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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Peanut Better Balls
Yield
16-20 balls
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
25
Total time
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.
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 rice crisp 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.
Tip:
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.
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!!