Do you like Reese’s peanut butter cups? If so, you will enjoy these chocolate covered peanut butter balls. They are so easy to make.
Chocolate and peanut butter is a classic combination that is hard to beat. But for true peanut butter lovers, Reese’s peanut butter cups don’t really offer the best PB to chocolate ratio, but these easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls sure do! These beauties are perfect for serving guests, giving as thoughtful gifts, or sharing with your family, so give this recipe a try.
Table of Contents
How to Make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
This is a pretty straightforward Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls recipe, but you need to know a few techniques and tricks to get the best results. Let’s start with the peanut butter.
Preparing the Peanut Butter Balls For Dipping
Now is not the time to break out the farmstand peanut butter. Generally, popular national brands like Jif and Skippy work the best for this recipe. The reason is that almost all of the gourmet, all-natural peanut butters don’t contain any stabilizers necessary to prevent oil separation. No one wants a greasy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ball, so save the high-end stuff for sandwiches. For the best texture, stick to the smooth variety.
When combining the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter, try using a rubber spatula and not an electric mixer. Doing this will help prevent you from adding too much air into the mixture. If you find it this too difficult, you can use an electric mixer on low with a paddle attachment — just avoid overmixing.
Mix just until you fully incorporate all of the ingredients. You are looking for a smooth texture. If it is too sticky, add some powdered sugar or throw in a couple more tablespoons of peanut butter if it is too crumbly. Once you get the consistency you want, lightly oil your hands with a neutral oil like canola, and roll into one-inch balls. Place on a wax paper-lined tray and pop into the freezer to firm up for around thirty minutes.
Your Chocolate Options
- Milk chocolate and paraffin – The traditional coating for Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls is made from milk chocolate and paraffin. The food-quality paraffin you can find in the baking aisle at your supermarket is perfectly safe to eat, but if you are someone who prefers not to eat wax, you have other options.
- Candy Melts – The simplest alternative is to use candy melts, sometimes referred to as chocolate melts or candy wafers. These melt wonderfully in a double boiler or even in a glass bowl in the microwave set at 50 percent power for one minute. The only problem with candy melts is that they are not real chocolate but chocolate-flavored candy.
- Chocolate and shortening – If you want to use real chocolate and skip the paraffin, you have one more choice: vegetable shortening. Melt 10 ounces of your favorite high-quality chocolate along with two tablespoons of vegetable shortening over low heat in a double boiler. Using this method will result in a softer coating than the other two options above.
Tips For Making and Storing Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
- Take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer 10 minutes before dipping to allow the peanut butter to warm slightly.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls freeze well. Store in the freezer sealed in a bag for up to two months. Store these treats on the counter if you plan on eating them within a few days or in the fridge for around a week.
See what we’ve been up to lately on Instagram!
Ingredients
This is what you need to make peanut butter balls:
- Creamy peanut butter
- Powdered sugar
- Butter
- Chocolate chips
- Paraffin
That’s it!
How to Make Peanut Butter Balls
- Mix together peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter.
- Form into balls. Chill peanut butter balls for a few hours to set.
- Melt chocolate chips and paraffin until smooth.
- Dip balls into chocolate.
- Allow chocolate coating to cool and set.
Love chocolate? Try these recipes
- Cracker Barrel Double Chocolate Fudge Coca Cola Cake
- Chocolate and Pistachio Cake
- Penn Station Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Chewy Chocolate Crinkles
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Fondue
- How to Dip Oreos in White Chocolate
- Williams Sonoma Chocolate Bark
- Homemade Fudge with Walnuts
- Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Starbucks
- Chocolate Frosty Recipe
Best Peanut Butter Recipes
Check out more of my easy homemade candy and the best Christmas recipes.
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients
- 24 ounces powdered sugar
- 3 cups smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 pound butter softened to room temperature
- 10 ounces chocolate chips
- 1/4 tablespoons shortening
Instructions
- Mix the first 3 ingredients by hand until the mixture is creamy.
- Shape into small balls and chill.
- Melt chocolate chips and add shortening over boiling water in a double boiler.
- Dip balls in chocolate mixture, using a toothpick. Place on waxed paper.
- When the chocolate is dry, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- Chocolate and Paraffin ratio – use 10 ounces of milk chocolate and 1/4 pound food-grade paraffin.Â
Kendal
My kids loved these, they taste like Reese’s peanut butter cups!
Robin
I have been making these for over 40 years…and I got the recipe from my mother and aunt. These taste great and are a big favorite among our family and friends.
Tip: it doesn’t take much parafin wax, only about a 1-2 inch square chopped off the wax block. I add more if chocolate starts to get too thick or as I add additional chocolate chips. I sometimes double dip the peanut butter balls in the chocolate.
**to fill the toothpick holes from dipping the balls I use a teaspoon and dip it in the chocolate and put little curls or blobs where the toothpick hole was. The curly tip is similar to the tip of a an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen. Practice and you will get your get your technique down.
Kathryn Hunter
Hi, our powdered sugar does not come in boxes here in NB, Canada, only bags. How many grams or measurement can you give me to get this right? Thank you!
Anonymous
A box is 16 ounces of powdered sugar.
babar jan
helloo ,, vre do i get paraffin from
Mebunches2001
Hi Babar Jan. Paraffin can be found in any grocery store or the grocery section of places like WalMart. Look in the baking aisles or home canning section.
babar jan
helloo ,, vre do i get paraffin from
jma2008
I’m new to the cooking world so forgive me for this stupid question but…what do you mean by cooking something “over boiling water”??
Stephanie
It means using a double boiler. You could also heat the chocolate in a microwave.
jma2008
Thanks! Cant wait to give these a try!!
Mebunches2001
Hi jma2008. ‘over boiling water’ means you need two pots, or a double boiler (which is a pot that sits atop another pot). You put water in the bottom pot & bring it to boiling, then set the second pot (with the chocolate or whatever you are cooking or melting) on top of the bottom pot. This melts the chocolate or cooks the item (such as custard) without burning it. I don’t recommend using a microwave because it tends to heat the food too fast which ruins it.
Anonymous
These are even better with crushed oreos!
tina tallon
Are you going to offer a recipie box in the future? I have so many recipies I would like to try.
Stephanie
I will see what I an do about this going forward.
Stephanie