Peanut Butter Balls With Rice Krispies

Peanut butter buckeye balls with rice krispies on a white plate.

5 from 1 vote

Peanut Butter Balls With Rice Krispies

My Mom made these peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies every holiday when I was growing up in Michigan, and they’re still the first thing to disappear from the cookie tray. A creamy, crunchy peanut butter center gets a smooth coat of semi-sweet chocolate. There’s no baking, they make about 3 dozen, and they keep for about two weeks in the fridge, so your holiday gifting is done early.

Prep Time30

Chill Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 275kcal

Author: Gwen Wolken

Equipment

1 Sheet Pan
1 Parchment Paper

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
2 cups creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies chopped in a blender or food processor
1 pound powdered sugar
24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or two bags 12 ounces each

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and Rice Krispies.
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 cups creamy peanut butter, 3 cups Rice Krispies, 1 pound powdered sugar
Roll them into small 1-inch balls and place them on a prepared baking sheet topped with parchment paper.
Place them into the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours.
After two hours, place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl.
24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Melt the chocolate by placing the bowl into the microwave and microwaving the chocolate on high using 30 second intervals, making sure to stir the chocolate in between cycles. Or, using a double boiler, place the chocolate into the top and melt stirring constantly.
Place a toothpick into the top of the ball and coat them by dipping them one by one into the melted chocolate.
Set them on a tray lined with parchment or wax paper and let them set for an hour.

Notes

Use a regular no-stir peanut butter for these. Natural peanut butter is too oily, and the balls won’t hold together. Creamy rolls into the smoothest balls, but crunchy works too if you want extra texture.

Pulse the Rice Krispies in a blender or food processor before mixing so the cereal blends evenly into the filling. If you’d rather have bigger crispy bites, stir them in whole.

Chill the balls for the full 2 hours before dipping so they hold their shape in the warm chocolate. A fork gives you full coverage without the hole a toothpick leaves behind.

Any chocolate works here, and I use semi-sweet around 60% cacao. Chopped bar chocolate sets with a shinier coating than chips. Both lose the temper they had in the package once melted, though, so the coating may soften and leave a little chocolate on warm fingers.

Store the balls in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 weeks, which makes them easy to prep well ahead of the holidays. They’ll keep on the counter for a few days. To freeze them, use an airtight container and thaw them in the fridge before serving. On serving day, they can sit out at room temperature for hours.

For gifts, keep the balls cold until handoff. Then tuck each one into a mini muffin paper and arrange them in a pretty basket. The papers catch any chocolate smudges and make them look like they came straight from a candy shop.

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