Christmas Cookie Series: Buckeyes

 I was born in Ohio, the "Heart of America" (I never understood that slogan until I realized Ohio is a crude heart shape), and while I didn't stay long- most of my family has been in the same general area for as long as they have been my family! When you are from O-hi-ya there is this engrained love of tradition and all things Buckeye- after all, Ohio IS "the Buckeye State"!

If you do not know what a Buckeye is, or you think it is simply the name of the Ohio State Mascot, you need to read about the history of the Buckeye Tree. People collect the trees nuts either for luck or to make crafts with-my sister Lindsay has a lei made of buckeyes! And probably the most delightful form of Buckeyes are the special ones that were found at every holiday gathering when I was a child!

Being a lover of traditions, I started making these tasty little morsels with MY kids! Every time we make Buckeyes I tell the Herdlings how much I loved them when I was little. Buckeyes are just one of those things that scream Christmas time for me.

Making these candies is not at all hard- a little time consuming, but very simple. That's right- I called them a candy! Because that is what they are in my opinion. I know this is a COOKIE series- but it's also about some of my traditions, and Buckeyes top the list! They are the perfect thing to get the kids involved in, and for us carrying on the tradition is very heart warming!

Now- my Aunt Gayle would cringe, as I do not use the traditional recipe that our entire family has used since the start of Buckeye making. I tweaked it just a little, which is kinda frowned upon- but my little family unit is crazy about my version so it is what I continue to make.

There are some things you do not mess with- one of those is my grandma's applesauce cake. But the Buckeyes were fair game. The traditional family version was way too sweet for me. The recipe you are about to feast your eyes on is a lot more like a peanut butter cup- but in ball form!

 Gather your ingredients:

2oz cream cheese

1 jar of smooth peanut butter

1 cup of graham cracker crumbs

3 cups powdered sugar

10 table spoons of unsalted butter (melted)

bag of chocolate chips( I use milk chocolate- some folks out there may prefer a darker chocolate)

Place the cream cheese and the jar of peanut butter in a large mixing bowl

Beat until smooth, creamy and uniform in color.

Add the graham crumbs and mix just until blended in.

Next toss in the powdered sugar and melted (and slightly cooled) butter into your bowl.

CAREFULLY blend the mixture. I do a little by hand before using the 'ol kitchen aid to avoid wearing most of the powdered sugar. Once the threat of flying sugar dust is gone, beat until your heart is content!

The mixture should be dry and crumbly.

I use a small cookie scoop to make all cookies- so they are uniform in size and there is no fighting over who gets the bigger cookie! 

Scoop out little balls of peanut butter dough and place on a cookie sheet or cooking rack that is covers with foil or wax paper- use what you have laying around the house.

This is the best part for the kids! After they wash their hands, let them roll the scoops of dough into balls. Even my four year old gets into it. (We handed the two year old a clump of dough and he popped the whole thing in his mouth! So much for his help!!)

 

Once the balls look uniform (and spherical), pop them into the freezer- trust me, this is a critical step in getting them out of the chocolate bath in one piece.

After the Buckeye insides have firmed up, pour your chocolate chips into a bowl and heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each heating. Once everything is melted- you are ready to dip those nekkid peanut butter balls and turn them into the glorious candy we call Buckeyes!

Take out a handful of peanut butter balls at a time- only what you can dip before they warm up too much. Insert a tooth pick into the top of a peanut butter  ball and dip it in the melted chocolate. Some folks only dip half, some cover the entire thing (which is still just a peanut butter ball!). To be a true Buckeye, there should only be a slight peek-a-boo of peanut butter at the top of your buckeye- so it looks like the actual nut from the buckeye tree.

 

I swirl the buckeye around a bit to get the extra chocolate off, then push the candy off onto the wax paper. There will be a hole from the tooth pick, and maybe a dent from your finger. That is ok! The trick is to reserve one or two nekkid peanut butter balls to fill up these holes, like edible putty!

The frozen centers allow the chocolate to harden quickly- but if you are in a hurry you can put your tray into the freezer for a few minutes too.

And that is it. The most sacred of traditions in my family at Christmas time. Made by the tray and gifted out to all of our friends, enjoyed for an evening treat and even as a side dish at breakfast (don't judge!)