Peanut butter chocolate balls are a delicious treat that your family will love. These bite sized candies do not take a lot of time to prepare and are so good, your family will ask you to make them year after year. Not only are they the perfect, mouth-watering snack for the holidays, they can be made for all occasions, such as birthdays, banquets, and parties. All it requires is about 45 minutes to an hour of your time. If everyone at your next family or office holiday party is bringing the usual cakes or cookies this year for dessert, try something different with this recipe. They can be eaten with dessert or as a snack before dinner.
What You Need:
- 1 and 1/2 cups of smooth peanut butter
- 4 cups of confectioners sugar
- 1 stick of softened butter
- 6 ounces of chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening
- wax paper
- a large mixing bowl
- a double boiler
- toothpicks
*Note: If you do not have a double boiler, you can substitute it with 2 small or medium pots, as long as one is slightly smaller than the other one. Instructions on how to use this method are listed below.
Preparing the Peanut Butter Filling:
- Mix the peanut butter, confectioners sugar, softened butter, and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl with your hands.
- Once the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together, roll them into small or medium sized balls.
- Cover a cookie sheet, a couple of plates, or a flat tray with wax paper, place the balls on them, then allow them to set in the refrigerator.
Making the Chocolate Coating:
- Use the double boiler* to melt the chocolate chips and the shortening.
- Take the balls out of the fridge, dip them into the chocolate with toothpicks, then place back onto the wax paper.
- Place them back in the fridge to set. It is best to prepare these the night before your holiday party so the ingredients are set and ready to go.
* If you do not have a double boiler, here's what you can do instead: Fill the larger pot with water and bring it to a boil. Put the chocolate chips into the smaller of the two pots. When the water comes to a boil, hold the pot with the chocolate chips over the water pot until the chocolate is completely melted, then mix in the shortening until it is totally blended. Only the bottom of the smaller pot needs to be touching the water.
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