When I made these and told a few people about them, I was surprised to find out not everyone knows what a “buckeye” is. What a tragedy! A traditional buckeye is a chocolate candy made with a peanut butter and powdered sugar center and dipped in chocolate.
Growing up, my mom would make these for Christmas parties but they have nothing to do with the holiday season, they’re just really delicious! Obviously anything with chocolate and peanut butter has to be good. For this recipe, I kicked it up a notch by adding a layer of salted caramel inside.
Just a warning: these candies are really indulgent and rich. But I promise you’ll be glad you made them. Whewwww they are good!
Start by making the peanut butter center and rolling them into balls. You’ll need to freeze the candies between each layer so that they stay in tact when dipping them into the salted caramel and melted chocolate.
After freezing for 15-20 minutes, you can dip them in the salted caramel. You do this by inserting a toothpick to hold onto the ball while dipping in the caramel. Be sure to shake off the excess caramel so that it doesn’t create a big “pool” when you return it to the baking sheet. You will naturally have a small pool where the caramel starts to slide down while hardening. You’re just aiming to minimize it.
Back into the freezer to harden the caramel! Then you can melt your chocolate and finish the final dipping stage. You can use melting chocolate chips or just regular ones. The melting chips are designed to work better with making candies but I already had regular semi-sweet chips on hand. They don’t have to look perfect!
After you dip them in chocolate, pop them in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes to finish hardening. After that, you can store them at room temperature.
Salted Caramel Buckeyes
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup salted butter softened
- 1 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 12 oz chocolate melting wafers or semi sweet chips
Instructions
- Combine peanut butter and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well combined. Add brown sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually add powdered sugar until the mixture is well combined.
- Scoop into tablespoon sized balls and roll in the palm of your hand until you have a smooth, round ball. Place on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper and freeze 15-20 minutes.
- While the balls are freezing, prepare the salted caramel sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar with 1/4 cup cold water and stir. Cook without stirring until the sugar has turned a deep amber hue, about 10-12 minutes. Be careful, the initial color becomes dark quickly – don’t burn it!
- Microwave the cream in a microwave safe bowl. When the caramel is ready, slowly whisk in the cream and continue simmering until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and salt. Let the caramel cool slightly but still warm enough for dipping.
- Remove balls from the freezer and insert a toothpick. Dip carefully into the caramel and let the excess drip off. Place back on the parchment and back into the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- While the balls are freezing again, prepare the melting chocolate. If you use chocolate chips, be sure to use a double boiler over low heat so that you don’t burn the chocolate. If you are using melting wafers, prepare according to package directions.
- Remove balls from the freezer and insert another toothpick. Dip into the chocolate for final layer. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes so the chocolate sets. Serve and store at room temperature.
