This easy Buckeye Recipe produces the best peanut butter balls, dipped in chocolate and made with just 5 ingredients. They are a quick, no-bake treat loved by all.
If you love homemade candy, don't miss these Homemade Almond Joys, Oreo Balls, Brownie Truffles, and Chocolate Covered Marshmallows!
Why I love these treats:
- Quick and No Bake – They're an easy treat to make all year long without heating up the house, and we can make a batch in 30 minutes. The leftovers freeze great!
- Gift Friendly – They fun to load in cute cello bags during the Christmas season, or any time of year, to give neighbors, friends and teachers.
- Nostalgia – Our good family friends (Hey, Jolley fam!) brought Buckeye's each year to our Christmas Eve party when I was a kid, so I have such special memories attached to these delicious treats.
Ingredients for Buckeyes:
- Chocolate: You can use Guittard dark chocolate melting wafers, Bakers Chocolate, or any high quality chocolate, chopped, and melted in the microwave.
- Peanut Butter: Smooth; my preferred brand is Skippy.
- Powdered confectioners sugar.
- Vanilla extract.
- Butter. Salted or unsalted won't make a huge difference.
How to make Peanut Butter Balls:
Combine Filling Ingredients: Cream butter and peanut butter until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until they reach a smooth consistency, then mix in the vanilla.
Freeze Peanut Butter Balls: Form the mixture into small balls and allow them to harden in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Dip in Chocolate: Dip each peanut butter ball in melted chocolate.
Serve: Allow buckeye balls to cool on parchment paper then enjoy! Or store them in the refrigerator or freezer.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Make buckeye recipe 1 day in advance then store in the refrigerator or freeze for up to for several months.
To Freeze: To freeze Buckeye candy, allow them to cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months.
Recipe Variations:
- Paraffin Wax: For a more glossy finish, or to preserve it longer at room temp, you can use paraffin wax. Melt some with semi-sweet 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.
More Candy Recipes:
- Peanut Brittle
- Homemade Caramels
- Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
- Vanilla Creme Balls
- Christmas Cornflake Wreaths
- Caramel Cashew Clusters
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Recipe
Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cups creamy peanut butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces semi-sweet melting chocolate, 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.
- Scoop about 5 dozen small peanut butter mounds onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Once cold, they will be easier to handle and roll into smooth balls.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate, melting wafers, or chocolate almond bark according to package instructions.
- 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 freezer.
Notes
Recipe Variations:
- Paraffin wax: for a more glossy finish or to preserve it longer at room temp, you can use paraffin wax. Melt some with semi-sweet 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
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I originally shared this recipe December 2018. Updated December 2020 and October 2023.
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This recipe is not the best and I definitely will try a different one next time. Too much sugar and butter so they’re sticky and gooey and I cut the recipe in half so I didn’t make 5 dozen but it only made 13. There is no way you would get 5 dozen out of one batch.
Hi Taylor, the filling is soft, which is why it has to be refrigerated, to help it firm up.
This recipe was okay, but leaving them in the freezer for 30 minutes made them too hard to make into a ball.
This recipe is terrible! Waste of ingredients and time, talk about soft and mushy- knew I should have gone with a different recipe.
I made a batch with a different recipe that used more peanut butter and less sugar…wrong choice! That mixture was too sticky and oily. I immediately tried this recipe and the mixture was perfect!
Better recipes available. This one was difficult. Too soft. Too much oil/fat i suspect, and already calls for a ton of sugar. I ended up tossing all the ingredients I used vs more wasting time.
These were so smooth and creamy. I used dark chocolate instead and it was so good. Mine didn’t look nearly as perfect but still tasted great. Im not too sure how to get them that perfect looking. I can always make stuff taste good but never look so good.
This recipe did t work for me… I think it’s too much butter…. Had to add alot more powdered sugar and still so soft… hard to work with… probably needs even more sugar!!!?😫
After 3 fudge failures I needed to throw away my candy thermometer and have a success. These were just perfect. They were a real treat to make and to eat. I’ll definitely save the recipe for next year’s as well.
Looks delicious! Can it be made with cashew butter? We have a peanut allergy
Forgot the Star Rating, LOL