Being born and raised in Ohio means one thing... buckeyes.

In honor of the first day of fall I made buckeye candies! Yay! In Ohio we live and breath Ohio State, and with our mascot being an inedible nut we created a different, more yummier version. 🙂  It is  not fall in the state of Ohio unless buckeyes have been made and consumed, at least that is my opinion. These yummy treats are perfect to take to a tailgate or put in a gift basket filled with cookies and treats during the holidays.

Ingredients

• 12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 3 cups Peanut Butter
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 24 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Combine the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla until mixed together well. Note: it is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature or you’ll have a lumpy mixture. Make sure you whisk or beat together until the mixture has no lumps!

Using a spoon mix in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Once the mixture gets too thick to stir, you’ll have to use some elbow grease  and start kneading the dough with your hands. Again, knead thoroughly so that the mixture is smooth and not lumpy.

Once, all the ingredients are combined, roll into quarter sized balls on a baking sheet (wax paper) on a pan.

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Melt the chocolate in a small pot on the stove, or bowl in the microwave. If using the stove top, make sure to melt at low heat and turn off the heat once the chocolate is hot and melted, so that you don’t over cook the chocolate.

Using toothpicks dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate so that you leave the tops exposed. Make sure to let excess chocolate drip off. Place the chocolate covered ball and toothpick back onto the baking sheet and remove the toothpick. Once all the balls are dipped, smooth out the peanut butter to cover the hole created by the toothpick.

Finally, refrigerate the buckeyes overnight and enjoy!