Make These Quick and Delicious Candies, Inspired by The Buckeye Nut!

Growing up in Northeast Ohio you become very familiar with a few things. You hear the phrase “Lake Effect” and freeze in your tracks. Our weather changes as quickly as a blink of an eye. You support the Cleveland Browns no matter what, you drink pop, and Cleveland is the city of Rock and Roll! You also know when someone gets out the peanut butter and chocolate it’s time to make Buckeyes, those tasty morsels that are impossible to stop eating!

Buckeyes are a delicious mix of butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar formed in a “dough” and then dipped in chocolate! After the Buckeyes are all complete, they resemble the Buckeye nut from the Buckeye tree, Ohio’s state tree.

Though the original Buckeye recipe is really delicious, I always like to try to elevate a recipe. Using maple sugar, you can give your Buckeye candies an amazing unique flavor without losing the essence of the original recipe.

To make this recipe you need to gather some ingredients. You will need 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, 1/2 cup butter (we use unsalted), softened, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Also gather 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup maple sugar, and 2-3 cups milk chocolate melting wafers. The traditional recipe uses semi-sweet chocolate but using a good quality melting milk chocolate compliments the maple touch.

Be sure to use good-quality maple sugar for your recipes. If you have a local source for maple products, that is even better. Maple sugar does cost a little more, but it has become a staple in our kitchen. We use it a lot in bread baking, cookies, and even a little sprinkle in some hot tea!

This recipe comes together very quickly, and easily. Start by mixing together the smooth peanut butter, softened butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and maple sugar. You are going to be forming an almost peanut butter dough to make the centers of your Buckeyes. You can mix by hand, use a mixer, or even use your food processor on a dough setting.

If your dough is too wet, you can add a little bit of powdered sugar. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of peanut butter. You want the dough to hold in a ball shape after forming.

After your dough is all mixed, it’s time to form the balls or centers of your Buckeyes. I like to use a cookie scoop to make my Buckeyes a consistent size. You want to use about a tablespoon of mixture per Buckeye. Form the tablespoons into balls, and place them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment.

When the balls are all formed, take a toothpick, and put it down the center of your Buckeye center. This will help with dipping your Buckeyes in chocolate. Place your cookie sheet into the freezer for about an hour to allow your Buckeyes to harden.

Just before you take your Buckeyes out of the freezer, melt your chocolate using your favorite melting method. Pull the Buckeyes from the freeze, and dip them into the melted chocolate. You only want to dip the Buckeye 3/4 of the way into the chocolate. This is what gives your candies the Buckeye nut look! If you notice your toothpicks starting to fall out while you are dipping, place the Buckeyes back in the freezer for a little bit to harden back up.

Place the dipped Buckeyes back on the cookie sheet to harden. Carefully remove the toothpick from the Buckeyes after they have hardened. You can use a knife or your finger to gently cover the hole left by the toothpick. Take a step back and look at the amazing candies you just created!

Buckeye candies can be kept for up to 2 weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. I guarantee though, these Maple Buckeye candies won’t last that long!

Celebrate Ohio, and the Buckeye tree by making this twist on the traditional Buckeye recipe!