Buckeye Chocolates

Yup, I actually prepared these.

Buckeye chocolates: The finest peanut butter & chocolate delicacy.  OH, you say, what the flippin' heck is a recipe doing on YOUR blog?  I know, I know... this is much too hard to believe.

I wanted to make these for my staff and for anyone else I know, and, ah - of course, me. :)  They are essentially a home-made version of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but a bit richer and (I think) more delicious.

Firstly, a little cultural fact about the Buckeye chocolate.  They're very popular in Ohio where folks bleed scarlet and gray (figuratively, as a preference).  Those are, obviously, the colors of The Ohio State Buckeyes.  You'll likely find these chocolate treats at a party for an Ohio State game, and they are especially common around Christmas.  The unique trait about a Buckeye chocolate is they're shaped like a Buckeye nut.  Now you wouldn't want to eat an actual Buckeye nut as they are mildly poisonous - it won't kill you, but it'll probably give you a stomach ache.  So the only way you can really appreciate this is by making Buckeye chocolates!

I shouldn't brag that much as it's a REALLY simply recipe.  But I actually use a kitchen for its true purpose perhaps once or twice a year, so it's a big "to do" for me. 

Below you'll find the recipe I use to make them. I've modified it from a recipe I found a few years ago. I was slightly disappointed in this batch I made tonight as they came out a tad soft. I'm hoping that leaving them in the freezer overnight will help. Regardless, I already ate one and it still tasted... magnificent.  The amount of time you'll spend making these is about 45 minutes, plus the time you leave it in the freezer or refrigerator.

Buckeye Chocolates Recipe
Servings: About 50 pieces

Ingredients:

2 (18 ounce) jars of creamy peanut butter
16 ounce package of confectioner’s sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, softened
2 (12 ounce) packages of semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon of shortening

Directions:

1. Blend together peanut butter, sugar, and softened butter. This will require you to use your hands a bit to mix it up!
2. Roll mixture into 1 inch round balls. Use flour on your hands if mixture is too sticky. Place in freezer for at least 1 hour.
3. Melt chocolate morsels with shortening. Whisk together until smooth.
4. Insert toothpick into each ball and dip into chocolate so that it is about 2/3 covered with chocolate. Place on waxed paper and allow to set in refrigerator.