Peanut Butter Balls

Hello Everyone!

I hope you enjoy this delicious dessert as much as we do.
Try it out! It's super easy and tasty.

 This dessert recipe is from the Joy of Baking.com. The State of Ohio has their own
special name for this. Buckeyes look slightly different than peanut butter balls

in that the top of each bonbon is bare of chocolate. This is done to make it look like the 
nut of the tree. It just happens to be the state tree of Ohio. The name comes from folklore.

Ingredients:

2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 - 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Chocolate Coating
9 ou semi sweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons shortening

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the peanut butter, unsalted butter, and salt in a bowl.

Heat for about one minute or until just soft

(check and stir the ingredients every 20 seconds).

Stir in vanilla and confectioners sugar and mix until it

has the consistency of a dough.
Roll the dough into 1 inch round balls.

Place on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for one hour.
Melt the chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl

over a saucepan of simmering water.

Dip the balls, one at a time, in the melted chocolate,

making sure the entire ball is coated with chocolate.

Then, with two spoons or a dipping fork,

remove the peanut butter ball from the melted chocolate,

allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.

Place the chocolate covered balls back on the baking sheet.

When all the balls have been dipped in the chocolate,

place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set.
Buckeyes:

Place a toothpick into each ball and dip,

one ball at a time, into the melted chocolate,

leaving the top quarter of each ball undipped.
I hope you enjoy this yummy recipe!