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.
Does anyone know how many balls this makes?Â
Hi Theresa,
The recipe makes approximately 50 pieces. xo
I make alot of Christmas cookies and pass them out every year and i am always looking for new recipes. These look so Yummy. Merry Christmas to you and your family
I hope you enjoy these too, Donna! They are delicious!
Since you mention looking for new cookie recipes, you may want to look at the cookies I’ve posted the past several days and some more to come in the coming days too. Everything from Pecan Sandies, two kinds of sugar cookies, and many more (many of my family heirloom candies too.) Just wanted to mention in case they might help you!
Merry Christmas to you and your family as well! Thanks so much! xo
I made these but even after freezing the dough they were super sticky!!!!! So i just rolled them in confectioner sugar and put them in the freezer hopefully it will be okay.
Hi Alonna,
Some peanut butters have more oil content than others, which can make them more sticky. Hopefully the freezer step of the recipe will help them. Enjoy! xo
I make about 6 batches at Christmas to give away as gifts for family. I add crushed Graham crackers to my mixture and it adds a nice taste then I dip in melted semi sweet chocolate chips that I melt in a double boiler.
As parents of two U of M alums, we’ve eaten them for years – they are called Buckeyes! Â They are great!
Do you think these would ship well to my college student? With lots of cushioning, of course?
what is the best way to defrost these, in preparation for giving? thank you
My mother made the peanut butter balls also. I make them them the same way,but instead of oil or shortening, I use about a tablespoon of thin sliced pariffin in with the melted chocolate! Now don’t get bent out of shape until you try it. It does not effect the taste at all and makes those babies shine so pretty. They look delicious,and are delicious. I’m 68 yrs old and have been eating them this way for years. It saves a few calories to.linda
The wax makes them shine and the wax makes them harden faster so they can be stored
Absolutely delicious!! It was so easy to make, and SO SO good. I made it for my family and everyone was a fan and wanted more. Now one of my favorite recipes.Â
I’m so glad everyone loved them, Rachel! xo
This is now my favorite recipe for peanut butter balls! Thank you
That’s great, JB! So happy you enjoyed them! xo