Classic peanut butter balls are a family favorite no bake treat to make during Christmas time!

Buckeye Balls are easy to make with only 6 simple ingredients.

peanut butter balls in green christmas cookie tin on red striped towel background

Buckeye balls are easy to make with only 6 ingredients.

Plus this recipe answers all of your questions about how to make peanut butter balls. It includes a video recipe too!

Buckeye balls are a family favorite no bake treat to make during Christmas time! Depending on where you live, you might know them as peanut butter balls!

Regardless of what you call them, they taste like a giant reese’s peanut butter cup ball!

Why You’ll Love Them

  • 6 simple everyday ingredients
  • no baking required
  • the perfect no bake treat the whole family can help make
  • they taste like a giant reese’s cup
peanut butter balls on a white plate over a red striped towel on a white background

Tips for Making, Dipping & Storing

In this post, I’ll walk you through..

  • How to dip buckeye balls
  • How to store peanut butter balls
  • Freezing peanut butter balls
  • How to fix sticky or crumbly buckeye balls

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions for making Peanut Butter Balls.

  • unsalted butter – room temperature
  • creamy peanut butter – can also use chunky if you like the chunky texture
  • vanilla extract
  • powdered sugar – also called confectioners sugar
  • semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • vegetable oil – shortening or coconut oil works too
peanut butter balls on white platter with red striped towel under the plate

How to Make Peanut Butter Balls

Combine. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined and smooth. 

Vanilla and powdered sugar. Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Beat on low, until the mixture comes together. It will be THICK. You can also switch to using your hands to knead the mixture together. 

Cookie scoop. Use a cookie dough scoop, or tablespoon, to form balls. Roll the mixture between your hands to form balls. ⭐TIP: Rub a small amount of butter between your hands if the mixture gets sticky. 

peanut butter balls arranged in grid pattern on silicone mat

Freeze. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 1 hour or for 20 minutes in the freezer. This step is crucial, do not skip chilling the balls. 

Melt chocolate. After chilling the peanut butter balls, in a small pot over low heat on the stove, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips and shortening (or coconut oil). Stir occasionally until fully melted, this may take 10 minutes. 

How to Dip. To dip the balls, stick a toothpick halfway into the peanut butter ball, then lower into the melted chocolate, swirling as needed.

hand dipping peanut butter ball into melted chocolate using a toothpick

Traditional buckeye balls aren’t fully covered in chocolate, but have a peanut butter “eye”.

Gently scrap the bottom of the ball on the edge of your container that’s holding the chocolate to remove excess chocolate. Then place the dipped ball on a silicone baking mat. Use a second toothpick, resting on top of the ball, to help remove the toothpick that’s inserted into the ball.

Smooth. Use your finger to smooth over the hole from the toothpick.
Set. Once all the balls are dipped, return them to the fridge for 30 minutes to set the chocolate. 

Do buckeye balls need to be refrigerated?

Yes! At least for optimal eating conditions, I recommend keeping them in the fridge. If you leave the balls out for too long, the butter and peanut butter will become soft.

Place peanut butter balls in an air tight container with parchment paper between the layers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

peanut butter balls in green christmas cookie tin with red striped towel under the tin

How To Freeze Buckeye Balls

  1. Flash freeze them. Place the balls on a silicone mat lined baking sheet in the freezer, and freeze until frozen.
  2. Then wrap bundles of 6-8 balls together in plastic wrap and place inside a freezer container or ziplock bag.
  3. They will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To thaw – place the entire bag or individual bundles in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, unwrap the bundles. There may be condensation that you need to blot with a paper towel.

Common Problems

Here are some common problems and solutions for peanut butter balls.

Too sticky: Stick the bowl of the peanut butter mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to help firm up the mixture before rolling.

Too crumbly: This generally means there’s too much powdered sugar. Try adding an additional 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the mixture.

peanut butter balls on white platter with red striped towel under the plate

Tips for Success

Do not pack down the powdered sugar. This will result in too much powdered sugar and crumbly peanut butter balls.

To make perfectly portioned balls, use a cookie dough scoop to measure out each ball.

Are the peanut butter balls sticking to your hands while rolling them? Rub a little butter on your hands and reapply as necessary.

The key to successfully dipping the balls on a toothpick are COLD buckeye balls. Do not skip this step!

Line your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. You want to create a non-stick surface for the chocolate to set on.

Use your finger or the back of a spoon to cover the holes left from the toothpicks.

Variations

For added texture or crunch – add in 1 cup of crushed rice krispie cereal or 1 cup crushed graham crackers.

Switch up the chocolate – use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips.

peanut butter balls in green christmas cookie tin with red striped towel under the tin

FAQs

Are peanut butter balls gluten free?

Peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips are naturally gluten free. This is a great treat to share with your gluten free friends!

Can you use chunky peanut butter?

Yes. If you like the added texture of the nuts, go for it!

Can you freeze peanut butter balls?

Place the balls on a silicone mat lined baking sheet in the freezer, and freeze until frozen.Then wrap bundles of 6-8 balls together in plastic wrap and place inside a freezer container or ziplock bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

How long do peanut butter balls last in the fridge?

Place buckeye balls in an air tight container with parchment paper between the layers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

More Christmas Desserts

Peanut Butter Balls – Buckeye Balls

4.49 from 29 ratings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Additional Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Yield: 25 -30 balls
Classic peanut butter balls are a family favorite no bake treat to make during Christmas time! Buckeye Balls are easy to make with only 6 simple ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (equal to 1/2 cup)
  • 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, a 12oz bag has about 2 cups
  • 1 tbsp shortening, or coconut oil

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined and smooth. 
  • Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Beat on low, until the mixture comes together. It will be THICK. You can also switch to using your hands to knead the mixture together. 
  • Use a cookie dough scoop (or tablespoon) to form balls. My balls had about 2 tbsp of dough. Roll the mixture between your hands to form balls. *TIP* Rub a small amount of butter between your hands if the mixture gets sticky. 
  • Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 1 hour or for 20 minutes in the freezer. This step is crucial, do not skip chilling the balls. 
  • After chilling the peanut butter balls, in a small pot over low heat on the stove, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips and shortening (or coconut oil). Stir occasionally until fully melted, this may take 10 minutes. 
  • I like to remove 5 balls from the fridge/freezer at a time to dip, this helps to keep the others cold. To dip the balls, stick a toothpick halfway into the peanut butter ball, then lower into the melted chocolate, swirling as needed. Traditional buckeye balls aren’t fully covered in chocolate, but have a peanut butter “eye”. Gently scrap the bottom of the ball on the edge of your container that’s holding the chocolate to remove excess chocolate. Then place the dipped ball on a silicone baking mat. Use a second toothpick resting on top of the ball to help remove the toothpick that’s inserted into the ball.
  • Once all the balls are dipped, return them to the fridge for 30 minutes to set the chocolate. 
  • Serve and enjoy. Follow the storage directions in the notes. 

Notes

Do buckeye balls need to be refrigerated?

Yes! At least for optimal eating conditions, I recommend keeping them in the fridge. If you leave the balls out for too long, the butter and peanut butter will become soft. 
Place buckeye balls in an air tight container with parchment paper between the layers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

Can buckeye balls be frozen?

Yes, as long as you properly package them for the freezer. 
  • Flash freeze them. Place the balls on a silicone mat lined baking sheet in the freezer, and freeze until frozen. 
  • Then wrap bundles of 6-8 balls together in plastic wrap and place inside a freezer container or ziplock bag. 
  • Buckeye balls will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, place the entire bag or individual bundles in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, unwrap the bundles. There may be condensation that you need to blot with a paper towel. 
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Beth
Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 73mg, Potassium: 163mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 118IU, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg
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