Decadent no-bake peanut butter balls are a creamy peanut butter filling enrobed in rich chocolate. A perfect treat for your holiday cookie plate or wrapped up as a gift for friends and family.

Peanut butter balls have been on my family’s Christmas cookie plate ever since I can remember. And ever since I can remember, they have been my favorite treat on the cookie plate. They were one of the first treats I learned to make at the holidays (after decorating sugar cookies of course).

If you’re lucky enough to get to bake with a friend, these go fastest when someone rolls the peanut butter dough and someone dips them in chocolate. If you’re flying solo, roll all your balls and then dip them in chocolate.

What’s the difference between peanut butter balls and buckeyes?

Peanut butter balls are sometimes called buckeyes. However, buckeyes leave a little bit of the peanut butter dough showing at the top of the candy to resemble a buckeye seed from Ohio’s state tree. The general recipe is the same. I personally prefer to dip the whole ball in chocolate. I think it’s easier and the peanut butter dough doesn’t have the chance to dry out.

Can I use chocolate chips instead of candy melts or melting chocolate?

Yes! I made them this way for years and years. Chocolate chips are cheaper and easier to come by than melting chocolate. That being said, peanut butter balls dipped in melted chocolate chips will not dry hard like they will if you use melting chocolate. The chocolate chip coating always remains a little soft, so the finished product should stay in the refrigerator.

Chocolate chips are also sometimes thicker when melted than melting chocolate. Putting a tablespoon of shortening or coconut oil into the chocolate while you’re melting it will thin it out to be a better consistency for dipping.

Why Are My Peanut Butter Balls Too Soft?

If the actual peanut butter part is too soft to make a ball, it’s mostly likely because your butter/peanut butter to powdered sugar ratio is off. Try adding a teaspoon of powdered sugar in, stir and see how it looks. If your peanut butter balls are too soft to dip into chocolate, put them in the fridge for an hour or so and they should be perfect. If your peanut butter balls are too soft once you’ve dipped them (they don’t dry)-it’s possibly because you haven’t used the right chocolate. Make sure you use melting chocolate and not chocolate chips or plain chocolate bars (unless you temper it.

How Long Do Peanut Butter Balls Last In The Fridge?

You can refrigerate them for up to a month, but if you do, when you take them out of the fridge, the chocolate will condensate. You can easily keep them undipped in the fridge for the same timeframe and then dip them the day you need them and there will be no condensation.

Can you freeze peanut butter balls?

Yes! You can freeze peanut butter balls in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months, however, if you freeze these, the chocolate will condensate. You can keep them at room temperature for a couple weeks.

Tips For Success:

Chill your peanut butter dough-it will be easier to roll and dip in the chocolate if it’s cool. I usually chill the whole bowl of dough, scoop and roll all my balls, and then dip in chocolate. If it seems like the dough is getting too soft and falling apart when you dip, chill the rolled balls in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm them up
Melt your chocolate in the microwave-way easier than using a double boiler.
Use a smaller cookie scoop-after you’ve rolled what feels like a million of these, it’s tempting to just make bigger balls to get the job done. Take it from me, this is not a good idea. Bigger balls are harder to dip, they fall apart easier. Plus, we want this to be a nice two bite treat, not a whole side dish.
Don’t use natural peanut butter-natural peanut butter has a tendency to separate, we want everything to stay nice an homogenous.

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