Frugal Fridays: MYO Christmas Gifts- #2:The Famous Ohio Buckeyes ... The Edible KIND!

Growing up in Northeast Ohio, 

no Thanksgiving or Christmas 

would be complete 

without a few dozen Buckeyes!! 

I didn't realize this was a regional treat and not all of the country made these scrumptious little mouthfuls of titillating joy until recently!

I am sure there are many recipes out there but after tasting my sister and brother in-laws version I fell in love and have made it every Christmas since- nearly 17 years!! Over the years I adjusted a little this and that and...

Not to toot my own horn, but

Tooooot, tooooot, toooooooooot, tooot , toot, 

TOOOOT!!!

This is the BEST Buckeye Recipe ever!!!

What I believe sets my recipe apart is: 

•  Delicious & decadent Vanilla Bean infuse luscious, velvety melted butter followed by freshly roasted creamy peanut butter, Gourmet handmade Vanilla Bean Extract and silky powder sugar....

Hmmmmmmm Super Yummy on its own. In fact my kids love to treat this as a "spread" on their apple slices...

• Then I temper chocolate to a glossy & shiny gloriousness then dip the peanut butter balls in half way to resemble Buckeye nuts- the State Tree of Ohio & what Ohio is famous for. I use REAL chocolate not some by-product and NEVER add any waxy GROSS paraffin, ewww yuck! Believe it or not I have seen & tasted many recipes that include it.  

 Save the paraffin for your candle making or for soothing and beautifying hand treatments, but NEVER in your candies!!!

I make them just the right size, this is a super rich treat so I make them the size of a chesnut, any bigger is too much! 

DEVINE VANILLA BEAN BUCKEYES:

• 1 Pint Roasted freshly Made Organic Creamy Peanut Butter (can use commerical kind, natural tastes the best IMO!)
• 1/4-1/2 LB Powder Sugar
• 2 Sticks Butter Melted
• 1 Vanilla Bean, scraped thoroughly
• 2 t GOOD homemade vanilla bean extract (can use commerical kind)
• 8-16 oz GOOD Quality REAL chocolate, chopped  (I buy it by the 10 lb block and cut it down)

-------------------

1. Melt 2 sticks of butter over medium-low heat until its foamy scrape in vanilla seeds and remove from heat. Cool slightly but still remain in melted form.
2. Add in the peanut butter and mix thoroughly until smooth. Peanut butter will slightly melt- its ok!
3. Mix in powder sugar 1/4 C at a time until it is a firm texture. You should be able to roll in a ball and the peanut butter hold it's shape and not melt in your hands. IF it does add more sugar.
4. Roll into about 1 & 1/2"- 2" diameter balls and place on wax paper lined baking sheets and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes or over night.
5. Temper chocolate- (it takes some time but to get that glossy shine and snap you MUST NOT skip this step!!)
6. Dip peanut butter by inserting a toothpick in center and dipping in tempered chocolate. (I like to  double dip to get that thick coating.) 
7. That little "pooling" that will happen gives the buckeyes another aspect of the "signature" look. Space the dipped Buckeyes about 1/2" apart so the "pooled" chocolate edges don't "pool" into each other. (IF this happens, no biggy gently cut the edge with a sharp knife once cooled)
8. I put these in fridge for about 30 min to cool
9. Once chocolate has set I wet my very clean hands slightly and smooth out the top of the buckeyes and remove the toothpick hole. :-)

Store in an Air Tight container, 

will stay fresh on counter top for 2 weeks, 

1 month in fridge,

or up to 6 months in freezer

LOL, if you can hide it from the hubby or kids that is, LOL!!