I have fond memories of making peanut butter balls with my mom and sister every holiday season. The women in my family are all big peanut butter and chocolate fans, so it seems like a natural holiday dessert to splurge on. In fact, I know when they see this post they’ll be running to the kitchen to make this version! You can’t beat how easy peanut butter balls are to throw together during those hectic last-minute preparations.
This year, I came up with a lighter version of my childhood favourite. Rather than using 2 cups of powdered sugar and plenty of butter like the old recipe, I turned to a few lighter ingredients to do the same job.
This version contains much less sweetener than classic recipes, but I promise you won’t even notice the difference, especially once the chocolate coating is in place!
The secret to achieving a similar dough (without all the powdered sugar) is a little trick I picked up from making homemade nut butter in my food processor. I noticed when I added too much maple syrup into the machine, it would cause the nut butter to seize up (i.e., get really thick). After that point, no matter how much I processed the nut butter, it never returned back to it’s creamy, drippy state. A similar thing happens when you add water to melted chocolate.
For this recipe, I used this knowledge to my advantage by stirring the peanut butter and maple syrup vigorously, until the mixture “seized” and thickened up. Well, it worked like a charm! All I had to do after that was add a couple tablespoons of coconut flour for additional thickening powers. Coconut flour is quite dense and drying, so just a little bit did the trick. No powdered sugar necessary. Yes!
Tip: If you are new to coconut flour and don’t want to buy a whole bag, try buying a small amount from a bulk food bin. I’m pretty sure Bulk Barn carries coconut flour.
At first, when you stir in the maple syrup, it will look quite runny and you’ll think there’s no way it’s going to thicken up, but it does. Just keep on stirring! It took me probably 30 seconds of stirring and letting it sit a couple minutes helps it firm up too (the coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture). The timing will depend on how thick (or thin) your brand of peanut butter is (I only recommend using 100% all-natural peanut butter with nothing else added). It’s quite possible you might need a touch more (or less) coconut flour than what I used. I’m not sure if other sweeteners will work the same way that maple syrup does, so I can’t vouch for the results if you swap out the maple syrup.
Once it thickened up, I stirred in some sea salt to enhance the flavours and rice crisp cereal for a crunchy texture. Oh my….simply irresistible!!
Watch them disappear almost as quickly as they were made.
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4.7 from 43 reviews |
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Peanut Better Balls
By
These peanut butter balls forgo the powdered sugar and butter, and instead use a few lighter ingredients using only a fraction of the sweetener compared to traditional recipes. You'll wonder how you ever lived without this recipe around the holidays! It's quick to throw together and makes about 16-20 balls that will fill a platter for a holiday party. For mess-free finger food, place the balls in mini cupcake liners.
Yield
16-20 balls
Prep time
Cook time
0 Minutes
Chill time
25
Total time
Ingredients:
- 1 cup 100% natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
- 3.5-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste (see note)
- 1-3 tablespoons coconut flour, only if needed
- fine grain sea salt, to taste (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
- 6 tablespoons gluten-free rice crisp cereal
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
Directions:
- Stir the jar of peanut butter well before using. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter and maple syrup vigorously, for 30-60 seconds, until it thickens up. It will go from runny to thick during this time.
- Stir in the coconut flour until combined (if your PB is dry, you might be able to skip this step or only use half). We're looking for a texture that isn't too sticky, but not too dry either. Let it sit for a couple minutes to firm up as the coconut flour will continue to absorb moisture with time. Add a touch more coconut flour if necessary. Or if it's too dry, add a touch more syrup.
- Add salt to taste and stir in the cereal.
- Shape into small balls (I made about 17).
- In a small pot, add the chocolate chips and coconut oil and heat over low heat, stirring frequently. Once half the chips have melted, remove from heat and stir until completely smooth.
- With a fork, dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Tap off excess chocolate on the side of the pot and place the ball on a plate or cutting board lined with parchment. Repeat for the rest. Save any leftover melted chocolate for later.
- Place balls in the freezer for around 6-8 minutes until mostly firm.
- Dip a fork into the leftover melted chocolate and drizzle it on top of the balls to create a "sophisticated" design like the baking diva you are.
- Freeze the balls for another 10-15 minutes, until the chocolate is completely set. If you can wait that long, you win life.
Nutrition Information
Tips:
1) I'm not sure if other liquid sweeteners will work in this recipe (and firm up the peanut butter the same way as maple syrup does), therefore I can't recommend any. A reader did tell me that agave nectar worked for her though! 2) I recommend only using 100% natural peanut butter for this recipe. You just want to see roasted peanuts on the label (and maybe salt, if it’s salted). The no-stir kinds made with oil and sugar might not work the same way. The PB I used was very drippy. If your PB seems dry, you probably won't need to use all of the coconut flour.
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{ 323 comments… read them below or add one }
These look lovely! Love the addition of coconut flour! I am sure it adds great texture!
I made these using a peanut free butter I bought and subbed out the coconut flour for Brown rice flour. Delicious and still gluten free. We love them!
I am so making these for my husband – he is a peanut butter fiend. I might even try some with my favourite cashew butter – mmmm, the possibilites are endless
This is my first comment on your blog. I love PB & chocolate anything so I’m super excited to make this ASAP! I’ve been following your blog for years & all the recipes I’ve tried have been great! Thanks for making being vegan a little easier to share amazing recipes with family & friends:)
Thanks for your comment Laurie! I hope you enjoy them :)
Oh my, these look heavenly! I know these as “Buckeyes” and they were a childhood favorite. I haven’t made them in years, because of all the butter and sugar! I will definitely be making these, they seem almost too good to be true.
(Love the light bokeh, beautiful!)
Just made these! They were so good! One is just enough to satisfy a craving for something decadent. Thank you!
Would it change if I didn’t use rice cereal? I have all the ingredients but those. They look so good!
Did you try it without the rice cereal? I was wondering the same thing
Hi! I didn’t add the cereal. They came out really great, but next time I’m going to add it because I think the crunch would make them even better!
I used some coarse chopped almonds and oats instead of the rice cereal! Added texture and turned out great !
I didn’t want to buy a whole box of rice crispies just for this so I didn’t use them either. I did however add dried cranberries for contrast. They’re great! I was a bit worried about the measurments because around this corner of the world we use the metric system, but this recipe was so easy I basically didn’t even need to measure!
I am not a fan of coconut at all. Can another flour and oil be used?
Hi Susan, I’m not sure about substitutes as I’ve only tested them using the ingredients in the recipe. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
You can try not using any flour OR oil. If you homemake the peanut butter it should be firm anyway ;)
Susan j- I don’t care for coconut either,however, I use coconut flour in many recipes and I don’t taste coconut at all. Maybe give it a try in a small batch because these look absolutely scrumptious! Definitely making these for the holidays!
Susan, have you ever tried subbing in peanut flour? You can purchase it on amazon and iherb.com
Sherry
They do look yummy and want to try them. That is a good suggestion the half batch. thanks
Amelia
No I have not but what a great idea.. I will try the peanut flour. I didn’t even know they had peanut flour but that would be great in this recipe. thanks!
I used garbanzo flour and they actually turned out amazing… yum yum!
These look amazing! Peanut butter balls are my favorite Christmas candy since childhood and I’ve been wanting to find a way to lighten them up without sacrificing the flavor. This looks like you nailed it. I can’t wait to try them!!
I have never used coconut flour before; I think I am going to half to try it. What a wonderful alternative to a classic treat.
Angela these look & sound incredible! I’m a big fan of cookie dough, balls, truffles, bites, and if it has PB (and coconut flour and those great little crispy rice cereal bits in it), all the better! I need a dozen :) pinned
OH MY – These look amazing! I can’t think of any better combination than chocolate and peanut butter – I think it would be hard not to “sample” all the dough – I am not sure if I would even be even able to make it to the “ball” stage ;) Can’t wait to make these! :D
yes, it’s very hard not to just grab the bowl and enjoy with a spoon! hah.
Can these be made in advance and stored in the
fridge until serving? They sound amazing & I’d like
to make them a few days in advance. :-) Thanks!!
I can’t see why not!
My husband is a huge fan of the peanut butter balls at Christmas time. I cannot wait to make these for him! Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh yeah, babe! These are getting made ASAP!
these look delicious, angela!
I do love me some peanut butter and chocolate. I can’t wait to try this one!
Do you think they would ship ok?
Hi Lori, I don’t think they would hold up in transit…well, I think the chocolate coating would potentially melt depending on the conditions?
I will definitely be making these for the holidays! Can you change the peanut butter to almond butter? We have a peanut allergy in the house. By the way I just wanted to to say thank you for all the amazing recipes you continually post. You are hands down the BEST food blog ever!!!!
Hey Diane, Thanks for your kind words!
I’m not sure about swapping the peanut butter in this recipe. I’ve only tried it this way so I really don’t know if the almond butter and maple syrup would thicken the same way. Let us know how it goes if you try it! The recipe can be halved so maybe you could try a smaller batch.
These look phenomenal!! LOVE!
These look delicious! I cannot wait to try them!
These look beautiful! I’ve made peanut butter chocolate balls with a similar recipe but NEVER have mine looked as pretty!
My grandma always used to make these for Christmas but these look like a far healthier option! I can’t wait to try them!
This must be a sign! I have had coconut flour sitting in my pantry and truer a recipe yesterday only to have it be awful. Idk why I try any other recipes besides yours! Now I have a new dessert to take to the inlaws for Christmas!! Thank you!
i love these, thanks for the lighter version :)
do you mix the cereal in with the coconut flour?
Yum! I’m a sucker for chocolate-coated anything, so these are right up my alley!
Hi Angela,
Thanks for the awesome recipe! When do you add the cereal? I don’t see it mentioned in the directions.
It’s at the end of step 2 (easy to miss!) Hope this helps. :)
Peanut butter balls has always been a holiday tradition with my mom and sister too! I was just trying to think of a way I could make a healthier vegan version so this is perfect! Thanks :)
Yum! I know it’s not vegan, but honey does the same thing as maple syrup so that would work too for those who are not strictly vegan!
These look great! Do you have any idea how well they hold up outside the fridge? Not for a long time, just a few hours for a party on the counter.
Ours were on the counter for an hour before they were all gone ;) Not sure after that. It will depend on the room temperature. If the room is hot, I wouldn’t keep them out long or I would try placing them on a plate that’s been in the freezer.
We found that if you kept them out for a couple of hours, they did get a little soft, but not unbearably so. I personally like the chocolate kind of crunchy around the soft PB, so we just keep them in a container in the fridge.
Oh – my mom makes peanut butter balls every year! I was diagnosed with Celiac a few years back and it just never felt like Christmas without them. Last year was the first year she attempted GF PB balls – I ate them all…in a week and a half…and it was a double batch. I wish I were kidding. Part of me hopes that she made them this year too but my waistline hopes she didn’t!
These are right up my alley! Can’t wait to give these a try this holiday season – I know they will be a winner with my family!
I CANNOT BELIEVE you just posted this! I made pb balls yesterday but was needing a better recipe – just googled it this morning as I want to make a whole other batch! You are a mind reader! I also made your pumpkin gingerbread bars yesterday – loved them! I made a plain glaze but used sucanat to make the powdered sugar so it was a brown glaze which looked so perfect on this type of bar!
what would I do without your blog?????
Thank you AGAIN! :-)
I’ve never heard of peanut butter balls before, but these certainly do look delicious! Looks like they have an amazing texture, and of course the pb-chocolate combo can’t be beat. Can’t wait to try!
Oh em gee! Peanut butter is my favourite food on the planet, but I just got a bunch of almond butter…would I have to adjust the recipe in any way if I wanted to use almond butter instead?
I have just discovered your blog and it is giving me so much hope! I have tried to make the transition to a plant-based diet a few times and was unsuccessful because I felt like I had to give up all of my traditional favorites. You are giving me so much hope! Thank you for writing.
I’m so happy to hear that Kate! I found a slow and steady approach (rather than all at once) worked for me. Good luck with your transition!
I think I just fell more in love with your website. . . if that is even possible! My favorite food combo ever, in healthier form!! YES!
Question. . . Do you have to use the crispy rice cereal in the mix? I think I would prefer to make it without. . .
Thanks for such wonderful recipes that grace my table quite often!
It’s totally optional if you don’t want to use it! I just love the crunch it provides.
Thanks for your lovely comments about the blog!
I like these better than your traditional peanut butter balls. The coconut is such a lovely addition!
Wow these look so great! I’m not the biggest peanut butter fan, long story, but I like it in little hits here and there. This seems like a great way to eat a ball (or two!) and give the rest away as a gift. Plus, coconut flour? YUM!
I’m dying by how delicious these look!! I’m going to have to try these for sure!!
I once mixed some honey into peanut butter, and it thickened up significantly in the jar. So that would probably work here too. Though depending on your opinion of honey’s vegan-ness, that might make it not vegan.
Please check the ingredients of the natural peanut butter when you choose one! Many of them have palm oil as an ingredient. The burning of Sumatra and Borneo’s rain forest for palm oil plantations is one of the leading causes of extinction rates in that area of the world
Hi Angela! This may be a goofy question, but did you mix by hand or with a mixer? Thanks!
Not goofy at all – I did it by hand.
Ah! I am so excited! My husband is from Ohio and thus has always had Buckeyes. I know they aren’t very healthy and I’ve been wanting to try something a little more healthy. These look perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for making and sharing this recipe!!! My family grew up making traditional and highly unhealthy peanut butter balls (2-3 cups of the highly processed peanut butter, 2 cups of confectioners sugar, 1 stick of butter!! Eek!) that I haven’t made in years since I stopped eating mainstream peanut butter and butter. (Is mainstream the right word??)
Anyway! I can’t wait to make these and I won’t even feel bad letting my 15 month old son have a taste knowing all the ingredients are so pure!
What a brilliant idea! I’m a sucker for a healthified dessert but these honestly look way better than those filled with powdered sugar. I would have to have some self control not to devour them all!
I haven’t heard of coconut flour. Is it easy to find?
What could I replace the cereal with? We dont buy cereal. If i use a cacao bar how much would u recommand?
Peanut ‘better’ balls – instantly justified ;)
These look so good! I have everything at home to make them except coconut flour. Do you have to use coconut flour or will another type of flour work? Thanks so much!
Ummm, when I get home from vacay, I’m TOTALLY making theseeeeee!!!
Thank you for this! As far as other sweeteners making it thick I have had the same experience with honey and even coconut sugar!
I of course can’t say for sure they will work the same but they do make it really thick as well.
Yum!
I am embarassingly excited about these.
But my poor itty bitty hometown sells no coconut flour. Anyone have suggestions on where I can buy it online (at a reasonable price?) in Canada?
Hilariously, I was eating a peanut butter ball when I came across this post! Except mine definitely had the heaps of icing sugar added. And also a cherry in the middle. So yummy…but I’ll definitely try your version next time I make them!
Hi Angela,
These look delicious! Would you believe peanut butter and chocolate isn’t really a thing here in Australia?! It’s madness.
I have a question for you actually. I have recently started a blog with recipes and such but what do you do with all the food?! At the moment I have failed granola (that still trays fine so I’m not throwing it out), a slice, an overnight oats test and coffe concebtrate all in my fridge and that’s with only managing to post a couple of recipes a week!
girl say what?! I can’t wait to make these, cannot wait!
These look delicious and super easy to make! I love that, plus they are great for on the go snacks!
I just made a coconut cacao vegan cheesecake but I will be blendering me one of your green drinks plus adding shots of wheatgrass (since I bought a organic hydroponic flat) and also making this recipe I always have copious amounts of products from WF my heaven. Well off to play with and taste your balls! Happy Holidays !!!
Angela , By the way I love the shoot with the Christmas lights. you rock !!!
Gathered all the ingredients for these puppies today! Indeed, Bulk Barn has organic coconut flour – which smelled so good I wanted to dive my head into the bin! I’ll let you know how they turned out. Stocked.
These are beautiful! I love that you froze them for a few minutes so you could make the fancy pattern on top :)
My family makes buckeyes every year, so I love the idea of a healthier version. I’ll have to give these a try!
Very excited to try these. A little skeptical. The full-of-sugar-and-butter peanut butter balls are my husband’s absolute favourite!
Did you find them to be tasteful? I found them to be a little bland.
Oh my… these sound like a party! I have a habit of swirling a bunch of cinnamon into my nut butter jars (any nut butter purists would probably hate sharing with me) so I’d totally have to add that to mine, but I love your addition of cereal! This one’s going in the sweet treats file! :)
I do not like coconut at all in any form–hate the smell and taste. Can something else be used for flour and oil? Thank you!
These sound great! Love the revised ingredient list! At what point does the rice crisp cereal come in? I didn’t see it mentioned in the step by step instructions.
Never mind! I see it now! Long day, eyes tired! :)
Oh thank you! I am originally from Ohio and we call these Buckeyes. (Due to being the Buckeye state). I have not made them the last few years due to cringing at all the butter and sugar. You are a rock star for making these quite a bit healthier! Thanks again!
Oh my Gaga. These look AMAZING!! I’m a total fiend for anything chocolate and peanut butter! Unfortunately, I’m in Asian until March and chocolate is crazy expensive (think $8 for something equivalent to a Lindt chocolate bar!). I don’t know how I’m going to wait that long to make these!
I’m always on a mission show people that vegan food can be delicious. For the past four years, I’ve hosted a vegan holiday party, but last year, everyone loved the non-vegan cake balls my friend brought. This year, I might make these and hope they will beat out the non-vegan cake balls! Wish me luck!
Our house is definitely a peanut butter house. Confession: I’ve never made any type of peanut butter ball, so these are definitely going to go on my list.
I just made these for a friend and it will take all my willpower not to eat them. I doubled the recipe and it worked really well. Mine certainly don’t look as pretty as yours do, but I bet they taste pretty good. I’m in the “freeze for another 10-15 minutes” stage right now!
These look so good! Might need to make them but try almond butter or cashew butter…I bet they’d be almost as good :)
These are so stunning. Ahhh <3
Brilliant idea with the maple syrup! I am going to try these babies out tomorrow!! :)
These look so good. Thanks for “healthifying” -if that’s even a word- yet another favorite. I made your Magical Coconut Bars yesterday for my Xmas baking platter. They turned out delicious – so much better and healthier than the original!
Oh my goodness this recipe is brilliant! I liove that you figured out how to make them without all the powdered sugar.
Looks delish! Peanut butter + chocolate = pure bliss! Thank you for sharing your recipe :)
Thanks for the great christmas treat recipe. I will be making these soon! How did you get such a beautiful background in your photo? Is that your christmas tree?
It’s some lights I have on some branches :)
I was looking for a dessert recipe to bring to a potluck on Friday, and I think this just may be it (but with soy nut butter instead of PB)! I was also eying your lightened up magical coconut bars though… decisions, decisions. ;)
Made these today and used agave instead of maple syrup and it thickened up nicely. I was looking for a peanut butter recipe to make for my Grandad for Christmas and this is definitely the one! Thanks Angela :)
So glad it worked for you! Thanks for letting us know.
These look awesome . Which brand of coconut oil do you use?
When do you add the crispy rice?
end of step #2
Like another person said, it must be fate. I have had a package of Bob’s coconut flour in the pantry for a while and haven’t even opened it. Today I will. I don’t have the “right” kind of chocolate, but I have other chocolate… and now I have plans for today.
This seems much better and tastier than the original idea! Who doesn’t love maple?
I was thinking of using almond flour instead of coconut flour in this recipe. Any idea how this would react?
I made these last night for an office “treat exchange”. Yours is the only blog I trust enough to immediately make a recipe for an event without a trial run. Your recipes always turn out great the first time! This was easy, quick and delicious.
Would I be able to make my own coconut flour by finely grinding shredded coconut in a coffee grinder/food processor?
I believe that would make coconut butter
Angela, Just wanted you let you know that I made these this morning (with a few substitutions) and wanted to report back what worked for me, in case anyone else was looking for a swap.
– I used 3 medjool dates in place of the maple syrup (stuck the dates in the food processor with peanut butter and pulsed away.) It seized up like syrup does.
– In place of the coconut flour (my husband is not a fan), I used finely ground salted peanuts (almost flour consistency). I also added two more tablespoons of crispy rice cereal.
The ‘dough’ came out perfect, just like a normal buckeye would. Not greasy, sticky, or too dry. Perfect to roll between the palms of your hands.
I also tempered my chocolate (same brand of chocolate chips) instead of adding in coconut oil. I used the method via David Lebovitz’s website. The chocolate set up beautifully around the little balls in about 30 minutes at room temp, so no need to freeze/refrigerate. :) Thanks for your awesome recipes, inspiration, and beautiful photography. (And sorry to hear about your tree mishap on Instagram. :( )
Ehrmagherd, buckeyes! (That’s what I grew up calling them, at least.) I loooove these, but I’ve been avoiding them due to the usually prodigious amounts of butter and sugar — so to say the least, I’m pretty effing thrilled that you’ve created a health-ified version of one of my all-time faves. :)
These look amazing, and I can’t wait to try them! I love the Christmas lights in the background of the photos!
so delicious!! that sounds nothing compared to your sweet peanut balls!
Oh my. New family tradition alert!
I just made these and had to comment how delicious they are! I love buckeyes and a local cafe makes a vegan version that is delicious but I love knowing these are a healthier version.
And for the people that don’t like coconut, neither does my fiance and he didn’t even notice there was anything coconut related in these! Yummm
OMG Angela, I made these tonight… maybe I should have waited closer to Christmas… not sure how I will make them last that long. I stored them in my garage freezer hope that helps :). thanks for the awesome recipe and so easy to make, unbelievable.
Hey there you Angela, well idea I wonder if there is some kind of natural vegan food dye, how festive that would be incorporated into some of your desert recipes maybe some red and green colors to give it pop! have no clue what im babbling but if it reaches you then I hope you no all feedback I give should be received with good intent. Happy Holidays. I turn 34 tomorrow, im still young!!!
Oh my…these were seriously SO yummy :)
Perfect timing! I too grew up eating buckeyes and have missed them so much. I was just contemplating making buckeyes with vegan butter and the gf Rice Krispies but I will make these instead! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the recipe!
Wow! These look so delicious, healthy, and simple… I may have to add one more thing to my Christmas baking list!
I made these today with the intent of taking them to my office holiday party tomorrow. I do hope they make it – we’ll see. They are so very yummy!
Angela, have you tried Crio Brü? It’s roasted cocoa beans, ground and brewed like coffee. I do mine in my French press with a peppermint tea bag, some almond milk, and a tiny bit of coconut oil. Crazy delicious. I am in no way affiliated with them, but I really like the beverage and thought you would enjoy it as well. Consider this my Christmas present to lovely you.
I am going to make it for my mom…Thanks …
Oh my gosh! my mother in law brought peanut butter balls to our house at thanksgiving and it was NOT GOOD FOR MY WAISTLINE. I will not put in writing how many I ate… I cannot wait to make these! Today or tomorrow! Will report back!!
You just read my mind… I’ve been researching for the perfect vegan pb ball recipe all week and right before I am heading out to get my ingredients I decide to read a few blogs… You never let me down ;)
I made these yesterday and they were really tasty. The peanut butter part was a bit dry (disappointing!) and I think it was because my peanut butter was a bit on the dry side. I’ll definitely make these again and make sure the peanut butter part is not so dry. Thanks for these, Angela!
Hey Lorissa, Yes the consistency of the PB can drastically effect the outcome. Mine was quite drippy. Did you use all-natural PB? If your PB seems very thick and dry you might even be able to get away with skipping the coconut flour all together. Hope you have better results next time! Enjoy :)
I actually used two different kinds of peanut butter. Both were organic and the only ingredients were peanuts. One was drippy and the other was very dry. I knew as I was mixing that it was too dry and I should have omitted the flour, but never having made the recipe before, I wanted to follow it exactly. Anyway, they’re delicious and now I know for next time. Thanks again!
made these last night. Easy to make and turned out fabulous!!! Thanks!
Just so everyone knows, this WILL work the same with no-stir peanut butter. Normally I prefer the just-peanuts stuff, but I picked up a jar by accident at the store and thought, what the heck. After a good mix, it looked just the same as in your pictures above. Thanks for posting this yummy, simple treat! I have a batch chilling right now that my gluten-free friends will love this holiday season. :)
So glad it worked out for you! Thanks for letting us know. :)
It’s a pity your Rafflecopter giveaway is only available for people who participate in social media. Those of us who avoid Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook are left out. And I can’t even post my comment on that blog post, because no comments are accepted.
Loved making these!!! Super easy! I found the fork idea didn’t work very well for spreading the chocolate at the end. So I poured the chocolate into a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the tip. It drizzled the chocolate a lot better! Can’t wait for them to get out of the freezer!!
Okay, I made them, and they ARE delicious (despite forgetting the salt). I must have made them bigger then yours, because a double batch yielded about 28. Hehe…I can’t wait to bring them to work.
Yum! I’ve noticed the same thickening effect when using liquid coconut nectar in some recipes, so I’ll give that a try (here in Malaysia coconut blossom sugar is waaaaay cheaper than maple syrup). When I make peanut butter balls or cups I add in some ground flax to thicken it. I like the mealy texture, it reminds me of Reese’s cups. I’ll give coconut flour a try too!
These are heavenly! Total crowd pleaser and definite A+!!!
These look amazing! Coincidentally, I’m currently in my kitchen surveying a total truffle-chocolate-dipping mess — that’s of course not necessarily a bad thing, but I’m trying to figure out how to be a bit more efficient (and get more chocolate on the truffles and less on the counter =P).
Do you have any tips on how to dip truffles with the least waste of chocolate?
I’ve just made these to take home for Christmas, they are amazing!!
It is not terribly helpful to see “Gosh, oh golly. This sounds delicious” comments!! Not at all helpful. A suggestion to comment when recipe has actually been completed and tasted would actually be helpful to a person who would like to try the recipe.
If you’d like to see the recipe reviews, go to the last page of the comments. Those are most recent. Hope this helps!
I love your recipes and I think you are a magician! You inspire me to be creative and love cooking healthy food! Plus, you’re pictures are gorgeous! I can’t wait to make these peanut butter balls! Do you happen to know the calorie count on these?:)
Hi Angela! I absolutely adore your blog and have been searching for a recipe to make for Christmas. I think this might be it, as I found some coconut flour at our organic store (which is generally badly stocked) and thought: it’s a miracle, it’s a sign!! Now I was wondering, is it possible to leave out the cereal? Or substitute it with oats? Zurich is still new to gluten free lifestyles and does not provide as many things as America has :(
Yes you can certainly leave out the cereal – totally optional. I’m not sure about adding oats. I guess that depends on whether you like raw oats or not! Enjoy :)
I just made these today! They are delicious. I had one mishap though – I had rolled all the little balls and was ready to dip them in chocolate, when I realized I had forgotten to add the cereal! So, I dumped all the balls back in the bowl and stirred it up and added the cereal and made all the balls again. Whew! They are still wonderful!
Made these with my 3-year-old this morning. We sampled just 1 since we are freezing the rest for Christmas. So, so, so good! We both loved them. (And let’s be honest, I may have to sample another since we have a few more days to go until we celebrate!)
I made these this morning. Very good. Thanks for the treat that I don’t have to feel too guilty indulging in.
I made these tonight, used honey instead of maple syrup because peanut butter and honey is one of my all time favorite combos. The texture of these is AMAZING, and I love that they aren’t super sweet like other peanut butter chocolate recipes (3 cups powdered sugar?!)! My 4 year old son sampled one tonight and said “YUM, can I have some of these with my dinner?!”! Thank you so much!
Made these yesterday. AMAZING! Followed the recipe perfectly except for using honey instead of maple syrup (not vegan I know…). Any who, amazingly delicious. Thanks OSG!
Hello Angela,
I made this today and it came out OK. But the mixture was too dry and crumbly. I use organic peanut butter from the bulk section (where you grind your own). It was nice and thick. Maybe it didn’t need and coconut flour. As you mention in the recipe, it firmed up well after mixing with the maple syrup. I was contemplating whether to add the flour as it was already firm.
Thanks,
ps. The Kale salad that you posted during thanksgiving was a hit at my friends Thanksgiving Dinner. That was the only dish that cleaned out!
OMG! These are heavenly. These will now become an annual Christmas treat.
My husband took a few of these delicious balls into work and decided to enter them into their (very informal) Christmas Party Bake-Off and won first prize! Ha! Now he’s been requested to bring in more for everyone to try! Ha! Thanks so much for this yummy treat!
P.S. I made some that were big and some that were small and I liked the smaller ones. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio was more to my taste. Just something to consider. :)
Made these last night, so delicious! Thank you!
Since I was a kid, we’ve always made chocolate peanut butter squares with crispy rice cereal, topped with chocolate – and recently it’s been my one concession to powdered sugar because I couldn’t think of a way to get the same effect with healthier sweeteners. I think you’ve done it! I’m going to try making this recipe into bars today. :)
WOW, made these and they tasted even better than the traditional sugar, butter-laden recipe!! My peanut butter was not very runny so used 1 TBSP of almond flour. Also, used Suzanne’s Organic Maple Rice Nectar instead of maple syrup. Thank you for this amazing and improved recipe makeover. Happy holidays, Angela!
OMG, I have been trying to make a spin on reece’s for Christmas for my awesome Husband and have failed miserably…I just made these, and they are AMAZING. You saved the day again!!!
I made these tonight, but substituted semi-sweet (Enjoy Life) because that is what I had on hand. All I can say is YUM! These are amazing! Thank you, Angela. Another winner to give to my carnivorous family.
Just made these…they are so simple and absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing and Merry Christmas!
I just made these, they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! They remind me of the PB balls my husband’s aunt always gifted to us during the holidays when she was alive. Thank you SO much for the delish alternative and I adore the subtle coconut flavor.
BTW, I substituted coconut nectar for the maple syrup and it worked perfectly :)
Tried these today with carob instead of chocolate. They were wonderful!!
I made these this weekend and they were a huge hit! Just to let you know since you mentioned not knowing if another kind of PB would work, I used Jif Natural PB which has minimal ingredients, but isn’t only peanuts. They turned out just fine and were quickly devoured!!
My family and I made these today during our annual cookie baking extravaganza. We make buckeyes every year, but decided to try to make them a bit less naughty this time around by using your recipe. My sister and I were FLOORED by how delicious these were. They seriously taste better than the full-sugar version. Amazing recipe, and so easy! Awesome job!
Would it work to use regular flour in place of coconut?
Hi Larissa, I think someone commented saying oat flour worked for them. I haven’t tried anything else myself though.
i like this very much healthier version using organic ingredients, maple syrup from local producers to sweeten, coconut oil and flour, mineral rich sea salt and good dark chocolate. i use Scharfen Burger 70% and love Bob’s Red Mill. i want to try these with some local honey in place of part of some maple syrup, sweet rice flour, maybe roll them in something crunchy like chopped toasted pepitas? yummy!
… or an almond version with almond butter and flour and rolled in chopped toasted almonds or crushed up salted maple almond toffee? that is candy packed with REAL health benefits! i can get behind that. lol! now i wonder… when i can crank out a batch? possibly for New Year’s. thanks for the inspiration, Martha!
I whipped up a half batch of these this morning (I only had half a cup of organic peanut butter left!) and oh my, we are in love with them! I replaced coconut flour with ground almonds (that’s all I had) and used agave syrup, but what a success! Thank you for a lovely recipe. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
The syrup really worked its magic in thickening up the p.b., however the coconut flour left a gritty texture, which in my opinion made them taste terrible! Next time if I ever do try again I will run my flour through my blender first. Hope this might help someone else from making the same mistake as I made!
Hi Amy, Sorry to hear that about the texture! Just curious – did you make the flour yourself or use a certain brand? I’ve found the brand I use (Mums original) is very finely ground and not noticeable. Hope your next trial goes better!
These are amazing! I made them in 15 minutes flat and you weren’t kidding when you said if you can wait to eat them until they’ve set up in the freezer you win life! Another winning recipe – can’t wait for the book to come out!
haha glad I’m not the only one who can’t wait that long! Thanks for your kind words!
I have been making something similar to this only I use sun warrior warrior blend vanilla protein instead of coconut flour, and coconut nectar instead of maple syrup. I don’t usually cover them in chocolate (and i have to sub carob because i’m breastfeeding) but I mix in carob chips so they’re like cookie dough protein balls…. so good ! I use the food processor to make them.
also– I think that maple syrup + pb probably thickens up like that because it’s adding something acidic to something creamy, like how you can add ACV to soy milk to make an egg replacer, or when you add lemon juice to tahini to make dressing it gets really thick- same concept :)
YUM! I also know these as Buckeyes and they have always been my favorite. I made this recipe using just one tablespoon of AP flour and it came together great. I didn’t have the cereal, so I left it out. These are really good! Even my husband likes them and he usually hates anything I try to make healthier. I highly recommend them!
Made these yesterday, they were a hit! I omitted the flour completely and added more maple syrup and used ancient grains granola (cascadian farms brand) for the cereal, adding more than 6 tbsp for extra crunch. They were so good I’ll definitely be making more this weekend!! Thanks for this recipe!
Angela, I absolutely love your blog! It’s beautiful! And your recipes are amazing!
A little sea salt on them before they are cooled off really makes them pop. I also used almond butter and they we very delicious!
My boyfriend made these for me yesterday, and they’re absolutely fabulous! I’ve nearly eaten them all already! Instead of of coating them in chocolate, he used homemade chocolate. Thank you for a great recipe, one I can enjoy without any itchies/other allergic reactions :)!
I made these for my son’s birthday, and everyone loved them. To make them even healthier, I used peanut flour with a splash of molasses and water, instead of oily peanut butter, and they were perfect. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Yummm these are AWESOME! I made them without the rice cereal, and they turned out great. I also made them much smaller than Angela, so I had to use a bit more chocolate chips to cover all of them. Really fun recipe!
You can’t fool me, these are buckeyes! Yum. I’m in a lazy mood, so the no bake version is perfect. And it sounds like it’s secretly healthy or something if you call it raw. Yay! I’m ready to eat now :)
I’m addicted to these!! I’ve made 2 batches already, they’re the perfect snack to have in my freezer. I love your blog, make at least one of your recipes a week and can’t wait for your book to arrive!
Do these need to be kept in the refrigerator or freezer after the initial freezing? or can they sit out?
These were a winner for our family Super Bowl party. Not overly sweet and the crispy cerial gave it a lighter feel. Your website is definitely my go-to place when I want to try new recipes that don’t disappoint. Thanks :)
I did try these with all natural almond butter and honey! A little change for the ones who want to try this. I had to add more coconut flour. I don’t know the exact amount. I also put my almond butter balls in the freezer for about 10 minutes before dipping them in the chocolate to help harden them and keep them together. They taste fabulous!
We just made these. We substituted peanut butter for almond butter (1 cup) and maple syrup for agave nectar (2 tbs). It worked perfectly! Thank you so much! They are divine!
Made these today – super yummy and yes, hard to resist eating before they are finished! I mixed in some almond and cashew butter with the peanut butter. Thanks for the recipe!
Was out of the rice cereal; subbed oatmeal. Still super yummy! The kids said they taste like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!
I am newly transitioning to vegan and your blog is so helpful. Especially for things like this when I want an old classic but don’t know what the vegan substitute could be. Thank you!!!!
You are a vegan genius! Everything about these are heaven. I followed the recipe to a T and actually doubled the batch. My non-vegan family devoured them and was none the wiser. Once they were gone, I told them I used ground peanuts (no sugar) and no powdered sugar. They were amazed!! Thank you for all of your recipes…its a keeper!
I just made this recipe. I used 85% Cocoa dark chocolate without the coconut oil.
I had the chocolate over my face, all over the kitchen cabinets, and over the floor but I managed to make 15 of these treats – one for the Chef :) Absolutely delicious! Thanks for this recipe.
By the way, great site for two relatively new Vegans.
Yet another delicious recipe from you! These are so good and so easy, and of course, healthier than their traditional alternative. Thanks again!
Made these yesterday and the whole batch disappeared in less than 3 hours. My family is already asking me to make them again!! Fantastic recipe!
I made these for Valentine’s Day and was blown away at how they tasted exactly like the chocolate covered peanut butter Easter eggs my Nana used to make. Tried to veganize her recipe a few years ago with little success but these were spot on! So pleased to share this recipe with my family and make some eggs at Easter time!
Also altered half of the batch by adding crumbled vegan oreo style cookies. Oh. My. Yum. Definitely takes them out of the “better” category, but those were to die for.
Wonderful!
Could anyone taste the maple syrup? How about the coconut?
Not a fan of either, so I just want to purely taste the chocolate and peanut butter :).
Hi Angela:
I made a half batch of these on the weekend and they were unbelievable!! Better than the pre-made peanutbutter cups that are available for purchase :) I am surprised that I didn’t eat them all in one sitting they were so delicious!!
If you can believe it, I did find them a bit sweet and am planning to make them again but without adding the maple syrup.
Thanks for all the beautiful pictures and tasty recipes – love the blog and your book!
Susan
My family LOVED these!! The first time i made them i did exactly like you said, the next time i changed it a little. I subbed the 6 Tbsp of rice cereal with 3 Tbsp Oats and 3 Tbsp Chia. It was so yummy as well! I love your website, and usually turn to you for help on what to make for meals!
I have so enjoyed your enthusiasm and creativity as you encourage all of us in healthy eating options!! Congratulations on your book and expected little addition to your family!! We used to made peanut butter bars for our now grown 5 kids and I added Raw, Brown, Sesame Seeds to the peanut butter mixture for a bit of crunchy texture, probably similar to the rice crisp cereal. I had to try your recipe for old time sake, yummy! Thanks for the memories!!
I just made a double batch of these today (for a party) and they are fabulous! I can’t wait for my guests to try them! I made some modifications that worked very well too… I used smooth sunflower seed butter–which was pretty runny to begin with, and already had a little salt and sugar added— so I only needed about half of the maple syrup and coconut flour your recipe called for, to get the right consistency. Right before I set them in the freezer, I sprinkled a few grains of medium-coarse sea salt over the tops, which is a wonderful combo with the dark chocolate! Thank you for sharing!!
Angela- I just made these today for the first time and we all love them!!! Thanks so much for the recipe- you’re right- you can’t tell that they don’t have all of the sugar of traditional P.B. balls.
I never leave comments but I made these and they were AMAZING! They contain wonderful ingredients and are a lot better than any store bought vegan junk. Even my parents enjoyed them and they kind of hate everything vegan or semi healthy. Thank you for this wonderful, delicious recipe!
I just made these – delicious! And I don’t feel so guilty.
I didn’t have any coconut flour on hand so I just mixed in flax powder. Still seemed to work just fine for me. Thank you for another great treat!
My three kids love this recipe! Adding the maple syrup to thicken up the peanut butter is genius. Thanks so much.
Peanut butter and I have been on a break recently…I can’t imagine that will last long now that I’ve found this! Holy yum. Can’t wait to try these!
Do you know the nutrition info on this? I am wondering if these would be a good option for fattening up my underweight boy.
I just made these and they were AMAZING I had to brush my teeth to restrain myself from eating them all right now! Haha Thankyou!
These are in the freizwr there now. Some preliminary comments:
1. Picking them up with a fork to dip into the chocolate did not work. The fork broke them apart. I found what worked instead was simply dropping them into the chocolate, using a spoon to roll them around, and then lifting them with the spoon onto the plane.
Two. The amount of chocolate chips and coconut butter recommended could not make enough chocolate sauce to dip the balls into. I don’t know, maybe I need a super small pot. Anyway, what I did instead was drop the balls into the pot, and then roll them around to pick up the sauce.
3.because they were so messy looking when I was done, I did not bother with the drizzling… It would not even show! Instead what I did was I scraped the peanut butter mixture off the bowl, mixed it into the leftover chocolate and are it off the spoon. If this is anything like the balls will taste, I am happy indeed!
Same thing happened to me, except I had enough chocolate with some leftover to dip bananas in and freeze.
Your way sounds smarter than mine re: the fork didn’t work. I just picked them up and rolled them around with my hands- definitely will try the spoon next time!!
Yummy! I followed this recipe almost exactly. Wasn’t sure if the rice cereal was gluten free, so I did substitute chopped peanuts for the cereal and used rice flour instead of the coconut flour. Didn’t think 1 cup of peanut butter would be enough for 16 balls, but it amazingly was. Served it for dessert and everyone loved them! I will need to make these weekly. It’s a nice chocolate treat to satisfy anyones sweet tooth craving.
Where does the cereal come in???
Hi Angela! I made these a while ago and loved them, and in the process got a hairbrained idea to swap out some of the peanut butter for chickpeas. To my surprise, it was a huge hit! I tweaked the filling a little more and recently made mini peanut butter cups and posted about it this week. I credited you as the inspiration for the recipe, so thank you! :) Hope all is going well in your pregnancy, so exciting!
How long do these keep for? and do you keep them in the fridge or freezer
Thanks!1
Hello Angela,
I mixed some amaranth pops into the chocolate coating because I didn’t have rice crisps at home. Turned out very nice and crispy.
My boyfriend doesn’t like peanut butter, so today I will replace it with hazelnut butter. I hope that will work out just as good as the peanut version.
I discovered your blog a few months ago and it became my favorite vegan food blog.
Thank you for all the fantastic recipes on the blog and in your book.
Best regards from Germany,
karoline
I made the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites from Oh She Glows today. They are delicious! I’m always so busy so I doubled the batch so that we can just grab a few whenever. I love that they are a “no-bake” dessert too! I’m making these Peanut Butter Balls tomorrow. My sister-in-law always makes the regular version at Christmas, but there’s so much sugar in them. Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes.
These were great, and a very versatile recipe. I substituted almost every ingredient and they still came out great. I used what I had around, so regular no-mix (crunchy) PB, fake maple syrup, garbanzo bean flour, and cocoa krispies. I think it would have been better with regular rather than crunchy PB, but the difference was minor. I’ll definitely make these again!
Whoever first put peanut butter and chocolate together, was an absolute genius! I just made these using mostly peanut butter and 1/4 cup almond butter. Also, I didn’t have any coconut flour, so I used almond meal/flour and it worked great! Perfect texture for rolling and they taste amazing!
It adheres to my teeth so much, but tastes not bad
These are absolutely amazing! I followed the recipe exactly, and they came out perfect. Next time I’m going to throw a little shredded coconut and crushed almonds in the chocolate before I dip the balls and see how that does. My husband is not a fan of sweets, but he was obsessed with these. I will be using this recipe all the time!
I made these today,turned out pretty good. i had to place my peanut butter mixture in the fridge for a few minutes so that i could roll them into balls.That worked great. tastes good!
Hi! Is there any othe kind of cereal you tried or a substitution for it? Thank you!
Anything crunchy would probably be ok. You could even use cereal flakes (like bran) – I would crunch them up in a plastic baggie and maybe add half the amount so it isn’t too dense.
I’ve made these over and over again, and they’re always a hit. I’ve used slightly different variations based on the ingredients I have or haven’t had on hand, and they’re always great and make everyone swoon. So simple, so perfect. Five stars, without a shadow of a doubt.
I just made these for my niece’s Halloween party today !! In the freezer right now !! Thanks for the recipe.
AMAZING! This recipe made me look like a total CULINARY DIVA! Thank you so much. Delicious, easy and gorgeous. What could be better?
I used “old fashioned” peanut butter from the big box grocery store and didn’t need the flour.
The hardest part was not eating them all before the company arrived.
I’ll be back!
As a gluten free/vegan college student, THESE ARE FANTASTIC. The no-bake makes them perfect for dorms, and they’re a delicious treat when it’s so hard to find good GF/V desserts. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, except I microwaved the chocolate and I substituted coconut oil with Earth Balance, and it was incredible and worked just the same.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. These were always my favorite treats as a kid, and now I can eat them again on my new diet restrictions!
These are awesome!! I have made them several times with carob chips instead of chocolate. Nom nom
Fabulous!!! I made them with honey. Ended up not needing much coconut flour. Yum yum yum! Aren’t you clever how you figured out a consistency for the insides. I’ve made them for neighborhood kids for Halloween. Thank you!
These turned out amazing! My husband loves Reese’s and I’ve managed to wean him off, thanks to you. Your recipes are so simple and yummy; I’m hooked!
Just made these….and they are wonderful :) I added a bit of freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon to the filling, and also added a sprinkling of sea salt on the tops before the chocolate cooled. Delicious! Will be making these again for the holidays…what a great use for the rando-bag of coconut flour in my pantry!
Flawless recipe! Just made a triple batch for a tree-trimming party at a vegan friend’s house tomorrow. Fancied some of them up with toasted coconut garnish, others with fancy sea salt, and a few with hot smoked paprika. Be gone, powdered sugar!
I really wanted to love these, but I feel like something is missing in this recipe. Perhaps it was the texture and not enough sweetener. Maybe I should stick to healthy savory dishes. I’m glad others had better success than I did.
Made these tonight w/almond butter. They were really good! What did you use to make the chocolate swirl design? I tried drizzling with a spoon and it didn’t come out as neat.
I was wondering if I could use regular whole wheat flour instead of coconut flour, just because I can’t find any at my store for a good price and I’m not gluten-free anyway. Would that change the taste too much or does anyone think that would work fine?
I didn’t have ‘true’ coconut flour. I had bulk shredded coconut flakes that I threw in the old Magic Bullet for a few seconds and voila. Used that and it worked just fine.
Just made this little delights! I subbed agave syrup for the maple syrup (tablespoon for tablespoon) and spelt flour for the coconut flour. I had to use about 3.5 tbsp of the spelt flour, but they worked out! Yay
Just made these! I think I ate half the PB mixture before they made it to the freezer. I am being completely honest when I say I like these better than the original. Thanks for the recipe and happy holidays!
I’ve made these twice so far and I’m making them a third time this weekend for my family Christmas party! I’m sure you can tell by now how much I love them. YUM!!!
Hi, do you have any idea what could be used instead of the rice crisp cereals? We don’t have anything like that around here, I don’t even know how they’re supposed to look like and taste.
Thanks, Camelia
I made these following the recipe exactly and took them to a work brunch. They were the first dessert gone, everybody loved them. I shouldn’t have told my husband there might be leftovers for him!
I just made these with regular all purpose flour and they turned out great! I used two TBSP. May have needed a smaller pot for the chocolate, however, as there really wasn’t enough for dipping. I was able to use a spoon and drizzle it on little by little.
I just have to say I love this recipe and use it often!
Such an attractive looking dessert to bring along or serve guests, quick to prepare and SO delicious! I make mamy of your recipes very often and this is in the top 10!
These are some of my absolute FAVORITE clean treats. I don’t have coconut flour so I use oat flour. You can also do these as bars – it’s not as messy and you don’t waste any of the chocolate. ;-)
Hi there, I’m about to make these! Do they freeze well? :)
These look amazing! Definitely want to try for Valentine’s Day!
Hi Angela,
I adore your book and your website – thanks so much for all of the great recipes! For the coconut flour, can you blend shredded, unsweetened coconut in a VitaMix, or would that make more of a purée?
Thanks,
Heather
Yay!!! I used to gobble these as a child! So excited to try a healthier version I haven’t had these in years!
I think i missed the part in the instructions where I am to add the rice cereal. Help?!
Nevermind… Long day ;(
Have made these several times. So addicting, the trick is to not eat them all at once!! My wife and I love your book too! Everything we have made out of it has been delicious. Thank you!
Can you substitute almond butter
Do you think you can substitute the maple syrup for honey ?
I used Greek honey which worked great. And I also added a bit more coconut flour to the mix and put the rolled balls in the freezer before coating them in chcoclate so that it was easier to work with.
They are decadent. I have made the PNB Balls and they turned out amazing for Valentine’s on Saturday Feb 14th and I can’t wait to show them off to my husband. I mailed a small package of the pnb balls to my daughter who lives in Collingwood and she called to tell me they are soooooo good. She is my inspiration when it comes to cooking vegan. I can’t wait to try more recipes in the cookbook.
In addition to the detox tabbouleh, we made these yesterday. Also awesome! I love the crunch of the GF rice crispies in the peanut butter, and you were right, it starts out runny and gets thicker after mixing with maple syrup. Weird! We didn’t have any dark chocolate, so I just melted some Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chips. Perfect! Thank you for sharing!
do we keep the balls in the freezer?
Loved these! I tried using organic puffed quinoa instead of the rice crisp cereal, and they turned out perfect! :)
These look delish :) Is there another option other than coconut flour?
I have four young children so making these into peanut butter balls AND dipping them into chocolate was sometimes a challenge so I have finally figured out I could doubl the recipe, put it in a 9 x 13 pan and then just put the chocolate over-the-top and let set- fabulous! Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Yum! These sound absolutely wonderful!
These have been getting me through late afternoon, late evening chocolate cravings this winter.
Made them again and I have to say it’s one of the simplest, yet most satisfying sweet treats!
Thanks!
Thanks for the recipe! What would you recommend doing in terms of making these a day before they are to be served? Do they freeze well and how long do they take to thaw?
Ooh, I love the idea of substituting with coconut flour! I’ll have to give that a try with my favorite childhood recipe. It didn’t use powdered sugar, but used powdered milk and wheat germ.
I just made these last week with sun butter instead of peanut butter (nut allergies). Worked great!
I made these last night and they turned out awesome! I used Greek honey (which is thicker than regular honey) instead and it worked just fine. After rolling them into balls, I found that putting them into the freezer to firm up before coating them in chocolate made them much easier to work with. Another great recipe, thanks Angela!
Amazing! I will make these again :)
Hi Angela! : )
I know you wrote this a few years back, but I wanted you to know that I just made a double batch of these this morning, and they turned out wonderfully! I really wanted a low sugar buckeye recipe, so I was happy to try this one. My husband and I were happy to taste the peanut butter, since often the high sugar recipes taste more of butter and sugar than peanut : ) I also love how few dishes this takes, since we don’t have a dishwasher. (I measured the 2 cups peanut butter directly into my 4 cup measuring pyrex)
Anyway, thanks a bunch, and if you’re still writing, then keep it up!
-Gabby
I loved this recipe. I was missing some ingredients so I added chocolate flavored protein powder and cocoa powder instead of coconut flour and added toasted coconut flakes and chopped pecans instead of the rice crispies. It came out just great. I froze them and they hardened and had the texture of a chocolate truffle. Putting the cocoa powder in saved me the time to dip them in chocolate. Next time I’ll be sure to get the missing ingredients and try the original recipe. Thanks for a great healthy recipe, can’t wait to try some of your others.
I know I’m late in the game here, but I made this recipe yesterday and it was amazing!! So easy to make and insanely delicious!
I can’t get over how healthy this recipe is, such a great idea to use coconut flour! These sound delicious, anything with PB and Chocolate is… I love the name of these too! So clever! :) hehe
Made these tonight without crispies (I like smooth peanut butter balls) and chocolate out of maple, cocoa powder, and coconut oil since I didn’t have vegan chips. The batter is like eating Reese’s filling! So good.
How disappointing that I found this recipe via your oil-free recipes tag, yet lo and behold, oil is one of the ingredients. :(
These were a super big hit, simple and delicious
Loved this recipe! Going to make another batch to take home this Christmas. I’m wanting to add bourbon or whiskey. Other recipes add they bourbon to the peanut butter mixture. Do you think this would be best, instead of adding it to the chocolate?
These tasted amazing! Biggest problem is that they were too runny to stick a fork in an dip and instead i rolled them in the chocolate and ended up with ugly blobs with chocolate pooled on the bottom. Is there a way to make the chocolate thinner to make dipping easier? Also I used 2.5 tablespoons of coconut flour, should I have used more?
At what point do you add the rice cereal? Did that step get skipped in directions?
NM! I see it!
As a child we would make chocolate covered peanut butter balls, we called them buckeyes. They were a favorite of mine so I attempted them with my kids last year. I became so disgusted with the amount of powdered sugar in them that I could finish making them. So I was thrilled to find this recipe and made them this year for Christmas. They are incredible and just as decadent as the buckeyes I made as a child without the excessive amount of sugar.
I just made these using the peanut butter that you grind at the store and they were way too dry and falling apart. I did not use any flour. I added extra maple syrup but hesitated to use too much more because I was going for low sweetness. The resulting creation tasted wonderful though. I’m going to use the jar kind next time. Thank you for the recipe.
I just made these this weekend for easter! Everyone loved them! I was luck to get away with two more at the end of the night for my own enjoyment! <3 Great recipe! SUPER easy to make with and excellent payoff!
So happy everyone enjoyed them, Shelli! Happy Easter. :)
I made this wonderful recipe on the weekend and they didn’t last more than two days in our home! I have a sensitivity/intolerance to chocolate so I substituted with carob chips and they turned out perfect. For an added sweet vs. salty factor, I sprinkled a little pink Himalayan seat salt (also what I used in the peanut butter mixture) on top before putting them in the freezer and it was amazing! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Lea, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe (they don’t last long in my house, either)!
Hi all!
Just wanted to share my “substitutions” to this recipe, which worked out SO well. First, I doubled the recipe and it only made about 15 balls, so that’s number one. Double everything, lol.
For sweeteners, if you don’t love the taste of the maple syrup, try honey. I used half maple and half honey.
Then, I subbed chia seeds for the crisped rice, but when doubling the recipe, just use 1/4 cup of chia seeds, as they expand in the mixture.
And finally, for the chocolate, I used unsweetened cacao, which by itself isnt good but when on the cookies, yummy!
A healthier modification!
Thanks for sharing, Kristen!
Made these bad boys with Sunbutter and honey, no rice crispies and mct oil instead of plain coconut oil with the chocolate. It was all we had in the house BUT still delicious :) boyfriend approved!
these are so damn delicious. My favs. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
<3 I will be making these, I have saved the recipe, thank you :)
Can I freeze these?
Hi Stacey, You sure can! The balls can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for about a month.
Oh my goodness. This recipe was a home run!! I added a little extra PB for my peanut-butter-loving family. The slightly gooier texture made it harder to dip the balls into the chocolate on a fork, but it was so delicious that I willingly used my fingers and got a bit messy.
My family has always had a bit of an aversion to trying “healthier” versions. For Christmas yesterday, I gave some of these to my mother, who has been addicted to Reese’s peanut butter cups for YEARS. This morning she told me that she threw out all of the Reese’s in the house because “they just don’t taste good any more”. Thank you SO much!! This one’s a keeper. :)
These look great! Can you substitute with almond butter to make it healthier? Have you tried that? I try to avoid peanut butter even though they look amazing! Thoughts?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tried that substitution myself, but a number of readers have and had success. If you want to go nut butter-free, you could also try using sunflower seed butter instead. If you try a swap, please report back and let me know how it goes. :)
Gorgeous!! I added 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp maca, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence, yumm!
What can be substituted for coconut flour?
Hey Hannah, I haven’t tried it, but I do think you could use a bit of all-purpose flour (just add it very slow so as to not dry them out). I think I’ve tried oat flour (maybe 1 tbsp or even less) and it worked out okay. The amount you’ll need to add will depend upon how “wet/runny/oily” the PB is. If it’s on the dry side you may not need any at all. I hope this helps!
Hi, I absolutely love the idea of skipping the icing sugar. I have a family favorite Peanut Butter Ball recipe that I have not seen elsewhere. All the Peanut Butter Ball recipe use Rice Krispies. The recipe I grew up with and no one in the family will do without at Christmastime does not have Rice Krispies rather it has dried cherries and more. This is my recipe :
¾ cup peanut butter
1 cup Icing Sugar
1 cup coconut
1 egg
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates or cherries
½ tsp salt.
And of course the melted chocolate
Lately I hesitated to make the recipe because of the egg that is not cooked. But this is a family staple and I can not not make them.
This year, I made it with an egg substitute (water, vinegar and soda) And it is not the same. I wish I had found this recipe beforehand. Am I wrong in thinking that the egg is for holding everything together. Do you think I could adapt my recipe with yours and
and add the walnuts and cherries instead of the Rice Krispies?
Hey Gaetane, Thanks for sharing your family recipe! So interesting. Yes, I totally think you could add walnuts and cherries…that sounds lovely. Let me know how it goes if you try it out. The main thing with my recipe is not to add too much coconut flour (it’s drying)…sometimes depending on the consistency of my peanut butter, I don’t need to add any at all. EnjoY!
Thank you so much for your feedback. I mentioned this to one of my sisters and we plan to try to take our recipe and adapt our to yours .
Maybe for Valentine? We do need an excuse to indulge :)…
I will let you know how they came out. We all would be so happy if we could do without the raw egg.
I’m wondering if the egg is used with the powdered sugar to make a meringue type froth that is part of what’s holding it up / giving it the body. If that’s the case, I’d try aqua faba and ditch that extra sugar! ;)
I made these with cashew butter. They turned out excellent!
Yum!!! I love that twist Brenda! Did it remind you of cookie dough at all?
Do you think PB2 would work in this recipe?
Hey Michelle, that’s such a fun idea, but I’m not sure. PB2 is quite powdery, right? I think the whole recipe would need to be adjusted (especially to add moisture). if you try anything please let me know how it goes!
Based on playing with it, this is my best guess… it would work the same as regular peanut butter, but, if I was going to use it AS the full amount of peanut butter, I’d make it thicker, and omit the coconut flour, maybe 2:1 instead of 3:1 (called for on the label). It does work to thicken your peanut butter up, instead of using coconut flour, so that’s an option. And you could use a combo of pb powder with cocoa powder to roll the balls in, if desired. (and you can add cocoa powder to the filling, as well. This does work, I tried it, and it was delicious!)
I altered the recipe a bit, so reporting what I did. I used peanut butter powder instead of part of the coconut flour. This worked superbly. I also didn’t feel like the mess of melting chocolate, so I chopped the chips in the mini food processor and rolled the balls in the chopped chocolate. This was awesome, as well! Excellent recipe! Totally a make again!
My husband loves the peanut butter chocolate squares we make every Christmas, but we’ve switched to a plant based, no oil diet and all the butter and confectioner’s sugar is just not going to cut it any more. So I’m looking for a new recipe and found this one. It looks like it might work with the Maple syrup and I was going to take coconut flakes and grind them in the coffee grinder for the coconut flour. But the Rice Krispies cereal – we don’t buy. So I wondered what I could use as a substitute? And I plan on making squares and not balls, as I usually do with a layer of chocolate on the top, then cut up after they’ve been refrigerated. So the Rice Krispies are the only thing holding me back. [g] Maybe I’ll just break down and buy a box.
Hey Liz, you can omit the rice crisp cereal if you’d like or if you prefer a bit of a crunch you can add some finely chopped nuts. Hope you enjoy them!
Have I missed something? Where do add the rice crisp cereal? 🙄
Hi Jean, Just after you stir the PB mixture for a minute or so. Hope this helps!
You had me at “like the baking diva you are”. Can’t breathe because I’m laughing so hard. Oh you bet Im going to try these now! Thanks for the laughter and recipe. Neither can be underestimated!
Take care! Sarah
haha so glad it brought a laugh!!
I am going to try this with pistachio butter, and may try a more neutral liquid sweetener (probably Lyle’s golden syrup).
These are home made Reese’s PB cups. For all the rolling and dipping it is not worth the effort. Maybe mixing in crackers for crunch, or dried fruit in the middle for interest would make it special.
My hubby, who calls anything breakfast food that can take 2 tablespoons of PB on it and could be called penautbutterholic was not impressed.
I actually reduce the maple syrup by half and these are still so yummy. Thank you for all of the great recipes.
I made these treats for a vegan friend… Used Trader Joe almond butter instead of PB, added nutritional yeast from a different-but-similar recipe, and left out the coconut flour: it was not needed, and I would’ve had to buy a big sack of it. Really appreciated the magic that happened when I mixed runny nut butter and runny maple syrup, stirred a bit, and they turned into something as firm and workable as Play-Doh.
I just finished making these awesome Easter Eggs for the second year in a row. Everyone absolutely loved them last year and have requested them again. I did not added the coconut flour as my peanut butter (Kirkland Natural Creamy Peanut Butter) from Costco, has no sugar or salt added and it is really thick once the maple syrup is added. Actually, I added a touch more maple syrup because it was a little too dry. They turned out perfect. Thank you Angela for another great recipe. Happy Easter!
I used brown rice syrup and it worked fine!
I’ve made and shared these a few times now, always with great results and feedback! The crispy rice tends to stop being crunchy pretty quickly, however. Best eaten fresh, but I love saving some in the freezer for when I want a treat! :) Much better & healthier than regular peanut butter cups!!
These are great!! Thanks. I only used 2 tbsp of maple syrup and ZERO coconut flour and I left the rice crisps out too. I had to firm my PB balls in the freezer for about 30 mins before dunking them into the melted chocolate. Yum yum yum! Easy to make.