Easy buckeye recipe

This easy buckeye recipe is the perfect no bake treat for peanut butter and chocolate lovers. Buckeyes are a great choice for game days or holidays when you need a tasty treat that doesn’t require too much time or energy.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my rum balls and my peanut butter whiskey balls recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my no bake desserts recipes in one place.

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Buckeye recipe

The very basics of buckeyes are peanut butter, chocolate and powdered sugar. This recipe has a secret ingredient that makes the creamiest and most delicious peanut butter buckeyes ever – cream cheese! Traditionally, buckeyes do not have cream cheese, but a small amount makes them utterly luscious.

What you need to know

If you love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, this is a recipe for you. The best part of these delicious treats is they do not require the oven. This is key during holiday baking time when the oven is full of cookies, or in the summer when you don’t want to turn the oven on.

A word about dipping in chocolate – I use dark chocolate bars, but you can use whatever you have or prefer. After the chocolate has been melted, let it cool slightly before dipping. If it is too hot, it will run off. It should ideally be just barely warm to the touch, not hot.

This honestly is the best buckeye recipe I have ever had. And, I’ve eaten a lot of them in my life. Making buckeyes is something that I grew up doing. We usually only make these in the fall, or around Christmas, although I think they should be enjoyed any time of the year.

Ingredients

• Peanut butter – Use your favorite brand of salted, smooth/creamy peanut butter.
• Powdered sugar – Also called confectioners sugar, or icing sugar, this sweetens the peanut butter mixture.
  • Substitutions: To make these low sugar, you can use a powdered sugar-substitute, like Swerve.
• Butter – Softened unsalted butter is blended with the peanut butter to form the base of the candy.
• Cream cheese – My secret ingredient. A little cream cheese gives these no bake treats extra creaminess and makes them the BEST homemade buckeyes you’ll ever have.
• Salt – Salt in dessert recipes helps to balance the sweetness.
• Vanilla – Just a teaspoon of vanilla gives the buckeyes extra flavor.
• Chocolate – The peanut butter balls are dipped in melted chocolate to make them look like buckeye nuts.

How to make buckeyes

Here’s a quick summary of how to make homemade buckeyes. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. If you use a tablespoon sized scoop, you will have 4 dozen peanut butter balls. 

1. Prep – Measure out all of your ingredients. Beat everything (except the chocolate) together. Measure out the ingredients before you start. Use your favorite brand of peanut butter, I used Skippy. Natural peanut butter is generally thinner, or runnier, than commercial peanut butter.
2. Scoop – Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to portion the peanut butter mixture.
3. Roll – Then roll in your hands to smooth them into round balls.
4. Dip – Using a skewer, or toothpick, carefully lower them into the melted chocolate, about 3/4 the way up the ball of peanut butter. Leave a circle of peanut butter on top, undipped.
5. Chill – Leaving them to set up at cool room temperature is preferable. If it is on the cool side in your house, leave them out on the counter to set. But, if you live where it is warm year-round, this may not be an option. To set the chocolate quickly, slide them into the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Buckeye candy

To smooth the top of the buckeyes, carefully pat the top with your finger, or the side of a knife, until the hole disappears. I used food-safe gloves to do this so I didn’t leave fingerprints. I will say this – most people, including me, don’t bother to smooth the top, especially if they are just for family. If I’m taking them to a party, I’ll smooth the top of the buckeyes to make them pretty. It’s your call.

This easy recipe for buckeyes candy requires nothing more than a bit of mixing, scooping, and dipping. It’s the perfect opportunity to get little hands involved – they can roll the peanut butter balls.

FAQ’s

Buckeye recipe variations

For some fun variations on the best buckeye recipe, here are a handful of ways to mix it up!

• Boozy – Add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter whiskey to the mixture.
• Dairy-free / vegan – To make them dairy free, omit the cream cheese and swap regular butter for vegan butter.
• Nutty – Use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth for a little crunch.
• White chocolate – Dip them in white chocolate for a variation on the original, or dip one side in dark chocolate and the other side in white chocolate for a “tuxedo” look.
• Extra chocolate – Add mini chocolate chips to the peanut butter mixture for a peanut butter chocolate chip buckeye.

Serving suggestions

• A mug of  hot chocolate and a buckeye or two was always a special treat around the holidays.
• Homemade buckeyes are a great addition to holiday cookie platters. You can find all of my cookie recipes here.
• They are the perfect addition to cookie boxes for shipping, because they will hold up without breaking. The only concern is melting, if they are in a warm climate.

Helpful tools and equipment

• Mini cookie scoop – This size scoop holds 2 teaspoons. Perfect for smaller buckeyes.
• Small cookie scoop – This scoop holds 1 tablespoon. 
• Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.

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Buckeye recipe

Cheryl Bennett

Quick and easy, this buckeye recipe is the perfect treat for peanut butter and chocolate lovers.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course No bake desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 4 dozen

Calories 95 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter 405g
• 3 cups confectioners powdered sugar / 340g
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temp / 113g
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ cup cream cheese softened (2 oz) / 57g
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 ounces dark chocolate I used 70% Lindt chocolate bars / about 1 cup / 170g

Instructions

 

• Cream peanut butter, cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth and free of any lumps.
• Add vanilla, salt and sugar to mixture, beat until combined.
• Using a 1 ounce scoop or tablespoon, scoop balls of peanut butter mixture and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Roll (in your hands) to smooth out and round. Set in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
• Break chocolate bars into small pieces, place in a microwave safe bowl. Put in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, put back in for another 10 seconds. Repeat in 10 second increments until chocolate is mostly melted (a few pieces the size of peas are ok). Stir and set aside. The residual heat will melt any tiny pieces of chocolate. Let it cool until the chocolate feels just barely warm to the touch. *See note
• Using a skewer or toothpick, pierce peanut butter ball and dip into the chocolate about 3/4 up the sides, leaving a circle of peanut butter undipped on top.
• Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Use the side of a knife or your finger to smooth over the hole on top. Let them set up at room temperature, if your house is cool, or slide them into the fridge for 30 minutes to set the chocolate quickly.

Notes

• I usually melt about 80% of my chopped chocolate, then add in the remaining 20% to help cool the chocolate down. Stir until it is smooth, and just barely warm to the touch.
• Tip: If you want a thinner coating, dip when the chocolate is warm, but not hot – it will run off. If you want a thicker coating of chocolate, let the chocolate cool more – chocolate will become thicker as it cools, giving you a thicker layer.
• If you have an 8 oz glass canning jar, this makes the BEST vessel for holding your chocolate to dip the buckeyes. It’s the perfect size, depth, etc.
• I used a small cookie scoop (about 1 tbsp.) to make these buckeyes. You may end up with more or less depending on the scoop you use.
• If you prefer to melt chocolate chips for dipping your buckeyes, use 2 cups of chips mixed with 2 tbsp. coconut oil. Chocolate chips are meant to hold their shape, they are not formulating for melting, so a little coconut oil helps the texture.
• The ideal temperature for storing chocolate is around 65°f, with low humidity. Most refrigerators are around 38°, give or take. Keep in mind that the chocolate may “sweat” when you take them out of the fridge. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 58mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3g

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Originally published 8/30/13, most recent update 8/22/25.