Quick and Easy Buckeyes

If you love that delicious combination of chocolate and peanut butter you’re going to flip over this simple candy recipe from Out of the Box Baking. 

What are Buckeyes? 

Buckeye candies are a popular sweet treat made from a peanut butter mixture that is dipped in semi-sweet chocolate up to the ¾ point, leaving a small visible circle of peanut butter on top. This gives the candies the appearance of a nut native to Ohio called the “buckeye” nut. Hence, the name. 

Years ago I made a cake for a friend’s husband, an alumni of Ohio State. That was my first time to make Buckeyes. This time was definitely less stressful, as there was no baking required. 

This candy’s filling merges creamy peanut butter, powdered sugar, and melted butter, which makes them creamy and sweet  Buckeye candies are especially popular during the holiday season, and I plan to make some this Christmas. They’re the perfect no-bake dessert!

Buckeye Ingredients

You will find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a peek at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you might already have in your pantry or refrigerator. 

• 2 ¾ cups confectioners' sugar
• ¾ cups peanut butter
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening

That’s it! Just five simple ingredients. 

How to Make Quick and Easy Buckeyes

These come together so easily, y’all! And you don’t even have to live in the Buckeye state to enjoy them! 

Place a piece of waxed paper on a cookie sheet. 

Place sugar, peanut butter, and melted butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix until well combined. 

Use a cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough. 

Roll them around in your palms. 

Place in refrigerator to chill for an hour. 

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a small bowl. 

Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in-between each one. Mine took a minute and a half. Smooth out any lumps. 

One by one, dip the peanut butter balls, using a toothpick to hold the ball as you dip it to the ¾, as in the photos below. 

Place on waxed paper lined baking sheet and remove the toothpick. Keep going until all are coated. 

Place tray in refrigerator for half an hour to firm up. You can dampen your finger with water to smooth over the holes on top if you like.

Serve and enjoy! 

Store leftovers in refrigerator in an airtight container. They should stay good for a couple of weeks. You can freeze them to eat later, if you like. 

What to Expect from these Buckeyes

The luscious sweet peanut butter filling, the crunchy chocolate exterior. . .these are perfection! They’re very much like Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. My favorite thing about this recipe was the ease. They came together in minutes. And they’re every bit as delicious as store bought candies, if not more so! 

Variations on this Recipe

Use crunchy peanut butter: it would be fun to use crunchy peanut butter in these for an added “bite.” 

White chocolate: You can dip these in any kind of chocolate you like. I went with a mixture of milk and semi-sweet, but white would work, too. 

Mini chocolate chips: You can add half a cup of miniature chocolate chips into the peanut butter mixture for more flavor. 

Other nut butters: Choose from almond butter, sunflower butter, or any number of others. 

Other Peanut Butter Treats 

• Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
• Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
• Copycat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms

That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

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