Only a few ingredients are required for this easy Buckeye recipe. These classic peanut butter candies come together in a matter of minutes and are dipped in dark chocolate for a snappy shell around a creamy peanut butter center.
I’ve been holding out on you.
I made this buckeye recipe a few weeks ago, but have waited until now to share it on the blog.
I was hesitant to share it at all at first: it’s so simple, and does the internet really need another buckeye recipe?
Ultimately I decided yes, it does, and I simply couldn’t go on unless I shared my slightly modified version of buckeyes with you.
Buckeyes are among the easiest candies out there. They call for only a handful of ingredients, require no oven, stovetop, or candy thermometer, and request a modest 15 minutes of chilling before you can coat the creamy peanut butter centers in dark chocolate.
My first experience with a buckeyes actually came in the form of Buckeye Brownies. I made those brownies dozens of times over before I ever tried my hand at a buckeye recipe, and while the brownies might always be my favorite peanut butter/chocolate dessert, buckeyes in their true form hold a close second, and definitely come first in terms of ease.
This simple buckeye recipe received several tweaks from its classic form that I think you will appreciate. I added two heavy spoonfuls of brown sugar for a little bit of depth of flavor (peanut butter and brown sugar together = heaven… and add some dark chocolate and you have complete nirvana)
A lot of powdered sugar goes into the mix, but that’s what helps these buckeyes hold their shape and makes them easy to dip into your chocolate. If your buckeye mixture is too soft to hold a solid ball or sticks to your fingers when you try to roll it, you can always add more powdered sugar (a tablespoon at a time) until the desired consistency is reached.
Despite all of the sugar, thanks to the peanut butter (and an honorable mention to the dark chocolate), this buckeye recipe doesn’t seem overly sweet once it’s finished.
Enjoy!
Full printable recipe is just below the video.
Easy Buckeye Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter (not "natural" peanut butter) (475g)
- ½ cup salted butter softened (113g)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar* packed
- 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups powdered sugar (405g)
- 12 oz dark chocolate melting wafers (340g)
Instructions
- Combine peanut butter and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well-combined.
- Add brown sugar and vanilla extract. Stir well.
- Gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined. Scoop into Tablespoon-sized balls and roll with the palms of your hand until smooth and round.**
- Place on wax-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for 15-20 minutes.
- While peanut butter balls are chilling, prepare your chocolate according to package instructions. Pour into a deep dish (I use a wide cup).
- Remove peanut butter balls from freezer, spear the top of each peanut butter ball with a toothpick and, holding the toothpick, dip each buckeye ball into the melted chocolate.
- Return to cookie sheet and remove toothpick. Use the pads of your fingers to smooth over the toothpick mark.
- Allow chocolate to harden before eating and enjoying.
- Buckeye balls are best kept refrigerated.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Christy
Growing up in the midwest, this is a very familiar treat and I’ve tried lots of recipes to recreate. I admit to surprise at the addiction to brown sugar, it’s the only recipe I’ve seen with that addition and I followed thr ingredient listing in my attempt. I must admit to being a bit laissez faire in throwing in ingredients and i partially melted butter as I didn’t pre plan and butter was refrigerated. I dont know if the butter having been partially liquidized caused the brown sugar to better disolve therefore eliminate grittiness issue, or just not noticeable to me but the results are what matter….and the peanut butter portion of the buckeye is perhaps some of the best I’ve ever had, homemade or professional. Take the time to make sure everything is well mixed and no lumps of confectioner’s sugar remains and it seems to be pretty fool proof. I would note…the chocolate coating quality will depend on the type and quality of chocolate you choose.
Thank you for this recipe, I will definitely be looking at your site for additional things to try! Btw if you are familiar with Mrs. Wicks, and specifically their Sugar Cream Pie, I have yet to find a sugar cream pie recipe that can compete, and now live on West Coast and it is so not a known thing out here lol
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Christy! I am not familiar with Mrs. Wicks, but I can add a sugar cream pie to my list of things to do. It sounds delicious. 🙂
Dez
My first time trying this recipe it turned out amazingly good. the Buckeyes tasted the great and it’s easy to make not a lot of ingredients.the website is not complicated you can find the ingredients at almost any store and you most likely to already have a lot of the ingredients in your kitchen.
Heidi
I made them last night
Jennifer Roberson
Made these exactly, they are perfect! Adding in a bit of extra powdered sugar helps if its too soft at first. This is now a go-to recipe!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Jennifer! Thanks for giving our recipe a go. 😊
Cynthia Marvin
Easy enough for my ten yo granddaughter to make herself. Delish. I just told her cream butter n sugars first, then the vanilla(she knew this) then the pb was incorporated Then the powder sugar. Smooth as could be.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like she did a great job! Thanks for sharing our recipe with your granddaughter, Cynthia! We hope you made some sweet memories together 😊
Judith Avery
Way too soft using these measurements, a lesson I learned the very hard way.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so sorry to hear this, Judith! We’ve never had a problem with the buckeyes being too soft. Did you chill them long enough? Or could it be that you didn’t use enough powdered sugar? Adding more powdered sugar is an easy fix to sticky/soft dough, so you can still save them. We hope that helps 🙂
Vickie
Seem extra sweet to me. They are good, but wow, the sugar.
None
This recipe is far too sweet for me. I’ve always added a box of graham crackers run through a food processor.
Julie
What do you do if the mixture ends up too fine to roll and it crumbles?
Sam
Hi Julie! I think I would try adding a spoonful of peanut butter, stirring in and adding more until you reach the right consistency. 🙂