Buckeyes

Source: Once Upon a Chef

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2¼ cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
heaping ¼ tsp salt
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces
1 tsp vegetable oil

Method

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the peanut butter and butter until evenly combined. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until well combined — the mixture will seem dry and crumbly, and you should be able to knead it like play dough.
Scoop 2-teaspoon mounds of dough, roll into balls, and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes or overnight.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and oil. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is about 75% melted, then remove from the microwave and stir until completely melted and smooth. The residual heat in the bowl should be enough to melt the chocolate completely, but if not, place the bowl back in the microwave and heat for 10 seconds or so, then stir again (it’s very important not to overheat the chocolate, or it will seize up). (Alternatively, if you don’t have a microwave, combine the oil and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted.) Transfer the melted chocolate to a smaller bowl so that the chocolate is deeper; this makes it much easier to dip.
Stick a toothpick into the top center of each peanut butter ball. Dip the balls into the melted chocolate, leaving a circle of peanut butter visible on top. Let the excess chocolate drip off, then return the buckeye to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining peanut butter balls and chocolate. Chill the buckeyes until firm, about 30 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and smooth out the hole with your pinky finger. Serve the buckeyes at room temperature or chilled.

MAKE-AHEAD/FREEZER-FRIENDLY: The buckeyes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months; defrost in the fridge before serving.

Notes

The first time I did these I used only 1 toothpick for all the balls and it worked very well. After that I used a toothpick for each ball. Whatever. I did put them in the freezer for a little while because they weren’t firm enough to stay on the toothpick otherwise.

I like these best from the fridge. They are very rich, so room temperature seems to emphasize that.