EASY, CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER BALLS DESSERT RECIPE

Peanut Butter Balls are such an easy recipe. There’s no baking and it’s five ingredients.

They’re so easy to make and delicious. Rice Krispies are a must, otherwise, they’ll be uniformly soft throughout.

The rice Krispies help keep a certain amount of crispness even after being frozen.

WHY THIS SWEET RECIPE WORKS

• Thin layer of chocolate with plenty of peanut butter in the middle – YUM!!
• Rice Krispies help the Peanut Butter Balls retain their crunchiness

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

• It takes about 1.5 hours but that includes chilling and cooling time. Active working time is more like 30 to 40 minutes.
• Make sure to follow the recipe’s instructions for chilling. It’s easier to shape and roll the balls when they’re chilled. If you skip this step the Peanut Butter Balls will fall apart and crumble as you’re trying to shape them.
• Use a food processor to combine the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and margarine. It takes about 30 seconds and saves you from finding a chunk of margarine after you’ve shaped a ball.
• Almond bark melts down beautifully and sets up nice and hard. No need to temper almond bark.
• Freeze the Peanut Butter Balls before dipping into the almond bark. The balls will be less likely to fall off the fork and less likely to crack once dipped.
• Dip the frozen Peanut Butter Balls a few at a time and leave the rest in the freezer. They’ll start to soften quickly at room temp.
• Set up your dipping area before you remove the Peanut Butter Balls from the freezer, having the melted almond bark ready, a wire rack ready, a fork ready, waxed paper or parchment set out. You’ll be glad you did.
• Peanut Butter Balls freeze well. We often make these in November and keep them frozen until we want to eat them over the holidays. Let them sit out on the counter for a few minutes to soften up a bit before eating.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Food processor
• Dipping fork*
• Wire rack
• Waxed paper or parchment paper
• Plastic wrap
• Small bowl
• Baking sheet
• Fork for spreading melted almond bark
• Microwave-safe glass measuring cup*
• 1/2 cup margarine, room temperature works best
• 2 cups peanut butter (see note)
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 3 cups Rice Krispies, uncrushed
• one 24 oz package of Chocolate Almond Bark, or chocolate candy melts (see note)
• OPTIONAL: 1/2 bar of food-safe paraffin wax
• Margarine blends more smoothly than butter into peanut butter. If using butter, let it soften to room temperature first.
• Almond bark sets up perfectly fine without wax and I’ve made PB Balls many times with just Almond bark, the wax just thins out the melted chocolate and gives it a shiny finish. You can find food-safe paraffin wax at craft and hobby shops.
• Approximately 3.5-4 cups powdered sugar = 1 lb powdered sugar. The large amount of powdered sugar is what makes these a classic PB Balls candy texture and allows them to be rolled into balls. You can’t skimp on it.
• Candy melts work well also but you’ll have to estimate the amount. Start with a bag and add more if necessary. Almond bark doesn’t need to be tempered like real chocolate, which makes it really handy for candy making.

A NOTE ON PEANUT BUTTER

I highly recommend using Jif or Skippy or a similar brand of creamy, commercially-produced peanut butter. It’s smoother, less prone to separating and has a different chemical composition than natural peanut butters, so your PB Balls will be less likely to get too soft and/or greasy.

HOW TO MAKE CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

STEP 1: MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

Add the margarine, peanut butter, and powdered sugar to a large bowl or food processor, mix until combined and smooth. If using a food processor, the mixture should have the consistency of a thick frosting.

If mixing by hand, you’ll need a pretty stout spoon and a hefty upper body. Once smooth, add Rice Krispies and use a spatula to gently stir them into the peanut butter mixture, maybe 10 to 15 slow and deliberate strokes will do the trick, taking care not to crush the cereal.

STEP 2: CHILL THE MIXTURE

Cover the peanut butter mixture and chill for 10-20 minutes, just until firm enough to roll into balls and hold their shape (think stiff cookie dough).

STEP 3: ROLL INTO BALLS

Uncover and roll into balls. Set aside.

Repeat with remaining peanut butter mixture.

Roll into 1″ balls, though recipe calls for 1/2″ balls, I find the peanut butter and chocolate ratio is better with larger PB balls. Place them on a baking sheet, line with parchment or waxed paper.

Freeze until balls are very firm. At least 20 minutes.

STEP 4: MELT THE CHOCOLATE

Place the almond bark into a bowl over a double boiler and stir until melted. Add in paraffin (optional) and stir until melted.

Keep over very low heat while you are dipping. You may need to add more heat if it starts to get too thick while working with it.

Stir again.

STEP 5: DIP AND SET

Work with a few at a time, about 8-10, roll PB balls in melted chocolate, making sure they are completely covered. Tap fork, using either a dipping fork or regular fork, against the side of the pot to get rid of the excess chocolate and place on waxed or parchment lined baking sheet.

Chocolate will begin to set after about 1 minute since PB balls are frozen. Repeat with remaining PB balls.

STEP 6: LET THEM SET

Chocolate will set in 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Place into fridge if you don’t want to wait as long.

They can be served or stored as soon as chocolate is set.

HELPFUL TIPS

The balls must be frozen and cold to the touch when dipping or they will not coat well and may even come off the fork.

Almond bark melts at a lower heat than chocolate so make sure the water is calm and use a low burner. Too hot and the almond bark will seize and end up being streaky and rough.

If you are adding paraffin make sure that is melted too. It will thin out the almond bark a tad and make them shine.

THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES

Not melting paraffin completely. Make sure everything is smooth and dissolved.

Not letting them set long enough before packing. They may crumble if chocolate is still a little soft.

• Impatient? So am I, which is why you may not chill things long enough. If they’re not firm enough to roll into nice, neat balls, give them more time in the fridge.
• Forgot to chill the rolled balls in the freezer? The chocolate will not stick to them properly. It may look okay when you remove them from the chocolate, but once the chocolate sets, you’ll likely find it has fallen off the warm, soft centers. Chill them, friends. Chill. Them.
• Chocolate looks thick and gritty and won’t spread? You heated it too hot. Melt it on LOW and SLOW and stir often.
• Chocolate coats them beautifully, but when you go to serve them they fall apart? You likely used natural peanut butter. It needs to be regular, not-natural PB.

UPGRADES WORTH TRYING

• Dark chocolate almond bark, I love these with milk chocolate, but if you like them on the less-sweet side or just love dark choco, swap out dark chocolate almond bark for the milk. The result is an intense choco flavor that offsets the PB.
• A little salt, Add about 1/4 teaspoon to the peanut butter mixture to curb some of the sweetness.
• White chocolate drizzle, After the milk chocolate coating has hardened, melt some white chocolate almond bark and drizzle on top of each ball. Takes about 2 minutes, makes them look SO cute.
• Flaky salt, Sprinkle a few flakes on the chocolate coating before it sets.

EQUIPMENT THAT HELPS

• Food processor, Makes short (literally, under 30-seconds) work of combining the mixture.
• Candy dipping forks, Makes dipping SO much easier and allows excess chocolate to drain from the balls. Try these:
• Half sheet baking pan, Makes it easier to store the balls while dipping and easily fits in the freezer. Use this and line with parchment for easy clean-up.

STORAGE, MAKE-AHEAD, AND FREEZING

REFRIGERATOR

• Peanut Butter Balls will keep in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. Separate each layer with wax or parchment paper.

FREEZER

• Place in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or large zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Separate each layer with parchment paper. You can enjoy them straight from the freezer for a very firm PB Ball or leave them on the counter for about 10-15 minutes for softer ones.

MAKE-AHEAD STRATEGY

CAN I MAKE THESE AHEAD OF TIME?

Absolutely. These are PERFECT to make ahead.

You can roll the peanut butter filling into balls and freeze for up to 1 week ahead of time. Then just dip them right before serving.

You can also make them all the way, allow them to set, and they’ll also keep for WEEKS in the freezer. I usually make a ton of them in the beginning of December and freeze them.

Then, as December unfolds I thaw them out as needed.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I USE BUTTER INSTEAD OF MARGARINE?

Yes. Butter will give the PB a more firm texture when cold.

You may find it slightly more difficult to roll into balls with butter than margarine as it’s a little crumblier. I recommend leaving your butter out of the fridge so it isn’t as firm to make blending it with the PB a little easier.

CAN I USE REAL CHOCOLATE INSTEAD OF ALMOND BARK?

You can. However, in order to get that shiny, perfect, snappy texture real chocolate needs to be tempered.

Untempered real chocolate tends to bloom, creating the white streaky stuff that forms on chocolate sometimes. Since tempering chocolate can be a bit of a PITA, almond bark/candy melts is the perfect alternative as it requires NO tempering and gives you shiny, perfect chocolate.

WHY DID MY CHOCOLATE COATING CRACK?

This can happen when your Rice Krispie balls are very cold, or from the freezer, and are placed into warmer surroundings. As the treats warm up the chocolate can crack.

To prevent this, bring treats from the freezer to closer to room temp before serving. Also, the thinner your coating is the less likely it is to crack.

A thin coating goes a long way. A thick coating can weigh them down and is more likely to crack.

DO THE RICE KRISPIES STAY CRUNCHY?

Yes. The texture doesn’t change at all.

They may seem really crunchy since the filling is so thick but they hold up just fine through freeze/thaw cycles.

CAN I MAKE THESE WITHOUT A FOOD PROCESSOR?

Yes.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix this in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or even with a large spoon. The peanut butter and margarine need to be softened to room temperature or they won’t mix up very well.

Mix well, making sure there are no streaks or lumps left before adding in the rest of the dry ingredients. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time.

HOW MANY DOES THIS RECIPE MAKE?

This recipe makes about 4-5 dozen, depending on how large you roll the balls. Rolling them about 1 inch, which is larger than the directions in the recipe indicate, should get you about 4 dozen.

If you roll them smaller you’ll get more, but they’re harder to dip.

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