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Dark Chocolate Buckeye Candies with Homemade Peanut Butter

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shelled roasted peanuts
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate

Instructions

  1. Place the peanuts into the container of a food processor. Add in the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
  2. Put the food processor container onto it’s base and blend for about 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid and scrape the sides of the food processor with a spoon. Blend again until the chunks are close to smooth. Add the powdered sugar to the peanut butter and blend again until no chunks or pieces are left.
  3. Transfer the peanut butter to a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  4. Remove the peanut butter from the refrigerator. Using a teaspoon, scoop out enough peanut butter to form a small ball. Dust your hands with powdered sugar and roll the ball around between your palms to form a small ball and set it on a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the peanut butter.
  5. Transfer the peanut butter balls back into the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.
  6. Fill a small saucepan about half way full with water. Put it on the stove top over medium heat
  7. Place a clean heat safe bowl on top of the pan. Break the chocolate into pieces and put it in the bowl. Allow it to slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally with a whisk as it does. Continue until all the chocolate has melted down and become smooth when stirred; approximately 10-12 minutes.
  8. Remove the peanut butter balls from the refrigerator. Using a toothpick, pierce the peanut butter and dip them into the melted chocolate making sure that all but a small circle on top of the ball is covered completely. Place the finished buckeye onto a clean sheet of parchment paper and smooth the hole from the toothpick out. Repeat with the rest of the peanut butter balls and chocolate.
  9. Transfer the buckeyes to the refrigerator to cool and let the chocolate harden. When the chocolate has firmed up, place the candies in a seal-able container and keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Recipe Notes

This recipe can be done without the homemade peanut butter, but it really should be. The roasted peanuts freshly ground down into the butter with the cinnamon really makes the recipe pop.