It’s getting down to the wire folks, there are only two more sleeps until Christmas! I can hardly contain my excitement. It’s nice to have something to look forward to, after the year we’ve had. Since there’s not a ton of time left, I’ll give you an easy one. And most likely (fingers crossed) you’ll have all the ingredients sitting in your pantry to make them. So, without further ado, today we are making Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls – YUM!!!
If you’ve been with the blog since the beginning, you probably saw my Peanut Butter Cups recipe and you’re probably aware that I am obsessed with the chocolate/peanut butter combination. There really isn’t a better flavor pairing in my opinion (but if you have one, I’d love to know)! Just like my peanut butter cups, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls are bite-sized and the perfect treat to fill your chocolatey cravings. No matter how you’re celebrating, I recommend this recipe because it’s a small enough batch that you can have them lying around the house for a couple of days. Or if you’re dropping off treats to friends and family, this is a great addition to your cookie box, or as a stand-alone treat!
How can I make them for someone with a peanut allergy?
GREAT question. As I was making these, I pondered that as well. Even though I have a pistachio allergy myself, I often don’t think about peanut allergies because they don’t give me hives. But I try really hard to make my food as crowd-pleasing as possible, so this is what I came up with. Use almond butter! You can totally just sub in your favorite almond butter and chopped almonds. I will say, depending on the consistency of your almond butter you may have to adjust the ratios of your ingredients. For instance, the Costco almond butter is pretty thick and would work for this, but you might not have the best luck with those super smooth, super runny brands. To troubleshoot, if your nut butter is too thick, try softening it up a bit in your microwave. Also, if your almond butter is too runny, try adding some additional powdered sugar (I really only recommend this if your almond butter is unsweetened).
If you are making these for someone who is vegetarian/ vegan, all you need to do is swap out the butter for shortening (Crisco makes a great butter flavored shortening) and use a non-dairy chocolate chip. I recommend the ones from Costco (white bag contains no dairy) or you can also use Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips. But there are tons of brands out there to choose from!
I hope this last-minute treat is helpful for you in the final push to the holidays!
happy eating!
Lauren
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 2 cups rice cereal
- 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Chocolate Coating:
- 1 Tbsp. shortening
- 1 cup. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, rice cereal, butter and powdered sugar.
- Roll into bite-sized balls (about 1.5 - 2 Tbsp.) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, melt together shortening and chocolate chips at 30 second increments.
- Using a spoon or candy dipping tool, gently roll/dip your peanut butter balls.
- Refrigerate your balls for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate coating to harden.
- Serve & enjoy!