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Welcome to Riches to Rags by Dori. This is a place where I share a little bit of everything. My experiences, the good the bad and the ugly. Life isn't easy but worth living and my hope is that we can get through it together.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Buckeyes - (Ohio State Peanut Butter Balls)



BUCKEYES!
(The Ohio State Buckeyes Game Day Treat)

Looks to me like the Ohio State Buckeyes have been keeping a secret from the rest of the nation! Shame on you! Look at these delicious Peanut Butter and Chocolate Balls! I have all the ingredients in my kitchen for this tasty treat so off I went to the kitchen after seeing these special little guys on Gamedayr. How could they be so selfish and not make sure that we all knew about these? Seriously!


It is just like those Pizza Rolls I posted about a week ago that originated from West Virginia that apparently no one knew about either because it got over 30,000 hits!  If you have a great recipe that originates in your state it is your duty to share with the rest of us. 


So here is the recipe I made today in my kitchen with my very own hands and my wonderful camera to prove it. 


Buckeyes
Adapted from Gamedayr

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine first four ingredients (using your hands) to form a smooth stiff dough.
3. Shape into balls (about 2 teaspoons of dough per ball).
4. Place balls on prepared pan, and refrigerate.
5. Place shortening and chocolate in a metal bowl
6. Place metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water, and allow chocolate and shortening to melt together.
7. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.
8. Remove balls from refrigerator.
9. Using a toothpick to hold the ball, dip each one into melted chocolate to cover about 3/4 of ball.
10. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down, and remove toothpick.
11. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.3



 Mix it together with your hands until it forms to dough.
Roll them into balls.
 My husband is a Marine and he always taught me to adapt and improvise so I did. 
I don't have a double broiler so I took a small sauce pan and boiled water and 
then put a small frying pan on top. Worked perfect. It slowly melts the 
chocolate this way without burning it. 
Stir it until smooth and melted.
 
 Use a toothpick and dip into chocolate 3/4 of the way up. 
 Put on Parchment Paper
 
I went to go outside to put the baking sheet full of my nice new pretty Buckeyes to cool and learned a valuable lesson with what was waiting for me. APPARENTLY you aren't suppose to forget about a 12 pack of Diet Coke in the garage fridge in Wyoming because it gets SO COLD that they explode, I didn't get the memo on that one. Lesson learned. Very messy.  Make sure you cool these Buckeyes for at least 30 minutes.
Eeeeewwwww
Here they are after they have been cooled. 

 I put a few in some Mason Jars for gifts and the rest we eat! 


 I bought Strawberries at the grocery store so I decided to make extra chocolate and dip those too! These are my favorite! It is so expensive to buy chocolate covered Strawberries so I took the opportunity to make my own and they are DIVINE!




Make sure you cool them just like the others. Mouthwatering.


So there you go! You now know the Ohio State Buckeyes Secret! They are delicious, they were worth finding, making and sharing (except for the Diet Coke beast within my garage).

Thanks for stopping by!
Dori


14 comments :

  1. i am from ohio and these really look like buckeyes....THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am from Ohio too have made these all my life and yes you did it right Dori....The only thing I do different is I use almond bark chocolate,just cause it's easier and I make dozens of these ever Christmas. Great Blog Dori!!!!

      Delete
  2. Thank you Anonymous! That is a compliment coming from an Ohio State fan!

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  3. I wouldn't say these were "Ohio originated" recipe .. My family has been making these for as long as I can remember and beyond and we are from TN.. I know several other people that have the same recipe in the southern areas also.. The only difference is Paraffin wax in the chocolate and not shortening.. and the only difference in looks would be just how you shaped the dough and how much you dipped it.. But they look fabulous and delicious congrats on your find!

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  4. Hi Anonymous, it will be interesting to see the different variations that come in on this recipe.

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  5. I pushed publish before I was done. Thanks for your response, it will be fun to see the different variations come in on this. Ohio fans take it VERY seriously and they say a good Ohio State fan would have these in their freezer ready for game day. Love it.

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  6. Yes we do! And now our OSU Buckeyes are in the Final Four! Even more reason to make these now!

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  7. i live in Illinois and have been making them forever too--i cover mine totally and after placing them out to dry i will take a small baggy filled with some chocolate in it, cut a VERY small corner off and make a small swirl where the hole was and they look like a pro made them! i let them drip after dipping so there isn't a pool of chocolate at the bottom of them too. It is everyones favorite!

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  8. Congratulations on OSU getting to the Final Four! I was routing for you.

    Good tips on cutting the hole and putting in a swirl. Also, letting it drip off. They are so yummy.

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  9. Hi, I am from Ohio and have been making these for years as well. One thing I noticed in your directions is to pinch the hole in. After I dip them in chocolate and let the chocolate harden for a minute or two and "pinch" the hole to fill it in so you don't notice where the toothpick was. Great recipe, thanks for sharing.

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  10. I just made these. The chocolate/shortening mixture was too thick so I kept adding shortening. Now, the chocolate will not harden. So, I'm off to the store for some chocolate bark. :(

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  11. If you are using the chocolate/shortening mix they have to be refrigerated. If you use paraffin you can leave them out. I use the chocolate/shortening mix because the wax has an aftertaste in my opinion. You don't have to sift the powdered sugar either,have made these for 35 years and have never sifted.

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  12. We are die hard UofM fans! Go Blue! But we make an exception for these, they are a family staple at Christmas time!

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