How To Make the Best Buckeyes (Without All the Mess)

Step 1

Place the ingredients in a bowl. Place the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, cream cheese, graham cracker crumbs, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.)

Step 2

Beat until combined. Beat on low speed until just combined, then increase speed to medium and beat, stopping often to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the mixture is smooth and holds together when squeezed in the palm of your hand, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 3

Form into balls. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls (you should get about 72 (1/2-ounce) balls) and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, at least 2 hours.

Step 4

Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Alternatively, melt in the microwave in a medium heatproof bowl in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is mostly melted (continue stirring after you remove it to melt the rest of the chocolate). Let cool 5 minutes.

Step 5

Dip the balls. Line a second rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer 12 of the chilled peanut butter balls onto it. (Keep the rest in the refrigerator to keep them chilled and firm.) Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the peanut butter balls (don’t let it poke all the way through) and dip it into the chocolate, leaving a small opening (about 1-inch across) at the top of the buckeye.

Step 6

Shake off the excess chocolate. Lift the buckeye out of the chocolate and turn the toothpick horizontally so that you are holding it at a 90° angle to the bowl. Gently shake your hand up and down so that any excess chocolate drips off the buckeye and back into the bowl. (You want to remove as much excess chocolate as possible so that it doesn’t pool around the bottoms of the buckeyes.) When the dripping has stopped, twirl the toothpick so that that very last drip wraps around the buckeye and blends in with the rest of the chocolate.

Step 7

Remove the toothpick. Turn the buckeye upright and place back onto the baking sheet. Use your finger or a second toothpick to gently push the buckeye off the toothpick (you’ll cover up the hole it leaves later). Repeat with the remaining buckeyes. Transfer 12 more peanut butter balls from the refrigerator to the baking sheet with the finished buckeyes and continue dipping until all the buckeyes are dipped. If, at any point, the peanut butter balls begin twirling around on the toothpick as you dip, making it difficult to control, return to the refrigerator until chilled.

Step 8

Smooth over the toothpick holes. Use your thumb and forefinger to gently pinch the peanut butter filling where the toothpick has left a hole, then use your finger to smooth it out. (You want to wait until the chocolate is set up enough to do this so the buckeye doesn’t slide around.)

Step 9

Refrigerate until the chocolate is set. Refrigerate until the chocolate is hardened, at least 10 minutes.