeyes are the ultimate Peanut Butter-Chocolate Duo!
If you love that combo too, than there’s no better treat than this homemade Buckeyes recipe. I love that they’re completely no-bake, easy to make ahead, and perfect for gifting to neighbors or adding to a holiday treat platter. They’re rich, creamy, and perfectly sweet, with a smooth peanut butter center and a delicious chocolate coating. They’re always one of the first treats to disappear!
My biggest tip: Give the peanut butter balls their freezer time before rolling. They are much easier to handle frozen, and a toothpick makes it simple to dip each one in chocolate. Cover them completely or leave a little peanut butter showing for the classic “buckeye” look (they get their name because they look like buckeye nuts from an Ohio buckeye tree). I can’t wait for you to try these!
Don’t miss my other candy recipes, like Oreo Balls, Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, Peanut Butter Popcorn, Homemade Caramels, Chocolate Covered Marshmallows, and Rocky Road!
A Note About Ingredients for Buckeyes:
Peanut Butter: This recipe was tested with skippy smooth peanut butter. Depending on the brand you use you may want to use more or less powdered sugar. Only add enough powdered sugar to get a very soft cookie dough texture.
Chocolate: I recommend using a high quality chocolate (over melting wafers or almond bark) since it’s a main character here and will melt well. I’d use callebaut melting chocolate (winco carries it in the bulk bins!), or a high quality chocolate bar or chocolate chips (I’d only recommend ghirardelli or guittard chocolate chips).
Butter: salted or unsalted will both taste great (I’d choose based on the brand of peanut butter you’re using and if it tastes very salty).
How to make Peanut Butter Balls
Make the Peanut Butter Mixture: Use electric beaters to cream together the butter and peanut butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar until smooth, then add the vanilla and mix.
Shape and Chill: Scoop about 5 dozen small peanut butter mounds onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes or longer! Once frozen, roll them into smooth balls. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate, melting wafers, or chocolate almond bark according to the package instructions.
Dip and Store: Use a toothpick to dip and coat each peanut butter ball in chocolate. Let the excess drip off, place on a parchment-covered baking sheet, and allow the chocolate to set. Store homemade buckeyes in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. For longer storage, freeze the set buckeyes in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge before serving.
Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, (2 sticks)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate for melting, (or could use melting wafers, or chocolate almond bark)
Instructions
- Use electric beaters to cream together the butter and peanut butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar until you get a smooth consistency. Add the vanilla and mix.1 cup butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Scoop 1 Tablespoon size portions (about 5 dozen small peanut butter mounds) onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Once frozen they will be easier to handle and roll into smooth balls.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave on half-power (stirring every 15 seconds or so) until melted and smooth.8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate for melting
- Use a toothpick to dip and coat each peanut butter ball in chocolate. Allow excess to drip off and then place them on a parchment covered baking sheet and allow them to set.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Recipe Variations:
- Paraffin wax: for a more glossy finish or to preserve it longer at room temp, you can use a scoop of paraffin wax melted with the chocolate.
- Fully dipped: you can cover the peanut butter balls completely in chocolate like traditional peanut butter balls or leave some peanut butter showing so they imitate buckeye nuts from a buckeye tree.
- Add candy: You can add mini M&M’s or other chopped candies (or nuts!) to the peanut butter filling before dipping in chocolate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe December 2018. Updated December 2020, October 2023 and October 2026.
I made the recipe as written, but rolled my peanut butter into balls before putting in the freezer. They stayed together beautifully. I did thoroughly cream the butter and peanut butter before adding the powdered sugar 1/2 c. at a time. I forgot I had used my almond bark for another recipe, so ended up just melting chocolate chips on the stove over low heat. I used about 1 full regular sized bag of chocolate chips and had not quite 4 dozen balls. When I was a little over halfway done, the balls were getting a little warm because I had them next to the warm stove. They were starting to come apart a little in the chocolate so I stuck them back in the freezer for about 10 minutes then finished rolling them in the chocolate. It worked great. These are very sweet and so next time I’ll try to make my balls a little smaller. This would probably get me closer to the 5 dozen.
I had difficulties forming these into balls; they were way too sticky and most of the batter ended up on my hands and not in balls. Any tips for how to do this?
The mixture needs to be colder chill it for an additional 15-30 minutes in the freezer, and wet your hands with cold water between rolling each few balls. If it’s still too soft, mix in an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar to firm it up.
How did you get rid of the toothpick hole?
Once you place the buckeye on the parchment paper, just use your finger or a small spatula to smooth a tiny bit of the melted chocolate over the toothpick hole. Do it right away while the chocolate is still wet and it’ll blend right in!
What can I say about this recipe? SO MUCH. I wanted an alternative to my older recipe which has Crisco in it, so I tried this out. I followed the directions to the letter, but there was nothing creamy about the mixture. I kept plugging away, hoping that maybe if I could use the warmth of my hands to form the balls, which worked to a degree – enough that I put them in the fridge to cool and went to heat the chocolate. Here’s the real issue with this recipe: the measurements are incorrect. It calls for 1 cup of peanut butter, but I’m pretty confident it’s supposed to be 2 cups. The chocolate calls for 3/4 cups, but I needed at least 3 cups. The balls kept falling apart before I stopped and looked at my old recipe and understood that this one has a pretty big type. I ended up melting the ‘buckeyes” down, mixing in another cup of peanut butter, reforming them and now they just look like…..poop balls. So, there goes about $20 and 3 hours of my time.
These were the BEST Buckeyes EVER. Just keep them in refrig or freezer.
This is a waste of ingredients. Too soft. Even after freezing Toothpick cut thru it a like a knife.
I’ve made buckeyes for years, I only use 1/2 cup butter
This was a waste of ingredients no matter how long it sat in the freezer-did not work!