You only need a few ingredients and a few minutes to make this easy Buckeye recipe. These classic candies are partially cloaked with a snappy chocolate shell around a creamy peanut butter center. Mine also include a special secret ingredient!
The Best Buckeye Recipe
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 buckeye recipe yields candies with a rich and creamy a center thats reminiscent of peanut butter fudge or a toned down peanut butter frosting. Thanks to the salty flavors of the peanut butter and the semisweet chocolate coating, they’re not at all too sweet, and you can easily find yourself downing half a batch on your own (guilty!).
Why You’ll Love This Buckeye Recipe
- Quick & easy.
- No fancy ingredients or equipment needed.
- Sweet, but not too sweet; definitely satisfies any sweet tooth craving.
- My recipe is extra special and flavorful, thanks to a subtle secret ingredient!
What You Need
The ingredients for my buckeye recipe are simple and straightforward, but let’s discuss them before we jump in.
- Peanut butter. Creamy peanut butter is the classic, recommended choice (not crunchy, which would mess with our texture!). Unfortunately I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter, which could make the buckeyes too oily.
- Butter. This is essential for creating a rich and creamy texture. You can use salted butter or use unsalted and add salt.
- Brown sugar. This is the secret ingredients that sets my buckeye recipe apart from so many out there. Brown sugar contains a bit of molasses, and, when beaten into the creamy peanut butter filling, this deepens the flavor of this buckeye recipe just beautifully. However, a few commenters mentioned they could taste the grit from the brown sugar. I’ve never been able to detect this (nor have my taste-testers), but if this concerns you feel free to simply leave out the brown sugar without any other additions.
- Powdered sugar. This allows us to form the buckeyes into balls and stabilizes them (while adding sweetness!).
- Chocolate. You can make things easy on yourself and use melting wafers or almond bark or just use your favorite chocolate chips. If using chocolate chips, follow my instructions on how to melt chocolate in the microwave, and consider adding a bit of coconut oil or vegetable oil to make the chocolate smooth and easy for dipping.
SAM’S TIP: You could also use tempered chocolate to dip your buckeyes, I have a tutorial on how I temper chocolate in my hot chocolate bomb recipe and in my chocolate covered strawberries post!
How to Make Buckeyes
- Cream. Beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth, then stir in your brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.
- Stir. Gradually stir in powdered sugar until it’s thoroughly combined.
- Roll the batter into smooth round balls.
- Dip. Spear each buckeye with a toothpick and use the toothpick to hold the ball as you dip it most of the way into the chocolate (don’t dip it all the way! Aim for about 75%). Transfer to a wax paper lined baking sheet to allow the chocolate to harden. Smudge the mark from the toothpick with your finger to conceal it.
SAM’S TIP: Add the powdered sugar gradually. If you add it all at once, it will be difficult for the peanut butter mixture to absorb the sugar and the batter will be dry and unmanageable, meaning you won’t be able to form it into smooth buckeye balls.
Frequently Asked Questions
These chocolate-dipped peanut butter candies resemble the buckeye nut of the American Buckeye tree. This tree is native to Ohio, and Ohio State even named their football team after them. Because of this, buckeye candies tend to be extra popular with Ohio State football fans. Here’s a detailed guide into the origins of the buckeye candy, if you’re interested!
If the powdered sugar was added too quickly and not allowed to incorporate properly, this could make your dough crumbly and difficult to roll into balls. Add the sugar slowly and stir well after each addition. Even if you did add the sugar too quickly, you can usually fix this if you just continue mixing (it will just take some time).
Also consider if you may have accidentally over-measured your sugar, unfortunately this is easy to do when measuring with cups rather than by weight (which is why I always recommend using a kitchen scale). To properly measure sugar, gently stir it and then scoop into your measuring cup and level it off. Never pack it into the cup. All of my tips on how to measure flour properly apply to measuring sugar, too.
Buckeyes can be stored for a day or two at room temperature but my preference is to refrigerate them. Refrigerated in an airtight container, they’ll keep for at least two weeks. They also freeze well, for several months.
I think you’ll love this classic, chocolate coated, creamy peanut butter treat. If you try my buckeye recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Easy Buckeye Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (475 g) creamy peanut butter (not “natural” peanut butter)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups (405 g) powdered sugar
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine peanut butter and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well-combined.2 cups (475 g) creamy peanut butter (not “natural” peanut butter), ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- Add brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir well.2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined. Scoop into Tablespoon-sized balls and roll with the palms of your hand until smooth and round.**3 ¼ cups (405 g) powdered sugar
- Place on wax-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for 15-20 minutes.
- While peanut butter balls are chilling, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil (or vegetable shortening) and heat in the microwave in 25-second intervals (stirring well in between) until chocolate is smooth and completely melted. Pour into a deep dish (I use a wide cup).2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening
- 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 (placing them in the refrigerator will speed up the process of the chocolate hardening!).
Notes
Brown Sugar
Some people have commented that the addition of brown sugar makes the cookies taste a bit gritty, I have not personally found this to be the case but if you are worried about this you can leave the brown sugar out without adjusting any of the other ingredientsButter
If using salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.Sticky Dough
If dough is too sticky to roll, add more powdered sugar, a Tablespoon at a timeChocolate
Instead of the chocolate chips and coconut oil or shortening, you can use 12 oz of chocolate melting wafers instead. Note that you can also omit the coconut oil or shortening but the chocolate may be thick and difficult to neatly dip the buckeyes into this way.Storing
Buckeyes should be stored in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks, or in the freezer for several months.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.
Alexandra
I mostly liked this recipe for my first go at preparing buckeyes. I’m not a big fan of sugary things in general, but was making them for a party. I did change a couple things up.
I left out the brown sugar, because I felt that they’d already be “too” sweet with 3+ cups of sugar.
I used crunchy peanut butter & it worked fine.
I had problems with the melted chocolate being much to thick to dip the peanutbutter balls in. I added nearly 1/2cup of butter & some oil on top of that to get it to a workable thickness. Maybe I should have gone with a different brand/type – used giradelle (sp?) semi-sweet chips. Unfortunately, this affected the end hardness of the outter shell. They’re a bit sticky, though I think if I put some powered chocolate on them it’ll even out.
The toothpick method did not work for me. I kept losing balls in the chocolate dip. After trying a few different things, I ended up having the best success with a regular fork & chopstick to dislodge ball & even out the coating.
I wish I had used unsweetened chocolate, as the finished buckeye still seemed overwhelmingly sweet to me. I combatted this by giving each ball a generous sprinkle of flake salt while still hot.
I’ll probably give these candies another go in the future. I’m wondering if there is a way to get the peanutbutter balls workable with less sugar. I was thinking that maybe adding some powdered peanut butter might work?
Bonnie
I love that these are no bake. I wanted to bring a little bit of Ohio to our Colorado neighbors. They loved them.
Sam
So happy to hear this! Thanks for commenting, Bonnie! 🙂
Andrea
These are perfect! I used chocolate chips and thinned it out a bit with oil because it’s what I had on hand. The kids love rolling them out with me! Thanks so much!
Sam
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for commenting, Andrea! 🙂
Kelly
Turned out great! I’ve made alot of buckeyes over the years and the addition of brown sugar and dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate was delicious! I didn’t have any issues with the dough being too soft or with the batter being gritty. I used a hand mixer and it was a little crumbly at the end but your suggested splash of milk did the trick. Thank you for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Kelly! 🙂
Christina Berry
Hi Sam! My dough is chilling in the fridge; I’ve been making these for years but my old recipe came up missing, so I searched and found yours, and the texture seems spot on. I wanted to share one change that I made: rather than using brown sugar, I put half a teaspoon of molasses in (I never thought of that) to get the depth you discussed without the risk of graininess. They are yummy:) Thank you for sharing
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Christina! I have not tried them with molasses before, but it sounds delicious. 🙂
Shannon
I have been making buckeyes for over a decade. Tried your recipe this year. What a disaster! The peanut butter mixture is WAY too soft and using dipping chocolate left a huge blob of chocolate around the buckeye. This is the worst! Am supposed to serve them at a cookie party tonight and there a mess. Going back to my Southern Living recipe.
Sam
Hi Shannon! I’m so bummed to hear this. However, I’ve never had a problem with the buckeyes being too soft, I’m wondering if you didn’t chill them long enough? Or perhaps didn’t use enough powdered sugar? Adding more powdered sugar is an easy fix to sticky/soft dough, so you can still save them, no problem! I hope that helps!
Shannon
Came out great for me, but the best thing about buckeyes is you can’t screw them ip, too sticky and you just add more sugar they’re foolproof! Might be you didn’t measure the sugar right but it’s ok because adding more will fix it. We loved them!
Karen
We are milk chocolate fans. Would it work to melt Milk chocolate chips for the dipping?
Sam
Yes, that would definitely work! I’d recommend melting 1/2-1 teaspoon of shortening (crisco) in with the chocolate chips if you have it, too. That will help make the chocolate go on smoother. Be sure to melt the chocolate in short increments (like 20 seconds at a time) and stir very well in between to keep it from seizing (sorry if you already know this!). Enjoy!
Jane S.
Did anyone else find this buckeye dough soft when rolling it? I could not get a smooth roll and am wondering if I should have added a little more powdered sugar, even though I used the recipe amount. So frustrated right now….don’t want these to be more problematic when I go to dip them.
Sam
Hi, Jane! The dough is supposed to be pretty soft. If it is a little sticky, add a little more powdered sugar to the dough. 🙂
Jane S.
That’s my plan. Thanks!
Ashley
This recipe is the first time I’ve ever tried making Buck Eyes and they turned out SO GOOD! Thank you for sharing!
Melissa
What are the dark chocolate wafers?
Sam
Hi, Melissa. Melting wafers are typically found in the baking section. They are little discs of chocolate that are good for melting and dipping the candy. Ghiradelli and Wilton are the two brands I use. 🙂
Ana
Opp
Sandra
On making Buckeyes, how far ahead can you make them?
Sam
Hi, Sandra! I think they would be ok for about a week in an air tight container before needing freezing.
Ann
Have you tried the magic shell chocolate? Would thAt work or will it melt after sitting out?
Sam
Hi, Ann. Unfortunately I think it would melt…
Shannon
I have been wanting to start a “family” tradition now for the holidays for several years since we have become a “blended family”. For whatever reason, it has been hard if not impossible to find the time with 4 kids. We have done the quick and easy way out with store-bought gingerbread houses, or cookie decorating kits. This year I knew I did want to do that. So I have started experimenting with recipes that look easy enough for the older 3 (12, 11, and 9yo.) to help with without being a hindrance to the process. This recipe was the one! It was easy enough for everyone to be involved, and yet not get on my nerves. LOL! While we were working on the recipe I did omit one ingredient, the brown sugar because of the mentioned grittiness. Although you mentioned that it had never happened to you Sam, I was afraid it might with us. To be honest, these were some of the best buckeyes I have ever tasted. Because we had 4 people with our hands in the peanut butter dough rolling balls, the sizes did vary. I would suggest not omitting the ice cream scooper or another way to make uniform balls. Because the Buckeyes are rich and the larger ones can just be too much. Also for our test run leading up to Christmas, we used what we had in our pantry. So some of our Buckeyes had white chocolate and the rest were in semisweet chocolate. And they were great. Thank you for the recipe! I know for sure these will make great gifts.
Sam
That sounds like a great tradition, Shannon. I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much. The cookie scoop definitely comes in handy.
Carolyn
I have been using a couple of your easy great tasting recipes. I am lost without them. I spent half s day today looking for yours fighting popups. I’ve moved so couldn’t find the ones I keep. Your recipes and now call them “my recipes”
I don’t give it out. I tell them to find it on Your ..page. Thank you
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes, Carolyn! Are you seeing the pop-ups on my site (there shouldn’t be any so I just want to make sure).
<3
Jacqueline
I don’t cook well at all, I’m the provider gal of the house, my boyfriend does the cooking. That being said, I’m going to a cookie party tomorrow and I’m soooo excited to make these buckeyes! My girlfriends will be there to help as I don’t have a standing mixer and I’m a goof. I will totally use brown sugar. It’s my favorite! Your instructions are perfect for a novice like me. Thanks!
Also, the person that complained about pop-ups. That’s on her not having a good anti-virus software installed and/or she clicks on links she shouldn’t. (he,he)
Sam
I hope you love the buckeyes. They come together pretty easily I know you can do it. 🙂
Carol Black
The recipe says best refrigerated but I want to mail some to Michigan for Christmas. Has anyone else done this ??
Michelle Wright
I’ve been making Buckeyes for 20+ years at Christmas. We often make 20 dozen early in December and keep them frozen. They are then easy to pull out and ship to family and friends. Or place on a plate to take as a hostess gift. Always get rave reviews. Good luck!
Keaton
Do you have to use a stand mixer?
Sam
You can use a hand mixer, it just may take a little bit more time. I find when I make it with a hand mixer the peanut butter mixture can be a little crumbly, so if you run into that issue, just add a very small amount of milk(like a teaspoon at a time) until the mixture comes together nicely. 😊
Bobbie
I started out with a spoon then I used my hands it work great