One of my favorite desserts to make for the holidays are buckeyes. Making chocolate desserts is easier than most expect their first time, but the process has several important steps that determine the outcome.
This Christmas I prepared about 45 buckeyes which requires the following ingredients:
- Peanut butter: 1 cup (16 oz).
- Confectioner’s sugar: 2 cups.
- Crispy rice cereal: 1.5 cups.
- Butter: 1/2 cup.
- Vanilla extract: 1 tbsp.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: 16 oz.
- Dark chocolate chips: 16 oz.
The first step is to melt the butter and mix the peanut butter, sugar, rice cereal, butter, and vanilla extract together in a bow. The mix should be relatively dry and not sticky. One may also reduce the confectioner’s sugar as long as the butter is also reduced. These two must be balanced to ensure sufficient consistency to keep the buckeyes together.
Combining the semi-sweet and dark chocolate is a variation that I have found produces a good chocolate taste. I create a double-boiler using a larger frying pan containing the simmering water and a smaller pot to melt the chocolate. I maintain the water temperature low enough to prevent the chocolate from drying on the side of the pot.
