You know that one little sweet treat that you only get, like once a year?! Well, for me…that happens to be the glorious Peanut Butter Balls. My cousin Della, always makes the best peanut butter balls known to man and so I had to swipe the recipe from her and share. Thanks Della, and I love you!! I’ve also made these super fun Peanut Butter Ball Pops (<– click to see post). Same idea, just with a twist.

If you’ve never had these little bites of heaven you’re truly missing out. You can’t eat them and sit still at the same time. They are a little tedious and time consuming to make but ohhh, the reward is sooo worth it! I made a double batch of these at Christmas and took to my sisters’ house and within like 20 minutes they were gone.

My nephew, Chance, was waiting like a tiger ready to pounce on his prey when I came through the door. Little did anyone know, Eli (my 6 year old) had a few of them on the way in the car. He couldn’t keep his sticky little fingers out of them 😉 I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!

Peanut Butter Balls Ingredients:

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter (I use Jif)
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring or extract
• 4 cups (24 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup shortening

 

(I made a double batch and had to use a roasting pan to mix it all up because I couldn’t fit it all into a large mixing bowl.)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl – combine powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. I prefer to use my hands to mix it all up and you can wear rubber gloves if you prefer because it does get messy. Mix together until everything is combined and you have a nice uniform dough. If it’s too dry, a little more peanut butter or butter. If it’s too moist, add a little more powdered sugar. You want it about the consistency of dry fudge. Place the bowl in the freezer until it’s firm enough to roll into balls.

Once it’s nice and firm, begin rolling the dough into 1 inch balls (give or take) and place on a wax paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet. After they’ve all been rolled, stick the pan(s) into the freezer to chill again.

 

Melting the Chocolate for Dipping:

*You can either use the microwave directions on the package of chocolate chips or use a double boiler. Usually – microwave directions will tell you to microwave in increments of 30 seconds. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – because chocolate easily gets too hot and then it will only clump into a nasty mess.

Add chocolate chips and shortening to a large bowl or double boiler to melt. Once chocolate is thin enough to start dipping, use a toothpick to dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip off and place each one back onto the baking sheet. Allow them to sit in room temperature to dry thoroughly or you can place them in the refrigerator until set.

Yield: about 5 1/2 dozen.

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