Peanut Butter Balls {Buckeyes}

You don’t have to be from Ohio to love Peanut Butter Buckeyes. These homemade candies have a soft peanut butter filling surrounded by rich chocolate. They’re easy to make and always a hit!

People love chocolate. People love peanut butter. Put them together in a dessert and people love YOU! After you make these peanut butter balls, try our Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge next. Or give our peanut butter brownies a try next!

Homemade buckeyes on parchment paper.


Why this Recipe Works

If you’re not from Ohio or the Midwest, you’ve been missing out on Buckeyes!

They’re similar to a Reese’s peanut butter cup. A soft peanut butter mixture is rolled into balls then enveloped in melted chocolate.

  • This classic buckeye recipe only takes a few ingredients and no special equipment!
  • The candies are soft and tender in the middle with a crunch of chocolate coating.

Everyone raves over these treats when I bring them to a party or potluck! They keep well for a couple of weeks so Buckeyes make great gifts too.

You don’t need any excuse to whip up a batch of these chocolate dipped peanut butter balls. Buckeyes are ALWAYS a good idea.

If you love today’s candy, be sure to try our chocolate peanut butter pie recipe next! So easy, and no bake too. Add a delicious buckeye to our easy buckeye brownie cookies!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients needed to make homemade buckeyes.
  • Creamy peanut butter. You need regular shelf stable peanut butter for this Buckeye recipe. Do not use natural style peanut butters.
  • Powdered sugar. the superfine texture of powdered sugar keeps these buckeyes soft and not grainy.
  • Melted Butter. I use unsalted in my recipes, unless specified differently (like in our rice krispie treats).
  • Chocolate melting wafers. These are the trick to candies with a perfectly smooth chocolate coating. I use the Ghirardelli brand. Melting wafers called “chocolate bark” or “candyquik” can also be used!

PRO TIP- We love making our own homemade vanilla extract, but if using store bought, be sure it’s pure extract, not imitation (for best flavor).

Aimee’s Secret

What you don’t see in our recipe? Graham cracker crumbs. I’m not sure why some recipes use them, but for the most authentic buckeye, you’ll love our simple version.

Easy Instructions

Step by step photos showing how to make buckeyes.
  1. Make peanut butter filling: Blend together the peanut butter ball ingredients to combine.
  2. Roll into balls. Roll the filling into evenly sized balls with your hands. Place on a baking sheet. Chill for about 1 hour in the refrigerator.
  3. Dip in chocolate coating: Melt the chocolate wafers according to package directions. Use a toothpick to dip the peanut butter balls into melted chocolate.
  4. Allow to set. Leave the top of the peanut butter ball exposed for a classic Buckeye appearance! Excess chocolate can be wiped away with a spook or gently tapped on the side of the bowl. Pinch the toothpick marks on the peanut butter balls closed and smooth with your finger.

Tips and Tricks

  • Line the pan with parchment paper. This keeps the peanut butter balls from sticking and helps catch the mess of dripping chocolate.
  • Let an excess chocolate drip off the peanut butter balls over the bowl before placing them on the cookie sheet to set.
  • No need to refrigerate the Buckeyes after dipping them in chocolate. The chocolate will harden quickly at room temperature.
  • If you prefer the look of Buckeyes with the toothpick hole in the center, you can skip the step of pinching the holes closed. It’s up to you!
  • Make buckeye bars instead! No rolling and dipping.
Buckeyes dipped in chocolate and stacked on parchment paper cookie sheets.

Recipe FAQs

Can you freeze peanut butter balls?

Yes you can! After the chocolate has hardened, slide the peanut butter balls into a ziploc freezer bag or airtight container, in a single layer. Freeze for up to one month.

How do you store homemade Buckeyes?

Store these in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll keep well for about 1 week. While they don’t need to be chilled, they do taste good cold as well! So feel free to pop them in the fridge if you prefer.

Do you use milk chocolate or white chocolate for Buckeyes?

You can use either one! Milk Chocolate is more common but dark chocolate tastes great with the peanut butter center too.

I don’t have melting wafers. Can I use melted chocolate chips?

I don’t recommend using melted chocolate chips for the coating. They aren’t designed for melting so they create a harder, cakey coating when the chocolate sets.

Buckeyes stacked on top of eachother.

More Easy Dessert Recipes:

Homemade Candy Recipes

See all Candy recipes

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

4.81 from 21 votes
By: Aimee
You don't have to be from Ohio to love Peanut Butter Buckeyes. These homemade candies have a soft peanut butter filling surrounded by rich chocolate. They're easy to make and always a hit!
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 48 servings

Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3 ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 12 ounce chocolate candy coating Ghirardelli melting wafers, chocolate
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Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl, blend melted butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter and vanilla extract until fully combined.
  • Scoop balls and roll them into your hands, making about a 1-1/2 inch sized ball. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and repeat until all filling is used.
  • Refrigerate for about one hour.
  • Melt chocolate according to package directions. Using a toothpick, dip bottoms into melted chocolate (leaving some of the peanut butter tops exposed). Place on parchment paper and allow to set.
  • If desired, when chocolate has set, pinch the toothpick marks closed and pat until smooth. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. ENJOY.

Notes

  • Line the pan with parchment paper. This keeps the peanut butter balls from sticking and helps catch the mess of dripping chocolate.
  • Let an excess chocolate drip off the peanut butter balls over the bowl before placing them on the cookie sheet to set.
  • No need to refrigerate the Buckeyes after dipping them in chocolate. The chocolate will harden quickly at room temperature.
  • If you prefer the look of Buckeyes with the toothpick hole in the center, you can skip the step of pinching the holes closed. It’s up to you!
  • Make buckeye bars instead! No rolling and dipping.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 142kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 45mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g
Course: Candy
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

Peanut Butter Balls (Ohio Buckeyes) are a holiday treat that is easy to make. Even the kids can help you create this classic no bake dessert that even the kids can help you create!



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About Aimee

Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

Learn more about Aimee.

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Posted on October 25, 2019

Comments & Reviews

  1. I loooove me some buckeyes!

    I always patch up the toothpick holes too, but they don’t offend me.
    What DOES offend me is the number of people who say they cover the whole thing in chocolate… that’s blasphemous! The ‘spot’ is the part that makes it a buckeye. Anything else is… tragic. 😛

    It also surprised me that other people don’t know about them. As a native Ohioan, I’d never realized it was a local thing. I guess I assumed that we (as Buckeyes) were way more ‘into’ this particular dessert, but I never realized that they weren’t a common find elsewhere. Interesting!

  2. I didn’t realize how simple this is to make! Only 5 ingredients? I’m in! I can’t wait to make this for my brother-in-law who’s from Ohio. Have you heard of Longhorns? Now you’ve inspired me to share my recipe for the famous treat here in Austin, TX 😉

  3. I have never had these or seen these at a party, but i do love resses so I think these might be right up my alley!

  4. I’m from Ohio and I make buckeyes every year at Christmas time! I never knew it was an Ohio thing…I thought everyone made them…

    And the holes seriously offend me too…they just look undone so I always patch it up. My recipe originally called for paraffin wax, too, but I leave it out because it’s not something I keep on hand.

  5. I want to eat these! I’m in Michigan, so not far at all, but this year (in blogland) is the first that I’m hearing of these buckeyes. I think I might use those new Ghirardelli melting chips I saw at the grocery store the other day. Mmmm.

  6. I have made peanut butter balls for years, My husband brought the recipe hoe from someone he worked with. I was glad it would be something I would not eat because I have never liked Reeses cups. Welllll, much to my surprise I loved them. So much better than the Reeses cups. We cover the whole peanut butter ball with chocolate. My recipe has more peanut butter and sugar. Makes about 80-100 depending on the size. Also have to put in freezer to keep chilled before dipping.

  7. One of my best friends in college was from OH, and she made an enormous batch of buckeyes every year. I think of her every time I see them, and I’ve craved them every Christmas since!

  8. Haha – Love these even without the “hole”, lol. These are a classic, I love how simple they are – they are definitely one of those recipes that I will be making forever!

  9. Buckeyes – the best dessert known to man. I love how easy they are and that they taste like a reeses filling!

  10. I must have been under the same rock. LOL Never had buckeyes, but this recipe looks so simple I think even I can do it. Although I’m not a huge sweet lover, I do like Reeses peanut butter cups and how can you not bake sweets at Christmas. So, I’m adding these to my list of other goodies to make this holiday.

  11. With as much as I love peanut butter and chocolate, I am surprised I have never had buckeyes before. Will have to change that. This recipe is calling my name!!!

  12. This is one of my favorite holiday treats to make. We use a higher proportion of peanut butter to powdered sugar/butter so we can’t work with it at room temperature – we make the mixture, refrigerate it, and work in small batches to roll the balls. Then we freeze the balls and dip them while they’re frozen, again in small batches. We go so far as to twirl the dipped buckeye over the double boiler until the chocolate sets so that there aren’t any “feet” (we use a different chocolate mix – 1 bag of semisweet morsels with 1/3 bar of Gulf Wax is our ratio), PLUS pinch out the toothpick hole. These treats are WORK but they are by far the most popular 🙂

    We’re Kentuckians and to my knowledge have never had family from Ohio so we must have had a nice Ohio friend a few generations back who showed us their buckeye recipe – my thanks to them, for it’s my favorite!!

  13. These are always one of the first things we make on our families holiday baking day! Love anything peanut butter and chocolate!

  14. I’ve never heard of Buckeyes (I’m from NC), but they look delicious. I think I’ll have to give them a try.

  15. lol as a native Ohio-an, I have no clue if other people know them or not. I assume the toothpick holes are laziness lol

    love em!

    1. Whew, so glad to hear about the toothpick holes. I wasn’t sure if they were SUPPOSED to be there, LOL.

  16. I absolutely adore buckeyes…I know that’s the “official” name but I always call them pb balls. And the holes offend me too…I always have to cover the truffles completely…and add sprinkles or chocolate drizzle. Now I’m seriously craving peanut butter!!!

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