One of my favorite gift ideas to give during the holiday season is homemade goodies. There are so many options of sweet treats to make, but buckeyes are a classic homemade sweet treat that my mom has made during the holidays for as long as I can remember. I added my own twist on this recipe by adding a little flaky salt on top to balance out the richness of the buckeyes to make them even more irresistible. This recipe for salted buckeyes is one that you are going to want to make every single year.

Have you ever had a buckeye before? They originated in Ohio, aka the buckeye state, and look just like a buckeye. They are truly so delicious and easy to make. Buckeyes are peanut butter balls that gets dipped in melted chocolate and the result is a decadent candy that is so tasty. I like to sprinkle a little flaky salt on top of my buckeyes to balance out the sweetness of the candy. They are very decadent and rich and honestly just one will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Powdered sugar, vanilla, butter, and peanut butter get combined and rolled into 1 inch balls and then get refrigerated to make it easier to dip them into melted chocolate. They then get sprinkled with salt and go back into the fridge until the chocolate has hardened. I like to keep them in the fridge until ready to eat so that the peanut butter inside doesn’t get too soft. This recipe makes four dozen balls so they are great for bagging up and gifting to your friends and family. I also like to gift them to teachers with my homemade doo-dads at Christmas time.

You really can’t go wrong with this recipe and I can’t wait for you to give them a try!

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups Powdered Sugar

• 1 Cup Room Temperature Butter

• 18 Oz. Creamy Peanut Butter

• 1 Tsp. Vanilla

• 10 oz. Chocolate Chips

• 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

• Maldon Salt or Sea Salt for Topping

Directions:

• Mix together butter and peanut butter until smooth. I use a stand mixer, but a hand held mixer will work too.

• Add in vanilla extract and a cup of powdered sugar at a time, until all powdered sugar has been added mixing the entire time until all combined.

• Form the peanut butter filling into one inch balls and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place into the fridge and chill for 30 minutes.

• Add chocolate and coconut oil in a glass bowl over a double boiler (i use a pan with an inch of water and then add a glass bowl on top. Just make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and slowly melt the chocolate, stirring it consistently until smooth.

• Take a toothpick and stick into the peanut butter balls and then carefully dip into the melted chocolate and coat about 3/4 of the ball leaving a little peanut butter exposed at the top.

• Patch the toothpick hole using your fingers if desired and then sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat until all balls have been dipped.

• Refrigerate for at least an hour and then serve.

Note: Buckeyes will stay good in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

How good do these look? They are the perfect treat to make for all of your holiday gatherings, gifts, and more!