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.
ALLISON STOKES
I live in Ohio and I’m a true Buckeye! I have been making Buckeye candies for The Ohio State/ Michigan game for 12 years now and each year I have used a different recipe. These were by far the best of the best! From consistency to taste to ease of dipping this recipe is a keeper and I will continue to use it from here on out!
Sam
Woohoo! So happy to hear that my Buckeye recipe was such a success for you, Allison! Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how it worked for you, I appreciate it!
Yvonne
Help! My batter is too crumbly. Can’t get it to hold together. Used exactly what it calls for. It’s pea sized crumbs. Help!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Yvonne! If it is too crumbly, add a touch more peanut butter. I hope that helps! 🙂
Bobbi
Dont know what i did wrong, but could not get these to roll. Tried adding more powdered sugar, tried chilling first, but no matter what i did, just sticky and pretty much melted as i rolled. Tasted ok, but had to toss the whole batch. Lot of expensive ingredients in the trash 🙁
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no, Bobbi! I am so sorry that this happened to you! Usually, you would keep adding powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Chilling the dough before making balls also helps. Maybe it needed to chill longer? Did you use natural peanut butter (the kind you need to stir) or one of the national brands like Jif? Again, I am so sorry that you had issues when making this recipe. 🙁
Bobbi
Im sure it was my fault. I did use Jif peanut butter, but i dont know what happened. I did double check recipe, and got ingredients and measurements correct. Maybe it was too warm in my kitchen that day! It did taste good though. Might have to try it again sometime.
Sugar Spun Run
Yeah, heat could have done it, Bobbi. Next time, I would recommend chilling to dough longer. Again, I am so sorry that it didn’t work out. 🙁
Jasmine
I’ve love baking or not so much cooking. But I can never turn down a good dessert. I haven’t made these yet. But as I was looking for a quick little snack to make like a Reese’s type snack, I stumbled across this snack. I’ll definitely be using the peanut butter mixture to make my Reese’s so thank you for this wonderful delight. I love that you put brown sugar in it. That was actually what I thought about doing. But I needed to check before I did.
Sugar Spun Run
I can never turn down a good dessert either, Jasmine! I hope that you enjoy the Buckeye Recipe. 🙂
Dana
This is my “ go to “Buckeye recipe. I could not believe how simple they were to make and fool proof!!! Everyone who ate these loved them! Thank you so much!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Dana! I am so happy that everyone enjoyed the buckeyes. 🙂
Renee
Very yummy. I made some for us and the new neighbors. I’m from the buckeye state so we know these well, usually they are a Christmas treat! My mother in law adds rice crispies to hers which I think is sacrilegious if ya ask me lol. I used Whole Foods brand 360° peanut creamy butter which is very runny and it works perfectly I think for these. Btw 2 cups of peanut butter equals 17oz on a scale if your measuring. Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Renee! I am glad that you enjoy the Buckeye Recipe. 🙂
brad
Gah rice crispy to buckeyes? Please get mother in law help
Sean
I love buckeyes! What I can’t understand is why anyone adds butter to the peanut butter. It’s better without the butter.
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Sean! The butter is a preference. I find that it helps combine the ingredients and makes the peanut butter creamier. Either way that you prefer to make them, I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Annie
Easy and delicious! Thanks.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed the buckeyes, Annie! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Monet
Found this recipe several years ago and absolutely love it! I have used it to make these around Christmas each year! They are amazing and any peanut butter lover will be obsessed. Thank you for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys the buckeyes so much, Monet! 🙂
Maddie
Ok I’m not understanding how anyone could use less powdered sugar as some mentioned and be able to roll these out. I used 2 cups of PB and less than 1/2 cup coconut oil (dairy free) and near 4 cups of powdered sugar and there’s literally no way this would form a dough…. its just as viscose as the plain peanut butter. Trying to chill it to roll balls but I remain skeptical. I guess definitely don’t use coconut oil?
Sam
The coconut oil must be the problem, it’s a very stiff dough typically.
Doris
Don’t use oil of any kind😊
Ashley
Overall, Delicious! I ran into some problems when dipping the chilled peanut butter balls in to the chocolate – the chocolate seemed to melt the balls. Upon dipping they’d become soft and squishy and slip off the toothpick. The warm chocolate would also run off the side of the cold ball and not stick. Any thoughts as to what I might have done wrong??
Sam
Hi Ashley! I am so sorry this has happened. I have never heard of this happening. Maybe the peanut butter mixture needed to chill a little bit longer, or maybe there was an issue with your chocolate? I’m sorry I really don’t know here that is really weird.
Alexis A
I’m a little late to the game but I had the same problem. I was doing them in smaller batches and it’s definitely because the balls weren’t left in the freezer long enough. Once I did that with the smaller amounts (which also meant less to dip while rest were still in freezer) the problem was solved!
ANNMARIE Gianfrancesco
SUCH a Great Idea to add the brown sugar!!! The molasses within the brown sugar will make the taste MUCH RICHER!!!! I ACTUALLY CANT WAIT TO MAKE THESE!!! I’m a cook, Not a Baker, (I Must admit I SUCK when it comes to baking!) So this recipe has caught my eye!!! I actually can make these!!! Very Excited to be able to make something that Others will enjoy. With Easter coming around the corner this recipe will be #1!!! Thank You!!!
Sam
I hope you love them, Annmarie! 🙂
Ashley
I made this with one of the kids I nanny, 10 yrs old, and it was so easy and fun! We used 1.5 cups of powdered sugar just to make the peanut butter mixture able to roll easily. Any more and we thought it would be way too sweet.
Andrea Missler
I found if you start by mixing the butter and brown sugar first it takes the gritty away! I just mix it a good long time until it’s smooth. Then add the rest! I must say this is the very BEST recipe I have found for Buckeyes! I have people request them all the time!!
Sam
That’s a great suggestion, Andrea! Thank you! I am glad everyone enjoys the buckeyes. 🙂
Angie Layne
I followed this recipe but left out the brown sugar, used 1 stick of butter and 2 cups and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and it came out PERFECT! I read the reviews before making and saw alot of reviews that said theirs came out crumbly so I thats why I only added 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time after the 2nd cup full. And a couple more said using the whole stick of butter was better too. One batch made 85 medium sized buckeyes and I used 18 oz of Giradelli chocolate baking chips. I made goodie boxes for 9 co-workers with buckeyes and my awesome delicious 2 ingredients peanut butter fudge.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Angie! 🙂
Kelly Felix
Hi Sam,
Can you freeze these successfully?
Thank you
Sam
I have not tried it, but I think it should work. When defrosting, make sure to do so in the refrigerator. 🙂
Tammy Wright
You have a recipe for 2 ingredient peanut butter fudge??? I’d love it if you would share!!!