Buckeyes

I hesitate to share this recipe, as it is one of my specialties.  Being from Ohio, I grew up making buckeye candies with my mother.  The buckeye is the official tree of the great state and the candies are loved by all who enjoy the awesome combination of peanut butter and chocolate.  I mean, really, unless you are allergic, who doesn't love this combination!!  Every Christmas, I make family and friends tins filled with a variety of cookies and you can bet buckeyes are always included.  Recently, a friend requested me to make these, so I thought I would finally share the recipe.  These are wonderful, though time consuming.  When I first started using this particular recipe, it said that 10 minutes was all it took.  That is an utter lie.  This is a great recipe to make with friends when watching football or when you have time to kill.  Make sure you have plenty of space in your freezer, because these will dominate for a while.  They are great to make ahead of time as they freeze very well.  In fact, I normally store them in the freezer until they are ready to be consumed.

Here is my favorite recipe for buckeyes.  Enjoy :-)

Ingredients:
2 cups peanut butter ( I prefer Jiff )
1/2 stick butter softened
16 oz. powdered sugar
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate ( dark chocolate also works, but I would stay away from milk chocolate)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening ( I like to use Crisco )

Instructions:
1)  Line several baking sheets with wax or parchment paper.
2)  Beat peanut butter and butter until creamy.  Beat in powdered sugar until mixture holds together and is moistened.  Shape into 1-inch balls, place onto baking sheets, and freeze for 1 hour.
3)  Melt morsels and shortening in medium-sized microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute.  Stir.  If the morsels are not melted, microwave at 10 second intervals until the chocolate is melted.  Be careful not to burn the chocolate.
4)  Dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, leaving a small amount of the ball uncovered.  I like to use a toothpick so that I do not get chocolate all over my fingers.  Return the balls to the baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until the chocolate is set.  I like to keep them in a plastic container in the freezer.