Easy Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Balls are no-bake treats that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! A sweet peanut butter mixture is rolled into balls and coated with melted chocolate. This is an easy dessert recipe that will make everyone at the party or potluck ask “can you send me the recipe?!”
Peanut Butter Balls
Give your oven a break this holiday season! If you’re looking for an easy to make treat (and I mean truly foolproof) to bring to your next Christmas party, this is it! Honestly, this Peanut Butter Balls recipe is so tasty I usually make them year round. You can dress them up with food coloring or sprinkles to match just about any occasion you can think of! And trust me, you’ll be looking for excuses to make them over and over again.
If you love Reese’s peanut butter cups, then this recipe is right up your alley. Sweetened chunky peanut butter is rolled into balls and dunked in melted chocolate, then drizzled in white chocolate for a little added flair. It’s like making your favorite candy right at home! I really love the way that the chunky peanut butter adds some texture to the candies, but you can feel free to use smooth peanut butter for a more Reese’s-inspired consistency.
I’ll give you a fair warning right now. These no bake peanut butter balls are seriously addictive! You can’t possibly have just one… But I dare you to try. They’re so good, in fact, that I highly suggest making a double batch of them if you’re headed to a larger party which is totally easy to do given they’re made with simple ingredients. They’re very much like Buckeye Balls but the chocolate coating covers the whole peanut butter ball.
Everyone will want more than one Peanut Butter Ball to snack on! Luckily, this recipe is so easy that doubling or even tripling the batch isn’t a big deal at all.
Ingredients
- Sugar – Confectioners’ sugar, also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar, is used to ensure a creamy interior.
- Peanut Butter – I love using crunchy peanut butter for the bits of peanuts in the peanut butter filling but you can use a creamy peanut butter, if you prefer. You can substitute with alternative nut butter like almond butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter or even walnut butter. I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter.
- Butter – Salted butter at room temperature helps make the candy smooth as, well, butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the mix.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract add rich sweetness.
- Chocolate – I like to use semi-sweet chocolate but you can substitute with milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Use a high quality chocolate like baking chocolate bars, candy melts or melting wafers. Some chocolate chips contain stabilizers which can make it difficult to melt the chocolate to the perfect consistency.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Peanut Butter Balls
Just so you know, you most certainly will be licking the spoon and bowl like a little kid when you’re done making these sweet treats!
- Make the peanut butter mixture. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla until combined. You can do this easily in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Freeze the balls. Scoop a portion of the peanut butter mixture with a small cookie scoop and roll into 1 TBSP sized balls with clean hands. Arrange them on a prepared cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, wax paper or a silicone baking mat and freeze for 15-20 minutes.
- Dip them in chocolate. Melt the chocolate in the microwave until smooth or melt using the double boiler method. Dip the Peanut Butter dough balls in the warm chocolate and return the dipped ball to the baking sheet. Allow them to sit at room temperature until the chocolate coating is set.
- Drizzle the white chocolate. Now for the fun part! Melt the white chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Transfer it to a piping bag and drizzle over the chocolate covered Peanut Butter Balls. Allow the white chocolate to fully set before serving. Enjoy!
This is a similar recipe to the one I use for my Peanut Butter Eggs at Easter!
Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Balls
Here’s how to master this easy-peasy recipe:
- If your peanut butter mixture is too dry, mix in 1 TBSP of milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- While I like to use semi-sweet chocolate to dunk my Peanut Butter Balls into, you can opt for dark or milk chocolate if preferred.
- Feeling festive? Use food dye to color your white chocolate any color you’d like! Make it red, green, pink, blue, or whatever other color fits your celebration. Sprinkles are also a fun addition! Just make sure to add them while the chocolate is still wet so they stick.
- You can use smooth peanut butter if you’d like. Just note that you’ll lose the subtle crunch that chunky peanut butter provides.
How to Store Peanut Butter Balls
Transfer the peanut butter balls to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Alternatively, you can store peanut butter balls at room temperature for 24 hours.
More of my best No Bake dessert recipes!
- No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- No Bake Monster Cookie Dough Bites
- No Bake Haystack Cookies
- No Bake Peppermint Bark Cookies
- No Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie
- The Best No Bake Cheesecake
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Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces confectioner’s sugar
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 4 ounces white chocolate
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- parchment paper
- piping bag
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla together until well combined. If the mixture seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon milk and beat until the mixture comes together.
- Shape the peanut butter mixture into 1 tablespoon sized balls by rolling in your hands and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze for 15-20 minutes.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments stir in between each, until smooth.
- Dip the peanut butter balls in the chocolate to coat and return to the baking sheet.
- Allow the balls to sit at room temperature until set.
- Melt the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments stirring in between each until smooth.
- Transfer the white chocolate to a piping bag and drizzle over the peanut butter balls.
- Allow the chocolate to set and then transfer to an airtight container.
- Store at room temperate until ready to serve.