Buckeye Candies
By Alli BerkeyPublished on March 28, 2019
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1½ hours chilling
Yield
Makes 32 candies
Ingredients
Before You Begin
We developed this recipe with Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bars. You can substitute bittersweet chocolate chips for the bar chocolate, but be sure to finely chop the chips. Do not use natural peanut butter here. The butter should be about 67 degrees and give slightly when pressed; it should not be so warm that it loses its shape. The chocolate is divided here, so if you don't have a scale, note that each Ghirardelli bar weighs 4 ounces. You will need 32 toothpicks for this recipe.
Instructions
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix peanut butter, butter, and salt on medium speed until mixture is nearly combined with some visible pieces of butter remaining, about 30 seconds. Reduce speed to low and slowly add sugar. Mix until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Line 2 large plates with parchment paper. Divide dough into 32 pieces (about 1 tablespoon each). Using your hands, gently roll dough into balls and transfer to prepared plates. Insert 1 toothpick three-quarters of the way into each ball. Freeze balls until firm, about 1 hour.
- Microwave 10 ounces (284 grams) chocolate in 4-cup liquid measuring cup at 50 percent power, stirring with rubber spatula every 30 seconds, until nearly melted, 2 to 3 minutes (chocolate should still be slightly lumpy). Remove measuring cup from microwave and stir in remaining 2 ounces (57 grams) chocolate until melted and smooth.
- Tilt measuring cup slightly so chocolate pools on 1 side. Working with 1 plate of balls at a time (keeping second plate in freezer), grasp toothpicks and dip balls in chocolate until covered by two-thirds. Return balls to prepared plate. Refrigerate balls, uncovered, until chocolate is set and dough is no longer frozen, about 30 minutes.
- Remove toothpicks and serve. (Buckeyes can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1½ hours chillingYield
Makes 32 candiesIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
We took a visit to the Eagle Family Candy Company to learn how buckeye candies are created (read about our visit here). Then we headed into the test kitchen to create our own version of this soft, creamy, and balanced peanut butter–chocolate treat. The dough is typically held together by large amounts of confectioners' sugar, but by starting with softened butter that was still cold, we created a dough with stronger peanut butter flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. Mixing the ingredients until the dough just formed and then refrigerating the dough made the candies easier to roll.
Before You Begin
We developed this recipe with Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bars. You can substitute bittersweet chocolate chips for the bar chocolate, but be sure to finely chop the chips. Do not use natural peanut butter here. The butter should be about 67 degrees and give slightly when pressed; it should not be so warm that it loses its shape. The chocolate is divided here, so if you don't have a scale, note that each Ghirardelli bar weighs 4 ounces. You will need 32 toothpicks for this recipe.
Instructions
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix peanut butter, butter, and salt on medium speed until mixture is nearly combined with some visible pieces of butter remaining, about 30 seconds. Reduce speed to low and slowly add sugar. Mix until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Line 2 large plates with parchment paper. Divide dough into 32 pieces (about 1 tablespoon each). Using your hands, gently roll dough into balls and transfer to prepared plates. Insert 1 toothpick three-quarters of the way into each ball. Freeze balls until firm, about 1 hour.
- Microwave 10 ounces (284 grams) chocolate in 4-cup liquid measuring cup at 50 percent power, stirring with rubber spatula every 30 seconds, until nearly melted, 2 to 3 minutes (chocolate should still be slightly lumpy). Remove measuring cup from microwave and stir in remaining 2 ounces (57 grams) chocolate until melted and smooth.
- Tilt measuring cup slightly so chocolate pools on 1 side. Working with 1 plate of balls at a time (keeping second plate in freezer), grasp toothpicks and dip balls in chocolate until covered by two-thirds. Return balls to prepared plate. Refrigerate balls, uncovered, until chocolate is set and dough is no longer frozen, about 30 minutes.
- Remove toothpicks and serve. (Buckeyes can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
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