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Make the best buckeye candy recipe with just 5 simple ingredients and no chocolate tempering required. The buckeye balls have a delightful peanut butter flavor with a delicious chocolate coating.

overhead of buckeye candy arranged on a round white plate

OH…IO! Buckeye candy is synonymous with the state of Ohio. These peanut butter and chocolate confections resemble the nut of the Buckeye tree, the state tree of Ohio and mascot of The Ohio State University.

Ironically, the nuts of the buckeye tree are poisonous. I promise these candy confections are perfectly edible. This is the best buckeye candy recipe loaded with irresistible peanut butter flavor.

It pairs perfectly with the outer chocolate coating. I prefer to use chocolate melting wafers instead of baking chocolate or chocolate chips.

Chocolate chips don’t melt very easily and baking chocolate needs to be tempered in order for the coating to set properly.

Melting wafers contain additional cocoa butter to help stabilize the chocolate so tempering isn’t necessary.

If you love peanut butter, give my peanut butter balls, buckeye brownies, and no-bake peanut butter bars a try next!

Why this recipe works

You don’t have to cook this candy the way you would with peanut butter fudge.
The confectioners’ sugar holds the dough together and allows it to be formed into balls.
This recipe does not require paraffin wax or chocolate tempering, which means it is doable for bakers of all levels.
The sugar-free, salted commercial-brand peanut butter helps the dough hold its shape and prevents the cookies from being too oily.

This is the best buckeye candy recipe. The resulting confections look so fancy, but are really easy to pull off with minimal skill and few ingredients.

Close up of buckeye candy on a white plate with a bite taken out so the inside is visible

What you need

This recipe is so easy. It only has 5 simple baking ingredients. Let’s discuss just a few of the key ingredients:

Ingredients

This is a short overview of the ingredients I used and why I chose them. The full recipe can be found at the bottom of the post!

Peanut butter: Use commercial-brand peanut butter, which is salted and unsweetened. Do NOT use natural peanut butter because the candy will not hold its shape.
Butter: Unsalted sweet cream butter works best.
Vanilla: This adds a sweet, woody flavor and aroma to the candy.
Sugar: I used confectioners’ sugar in this recipe. I would NOT recommend substituting with any other type of sugar. Your candies will not turn out.
Chocolate: I prefer chocolate melting wafers for coating the exterior of the balls.

Equipment

This is a list of tools I used to make the recipe.

Toothpicks: These are used as handles for dipping the buckeye balls into chocolate.
Baking sheet: I used a baking sheet for holding the buckeyes during the preparation process.

How to make buckeye candy

1. Make the peanut butter balls

Mix up the buckeye recipe dough and shape it into balls.

peanut butter candy filling in a glass mixing bowl

peanut butter balls with toothpicks sticking out of the top lined neatly on a baking sheet

Beat the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until smooth. Then, add vanilla extract and confectioners’ sugar.
Then, beat on low speed until sugar appears moistened. Increase speed to medium and continue until combined. The dough should look thick like cookie dough.
With a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place the balls on a prepared cookie sheet.
Then, press a toothpick into the top of each ball and chill in the freezer until firm. This should take about 30 minutes.

2. Dip peanut butter balls in chocolate

Give your confections the buckeye ball look by dipping them in chocolate.

peanut butter ball being dipped into bowl of melted chocolate

buckeye candy neatly arranged on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Now, add chocolate melting wafers to a heatproof bowl. Then, set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir constantly while melting chocolate. Remove from heat when melted.
Use the toothpick as a handle for dipping the buckeyes. Then, dip each ball individually in the chocolate.
Make sure to leave a part of the dough bare to get the buckeye candy look.
Return dipped cookies to the cookie sheet. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prior to serving, remove the toothpick and smooth the hole with the back of a spoon.

Jen’s best tips

Do not substitute any other type of sugar for the confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) in the buckeye recipe. This type of sugar works best for shaping the dough. Other sugars will leave the dough with a gritty feel.
Weigh the ingredients! Precise measurements are very important for these candies.
If your dough feels sticky or too soft, add powdered sugar to reach the ideal consistency for rolling.

overhead of buckeye candy on a white plate with a bite taken out of one

Storing & Freezing

To store: Cover the buckeye balls tightly and store in the refrigerator for no more than 2 weeks.

To freeze: These balls freeze well. Freeze the balls for no more than 2 months.

First, freeze the balls on a baking sheet. Then 1 hour later, transfer them into a zip-top freezer bag.

More fantastic peanut butter recipes

Yum! I love baking with peanut butter. Check out some of my other favorites:

Buckeye Recipe

This delightful buckeye recipe doesn't require paraffin wax or chocolate tempering! It's needs just 5 simple ingredients and can be made well in advance.

Jen Sobjack

Prep Time 25

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 25

Serving Size 46