Buckeyes and Snowballs

 I LOVE peanut butter baked goods and confections... peanut butter cookies, no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, chocolate and peanut butter candy, and buckeyes/snowballs are among my favorites. I only make buckeyes and snowballs at Christmas though. I'm not sure why. As much as I like them, you think I would make them all throughout the year, but so far I haven't. The good news is that these are super easy to make, and it only requires a couple of ingredients. They come out so creamy and delicious. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I use bark - vanilla and chocolate - rather than regular chocolate to coat mine. And I love them... and I get tons of positive feedback. Give these a shot and add them to your special traditions. 

12 ounces (1.5 cups) creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar

16 ounces almond bark (I split between vanilla and chocolate)

couple tsps coconut oil

clear sparkling sugar crystals

Cream the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla together until completely combined.

Add powdered sugar and blend until it comes together and become smooth. It will take several minutes for this to happen. Don't give up and stop too early.

Using a small cookie scoop, portion the peanut butter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet (that will fit into your freezer). If you want them to look smoother when they're done, roll each ball in your hand to smooth them out.

Freeze peanut balls at least an hour. This year I actually made the confection and portioned them the night before I dipped them. They were so cold that they set really fast and remained easy to work with through out the dipping process.

Prepare the bark by adding 8 ounces plus a couple teaspoons to a deep bowl. Warm in the microwave in 30-second intervals until everything is melted. Blend well.

To dip the chocolate bark to make buckeyes, use a toothpick stabbed into the top. Dip the peanut ball into the bark just over half way. 

Tap it to allow the excess to drip off. Set on another parchment-line cookie sheet to dry and firm up.

To dip the chocolate to make snowballs, prepare the bark the same. I use a fork and knife to dip my snowballs. I drop the peanut ball into the bark and use the fork to turn it over. Scoop it out with the fork, and then tap a few times on the edge of the bowl. I scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl, and then use a knife to scrape the snowball onto the parchment. It will set quickly if your peanut butter balls are very frozen, so top quickly with the sparkling sugar crystals.

Let the snowballs and buckeyes set until firm. With the buckeyes, use the tip of our finger to smooth over where the toothpick hole remains. 

Pack carefully in a container (I used parchment paper between the layers to keep them from sticking to each other). There's nothing in these that should go bad, but I find they will keep for weeks (even up to a month or longer) when I keep them in the refrigerator.

Peppermint Bark

Want to look totally awesome next Christmas? Mix up a batch of peppermint bark to hand out to family and friends. It will look like you spent a lot of time making a fantastic homemade gift... but it is soooooo easy! I can't exactly attribute this recipe to any particular one... I scoured Pinterest and read dozens of recipes for peppermint bark, and this is what I decided to go with. That's the great part about this confection - you can make it pretty much anyway you want. Last year I used some Andes mint chips that I had bought at the store and created a bark with vanilla and chocolate, Creme de menthe, and the candies. It was really good too!

24 ounces vanilla almond bark

2 tsp peppermint extract

8-10 crushed candy canes

Line a large baking pan (I used a 12x17) with parchment paper. In a microwave safe bowl, warm the bark for 45 seconds to a minute. Stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals and stir after each heating. When you begin to get close, reduce warming time until bark is smooth. You do not want to overcook the bark. It will clump and become useless to you. Add 2 tsp of peppermint extract and 2/3 to 3/4 of the crushed candy cane. Stir until completely combined. 

Pour bark onto parchment paper and spread until evenly smooth. Top with remaining crushed candy cane.

Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely, about an hour. Break apart into small pieces. Store in an air-tight container. Look absolutely fantastic!