Peanut butter truffles (aka buckeyes or peanut butter balls,) have a silky sweet peanut butter filling surrounded by a shell of dark chocolate ~ it gets my vote for best candy ever invented!
There’s no denying it, I love chocolate, and there’s nothing more chocolaty than a truffle. I’ve made literally thousands in my lifetime, but these peanut butter truffles stand out as extra special for obvious reasons. It’s like a Reese’s peanut butter cup all grown up. Call them buckeyes or peanut butter balls, I just call them delish.
gather your peanut butter truffle ingredients
- peanut butter
- regular creamy salted peanut butter is best. Natural peanut butters that separate into a layer of oil at the top are not a good choice for this recipe.
- butter
- I use unsalted butter, but you can use salted butter, no problem. You might want to omit the added salt, or, if you love that salty peanut butter flavor, use both!
- confectioner’s sugar
- no need to sift this first.
- vanilla
- vanilla really brings out the flavors, don’t skip it.
- salt
- some of you really love an extra salty peanut butter flavor, so add to taste.
- chocolate
- I love dark chocolate but go ahead and use milk chocolate if you like.
- coconut oil
- coconut oil thins out the chocolate coating and gives it a sheen. You can substitute shortening, vegetable oil, butter, or paraffin.
how to make peanut butter truffles
The process for making these truffles are much like any other, except the filling replaces chocolate and cream with peanut butter, butter, and confectioner’s sugar.
1. Mix the filling ingredients together
Mix together the peanut butter, soft butter, vanilla, and salt, with electric beaters (you can also do it by hand) until light and fluffy. Then beat in the sugar. You’ll have a soft, not sticky dough.
2. Use a small scoop to portion out balls
My smallest 1″ cookie scoop is perfect for this. After scooping, roll the balls in your palms to get them smooth and round.
3. Freeze until solid
Freezing your peanut butter balls will help you dip them cleanly and easily. This will take about 20 minutes.
4. Melt chocolate + coconut oil
Dark chocolate and coconut oil will melt to form the coating for your peanut butter truffles. I do this in the microwave: one minute on high should be enough. Stir to encourage all the chocolate to melt. I like to let the chocolate cool a bit before dipping so it doesn’t immediately melt the peanut butter.
5. Dip to coat your peanut butter truffles in chocolate
There are many ways to do this. You can use special chocolate dipping tools, set them on a fork and dip, or use a toothpick to dip into the chocolate, let some of the excess drip off, and then twirl it once or twice before setting on my lined surface for a clean look. You can decorate with sprinkles, or an extra drizzle of chocolate (my drizzling technique needs improvement!) but that’s completely optional.
6. Let truffles set up and chill
The chocolate will set up fairly quickly on the cold peanut butter balls, and then you can put them in the refrigerator to chill completely. Keep chilled until ready to enjoy.
tips, tricks, and variations on peanut butter truffles
Keep your truffles chilled at all times, both before they’re coated, and after.
Store truffles in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freeze for up to 2 months.
You can use milk chocolate in place of dark chocolate for more of a ‘Reese’s’ flavor.
Yes, you can use chunky peanut butter, but you’ll lose that silky texture than truffles are famous for.
Top your peanut butter truffles with sprinkles or chopped peanuts while the coating is still wet.
Not a fan of chocolate? Roll your pb balls in powdered peanut butter, sprinkles, or crushed peanuts.
why is there coconut oil in this recipe?
The coconut oil thins out the chocolate, which helps with dipping. It also adds a bit of sheen to the surface of your peanut butter truffle. You can substitute a bit of shortening, vegetable oil, or even butter.
can you make buckeye candy with this recipe?
Yes, buckeye candy is named after the poisonous nut of the Ohio Buckeye tree, which they resemble. All you’ll need to do is dip the peanut butter balls about 3/4 of the way into the chocolate, leaving the tops bare.
can you freeze these peanut butter truffles?
Yes, they freeze beautifully, just pop cold truffles into a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag and force out any extra air before zipping. You can also stack them in a container. We love to snack on them straight from the freezer 🙂
Peanut Butter Truffles
Equipment
- baking sheets
- parchment paper or waxed paper
- small 1" (one tablespoon size) cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I prefer Jiff brand)
- 4 Tbsp soft unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
- 1.25 cup powdered sugar, there is no need to sift first.
coating
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chips (I use Neste's Dark Chocolate Morsels)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil (comes in a jar and is solid at room temperature)
Instructions
- Blend together the peanut butter, soft butter, vanilla extract and salt in a medium bowl until smooth and fluffy. Electric beaters work best for this, but you can use a spoon if you prefer.
- Sitr in the confectioner's sugar, there's no need to sift it first. Blend until thoroughly incorporated and the mixture is smooth. With electric beaters I usually finish with a silicone spoon to pull it all together.
- Scoop the mixture out onto a parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet using a small one-tablespoon size cookie scoop. When finished scooping, roll each ball round in briefly with your hands. Note: if your mixture is too sticky to do this, work in more sugar, small bit by bit until it can be scooped and rolled easily.
- Pop the pan into the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until the balls are cold and hard. This will make it easier to coat them in chocolate.
- Meanwhile melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave for one minute. Stir until all the chocolate is melted. Note: if the chocolate still has lumps, microwave again for 15 seconds, or until it is smooth.
- Using a fork, a chocolate dipping tool, or a toothpick, dip each peanut butter ball into chocolate to coat completely. Let the excess chocolate drip off before setting it on a lined surface to set up. I suggest putting them in the refrigerator to firm up quicker. Note: I do this in batches and keep the uncoated balls in the freezer until ready to coat them.
- Keep the truffles chilled until ready to serve. They can also be frozen.
Almost what I use for my peanuter butter Easter eggs. I only use peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar.
Ah, that would make a creamy filling!
I made these for the holidays and they were a hit!!
I didn’t do too well with dipping them in chocolate but, I’ll get it next time.
This recipe is staying in my collection. (With full credit to The View From Great Island)
Thank you for sharing.
I have them in the fridge chilling and since I have tasted along the way I am impressed. My only advice is don’t use Kerrigold butter. I think the butter fat content may be too high? It seized on me an I had to throw a batch of the chocolate coating away. I used vegetable oil the second time and it worked perfectly. Lovely recipe. Thanks
Hi Jan ~ that’s strange, the fat shouldn’t make the chocolate seize, it’s usually water that does that. Glad the oil worked for you!
Yer killin’ me!
That’s what I like to hear!
What could I use in place of coconut oil?
You can use shortening, vegetable oil, or butter.
Thanks for this recipe. What a great holiday treat!