Buckeyes

Makes: 60 pieces

Ingredients
9 oz (1 cup) Peanut butter
4 oz (8 tbsp) Butter, unsalted, soft
1 tsp Vanilla extract
12 oz (3 cups) Confectioners’ sugar, sifted (see Keys to Success)
1 lb (1 1/2 cups) Dark chocolate, melted, tempered

Preparation
1. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Cream together the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla extract in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed.
3. Add the confectioners’ sugar slowly until the mixture forms a workable dough. Add up to 1/2 cup more sugar if necessary.
4. Remove the mixture from the machine. Using a #100 scoop or teaspoon, scoop out balls of the buckeye mixture. Place the portions on a prepared sheet pan.
5. Using your hands, roll the portions into round balls 1¼ inches in diameter. Return to a sheet pan.
6. Chill the formed buckeyes for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Impale each buckeye lightly with a toothpick to use as a handle for dipping in chocolate. Holding a buckeye by the protruding toothpick, dip it in the tempered chocolate, leaving a 1/2-inch circle of the center uncoated on top. Place on a prepared sheet pan. Remove the toothpick and smooth the small hole that it left in the top of the candy. Allow the chocolate to set completely.
8. Store at room temperature, tightly sealed.

Keys To Success
The consistency of the peanut butter center is the key to making buckeyes. Add confectioners’ sugar until the mixture will roll up between your hands to a uniform ball that holds its shape and does not crumble. The amount of confectioners’ sugar may vary.

{recipe and image via the nest}