better outdoor living at home spring


Buckeye Bites


Are you one who loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, as in a Reese cup? Then buckeyes will likely be right up your alley. They’re a bit different, perhaps a bit sweeter and less salty, but the idea is similar.

 

The original buckeyes are chocolate covered with a round shape. A few years ago, I made these the traditional way, and not to discourage anyone from making them the original way, but rolling each piece into a quarter-size ball, and then dipping each one into melted chocolate was very time consuming, especially if you’re making a lot of them.

 

buckeyes-pieces

 

 

So instead of rolling and dipping, I decided to make them in a rectangular pan, and then cut them into little bite size pieces – no deliciousness was sacrificed, and it did take less time!

 

An important thing is to keep the peanut butter / powdered sugar filling about 1/4″ to 1/3” in thickness, and the chocolate layers about 1/8” in thickness. I’ve tried making them with all the layers thicker, but it is difficult to cut through the chocolate, and too much filling just gets displaced while cutting into servings.

 

So less is more, as the saying goes, and you get nice little bite-size pieces, which makes them perfect to serve on a party tray.

 

How many 1/2” buckeye bites does this recipe make – a lot! Since hand cutting creates irregular pieces, a good guess is probably around 300 – 1/2″ square pieces.

 

Buckeye Bites

(Makes approx. 300 – 1/2″ square pieces)

2 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter

2 3/4 sticks butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar, unsifted

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided

 

 

buckeyes-ingredients

 

 

In a large bowl, cream softened butter, gradually add peanut butter, and then confectioners’ sugar.

 

buckeyes-peanut-butter

Butter and peanut butter blended

 

 

Place wax or parchment paper in bottom of shallow baking pan (we used one 13×7 pan, and one 9×9 pan). The paper will make it easier to lift it out of the pan for cutting.

 

Melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips in microwave in short spurts. Stir in between until completely melted and smooth. It doesn’t have to be super hot, just in liquid form so it can be spread. Do not let it boil.

 

Pour into baking pan and spread the chocolate creating approx. 1/8” thick. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

 

buckeyes-chocolate

 

Take out when it is almost set (the top of the chocolate needs to be soft for this next step), and run a fork, in two directions, lightly on the surface of the chilled chocolate to create furrows so peanut butter mixture will adhere to the chocolate.

 

buckeyes-furrow

 

Spread an approx. 1/4” – 1/3” thick layer of peanut butter mixture on top of chilled chocolate layer. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Take out when it is almost set, and run a fork lightly on the surface of the chilled peanut butter mixture to create furrows so top chocolate layer will adhere to the peanut butter mixture layer.

 

buckeyes-filling

 

Melt the remaining chocolate chips in microwave, the same as before.

 

Pour melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter mixture layer and spread creating approx. 1/8” thick layer.

 

buckeyes-chocolate-top

 

Refrigerate until chocolate sets.

 

Remove from refrigerator about 10 -1 5minutes before cutting so that the chocolate isn’t so brittle. Holding the wax paper, or parchment, lift the buckeye candy out of the pan and place on a cutting board.

 

buckeyes-slab

 

 

Cutting the buckeyes takes a bit of time (but it’s so worth it!) since you have to cut through the set chocolate – it’s not like cutting a pan of brownies. Using a sturdy serrated knife, cut into 1/2″ square-ish pieces, or ‘bites’.

 

Keep the Buckeye Bites refrigerated in an air tight container – the homemade buckeyes are best when the filling is chilled and firm. It helps to keep a piece of wax paper between each layer when stacking them in the container.

 

buckeyes-dish

 

A little box of these buckeye bites makes a great little gift this time of year, and since this recipe makes so many you can give a bunch of great little gifts!

 

Buckeye Bites

Ingredients

(Makes approx. 300 - 1/2" square pieces)

2 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter

2 3/4 sticks butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar, unsifted

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided

Instructions

In a large bowl, cream softened butter, gradually add peanut butter, and then confectioners' sugar.

Place wax or parchment paper in bottom of shallow baking pan (we used one 13x7 pan, and one 9x9 pan). The paper will make it easier to lift it out of the pan for cutting.

Melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips in microwave in short spurts. Stir in between until completely melted and smooth. It doesn’t have to be super hot, just in liquid form so it can be spread. Do not let it boil.

Pour into baking pan and spread the chocolate creating approx. 1/8” thick. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Take out when it is almost set (the top of the chocolate needs to be soft for this next step), and run a fork, in two directions, lightly on the surface of the chilled chocolate to create furrows so peanut butter mixture will adhere to the chocolate.

Spread an approx. 1/4” - 1/3” thick layer of peanut butter mixture on top of chilled chocolate layer. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Take out when it is almost set, and run a fork lightly on the surface of the chilled peanut butter mixture to create furrows so top chocolate layer will adhere to the peanut butter mixture layer.

Melt the remaining chocolate chips in microwave, the same as before.

Pour melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter mixture layer and spread creating approx. 1/8” thick layer.

Refrigerate until chocolate sets.

Remove from refrigerator about 10 -1 5minutes before cutting so that the chocolate isn’t so brittle.

Holding the wax paper, or parchment, lift the buckeye candy out of the pan and place on a cutting board.

Cutting the buckeyes takes a bit of time since you have to cut through the set chocolate – it’s not like cutting a pan of brownies. Using a sturdy serrated knife, cut into 1/2" square-ish pieces, or ‘bites’.

Keep the Buckeye Bites refrigerated in an air tight container – the homemade buckeyes are best when the filling is chilled and firm. It helps to keep a piece of wax paper between each layer when stacking them in the container.

https://betteroutdoorlivingathome.com/2013/12/13/buckeye-bites-chocolate-and-peanut-butter/

 

~K

 

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Comments

  1. Your version looks fantastic thanks for bringing these by foodie friday.




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