Peanut Butter Balls are a favorite no bake treat! Made with smooth peanut butter and covered in chocolate they are so easy to make!
Few things go together as well as peanut butter and chocolate. It has to be one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations and one that I talk about a good bit for recipes.
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Easy Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
Growing up, my Grandmother would make little peanut butter balls that looked just like little buckeyes. She’d mix all of the ingredients together and roll the peanut butter mixture around to form these little bite-sized treats. Then, she’d carefully dip them into her chocolate, leaving just a bit of the peanut butter peeping through at the top.
Now, her buckeyes were wonderful treats that I surely love still, but when Sam and I were making them when he was younger we decided not to fool around with all that special dipping for our peanut butter balls. And by request, we decided to make them a little bit bigger.
Okay, a good bit bigger.
I don’t think she’d mind and I know she’d love the changes.
How to Make the Best Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Balls
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
For these peanut butter balls, you’ll need:
- Peanut butter – creamy peanut butter is perfect in this recipe.
- Confectioner’s sugar – this is also called powdered sugar since it is of a powdery consistency. Granulated sugar will not work here.
- Butter – Use salted or unsalted butter based on what you have. If you use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe to 1/8 teaspoon.
- Vanilla extract – the vanilla extract enhances the sweetness in these peanut butter balls.
- Salt – take note of the type of butter used in the recipe and adjust the salt accordingly.
- Chocolate chips – You can use your favorite chocolate chips in this recipe: dark, milk, or semisweet. The chocolate chips are melted with vegetable shortening or coconut oil to coat the peanut butter balls.
- Oil – Use vegetable shortening or coconut oil. Coconut oil can lend a coconut flavor to items, while vegetable shortening is generally flavor-neutral.
How to Make Peanut Butter Balls
Make the Peanut Butter Mixture
Mix. Mix the peanut butter, confectioners sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt with an electric mixer until well combined.
Scoop. Scoop the peanut butter mixture into individual balls with a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and place on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Chill. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden.
Make the Chocolate Coating
Melt. Melt the chocolate chips and your choice of shortening or coconut oil together in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes to 2 minutes at 50 percent power.
Dip. Dip each hardened ball into the melted chocolate. Place each chocolate-dipped ball back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet to dry.
After the chocolate has dried, serve immediately or store accordingly.
How to Make-Ahead, Store and Freeze Peanut Butter Balls
These delicious peanut butter balls are always a favorite treat to have on hand and make such a thoughtful food gift to take to a friend!
To make ahead. Prepare as directed. Store in a cool place on the counter for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To store. Place in an airtight container in between layers of waxed or parchment paper.
To freeze. Place the balls in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and into the freezer until they have frozen, about 30 minutes to overnight. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 7 months.
To serve, simply remove from the freezer and allow to reach room temperature.
More Delicious Treats
Here’s my family recipe for these delicious peanut butter balls.
Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (540 g) peanut butter
- 2 cups (227 g) confectioner’s sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.65 g) kosher salt
- 1 (12-ounce) package (340 g) chocolate chips, dark, milk, or semisweet
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) shortening
Instructions
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt with an electric mixer until well combined. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop individual balls and place onto the parchment paper. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to harden.
- Melt chocolate chips and shortening or coconut oil together in microwave for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes at 50 % power.
- Dip each hardened peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate using a spoon and then place back onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet to dry.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Prepare peanut butter balls as directed. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 7 months. Vegan:
For a vegan option for these peanut butter balls, use dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut oil in place of the butter called for in the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe time includes time for chilling to firm before dipping in the chocolate as well as the time for the chocolate to dry.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives, originally posted 2011.
These are scrumptious! I made some for our upcoming Super Bowl party. One question I have, though, is what is the purpose of the coconut oil or shortening that is mixed with the melted chocolate? I mostly dipped my balls in melted chocolate that did not have the oil/shortening added, and they seemed to set up just fine. Thanks!
O
It’s to keep the chocolate glossy
Oh gosh, I cannot wait to try these. I am usually the cookie queen at work but this year for some reason I just don’t have time to bake like I usually do… so I’ve been looking for super simple recipes to keep my coworkers from staging a mutiny! These look so, so good – they’ll love them!
Oh my gosh! These peanut butter balls look delicious! 🙂 Great pictures!
I don’t know who in their right mind wouldn’t love these! I think if I made these, my husband might just love me forever 😉
They disappear like hot cakes around here! I have to stash them in the freezer when I make them! xo
awsome!!!!
I’m totally trying this!!
I can never get enough Peanut Butter Balls during the holidays. Now I have an excuse to make more 😀 Recipe testing is such a good excuse xo
I think I eat a year’s supply the week of Christmas.
Do you freeze before or after dipping chocolate for storage
Stephanie, you will freeze them for 15 minutes before dipping them in chocolate. After you have dipped them in the chocolate, let them dry, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in the freezer for longer storage. Hope you enjoy!
Love peanut butter and chocolate…how easy to get both in one bite! This will be going on New Year’s Eve party tray!!!! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!!!
Merry Christmas to you and your family as well, Mary! I hope it is the best ever!
yum!
Thanks, sweetie! I wish you were nearby and we’d share a batch of the babies!
Need this. Want this. LOVE!
Thanks! They are addictive. I warn you!
I’ve made these for many years. I decided to use this recipe, but I usually use paraffin wax to melt with the chips and the chocolate didn’t harden. I had to put them in the fridge unless I didn’t let them sit long enough. Recipe is similar
We make these every year at Christmas but add 2 cups of Rice Krispies. We also take the time to temper good quality chocolate using a mixture of dark and milk chocolate. The chocolate has a nice snap to it when you bite into the cookie. Worth the extra time and money to temper the chocolate and buy good quality chocolate ( we typically order Verona chocolate on line.)