Ohio Buckeye Peanut Butter and Chocolate Candy

Something yummy to make for the holiday season. Of course, it contains peanut butter!!!!

This is a candy that originated in Ohio, and spread over the mid-west. A friend on IRC, who is from Ohio, shared the recipe (and the picture of the completed candy) – Thank you BS.

A “buckeye” nut from the Buckeye Tree.

Candy buckeyes are named after the shiny, dark nuts of the Buckeye Tree-the official state tree for Ohio. The state’s original settlers found it to be an unfamiliar tree in the forest, and adopted it as a symbol of Ohio heritage. These pioneers carved the soft buckeye wood into troughs, platters and even cradles. Today, buckeye trees are prominent in the Ohio River Valley, and are known for being resilient and hearty.

The nuts of the tree, which are actually mildly toxic, were given their name because of their resemblance to the eyes of white-tailed deer. Folk wisdom says that carrying a buckeye nut in your pocket brings good luck.

These are fun and simple to make – perfect for the kids to do, with adult supervision when melting the chocolate.

Enjoy!

Buckeyes (Peanut Butter and Chocolate Candies)

2 cups butter
2 pounds peanut butter
2 pounds to 2 1/2 pounds confectioners sugar
2 1/2 pounds milk chocolate

Combine butter, peanut butter, and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Shape into walnut-size balls. Insert a toothpick in center of each ball. Place on a cookie sheet, as close together as possible, and put in the freezer overnight (or at least 4 hours).

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler slowly, or in the microwave. Dip frozen balls into melted chocolate. Leave a bit of the peanut butter showing when you dip these, so they look like the Buckeye. Place on parchment or wax paper to dry. Remove the toothpick and smooth over the hole the toothpick made.

Store in a tightly covered container, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.

Notes:

In order to make the mixture into balls, I refrigerate the mixture for a couple of hours. You can do this overnight, as well.

This recipe makes a LOT. I almost always cut the recipe in half, as follows:

1 Cup butter
1 pound peanut butter
1 – 1 1/2 pound confectioners sugar
1 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips

This halved recipe still makes a lot.

Variation:

Using a mini-muffin tin, place candy cups into the muffing holes, add a bit of melted milk chocolate to the bottom of each cup, making sure it is spread evenly and covers the whole bottom of the cup. Allow to cool (stick it in the refrigerator for a few minutes). Add a spoonful of the peanut butter mixture, and spread evenly. Cover with more melted chocolate.

Or, instead of making the peanut butter mix as above, make your favorite Peanut Butter Fudge recipe (or mine). Once cooled, roll into balls and proceed as above, freezing for a few hours, and rolling in chocolate.