Chocolate covered peanut butter balls
With Valentine's day right around the corner I thought of posting something romantic…What is more romantic than Chocolate?? So I picked chocolate covered peanut butter balls.
These balls costume little time and lots of patience but trust me you will be proud at the end(I do not about others but I am proud after I am done) …. Give it a try.. Good luck and Happy Valentines Day in advance!!
2 cups creamy low sodium peanut butter
2 tbsp spiced rum(Strictly optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered or confectioners sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup of roasted skinless peanuts
Now add vanilla extract and rum(if using) to the peanut butter mixture and give it a good stir.
Add powdered sugar little at a time and keep stirring with a rubber spatula to incorporate the sugar into the peanut butter mixture. Once the mixture starts to form into a dough use your hands for mixing. Keep adding the sugar till the mixture has the consistency of a stiff dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the dough into small lemon sized balls and place on the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours(so that the peanut butter balls will firm up).
Place the peanut butter balls in the freezer for atleast an hour before dipping in chocolate as it will make dipping easy.
Step 2
Crush the peanuts into small pieces. The way I do this is to seal the peanuts in a ziplock bag and smack them with a rolling pin. Take them in a bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Take the chocolate and chop up into almond sized pieces as shown in the picture.
Add half the chocolate and half the oil to a microwave safe bowl. Now melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 2 minutes and stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula every 20 seconds. It might take from 1 to 2 minutes depending on the power of the microwave. So it is very important to stir the chocolate every 20 seconds and melt till the chocolate is smooth, shiny, and completely melted. Check the instructions below for melting the chocolate in a microwave.
Once the chocolate is melted pour it into a smaller(and deeper) bowl.
Step 4
Take half of the peanut balls out of the freezer.
Step 5
Line another baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Line up the topping ingredients.
Dip the
balls, one at a time, in the melted chocolate, making sure the entire ball is
coated with chocolate. Then, with two forks, remove the
peanut butter ball from the melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to
drip back into the bowl. Place the dipped peanut ball on the baking sheet and sprinkle with crushed peanuts on the top.
Step 6
Once half of the balls are dipped in chocolate place the baking sheet in the refrigerator.
Step 7
Repeat step 3, step 5 and step 6 for rest of the chocolate and the peanut butter balls.
Let the chocolate dipped peanut balls sit in the refrigerator for couple of hours until the chocolate is set. Store in airtight container for 2 to 3 week shelf life.
The most critical part of melting chocolate in the microwave is choosing an appropriate container. Choose a microwave-safe bowl that remains cool or only slightly warm after several minutes of continuous microwaving. I use the corningware bowl which is perfect for melting chocolate.
If you have overheated your chocolate, immediately pour it into a cool bowl add chunks of unmelted chocolate, and stir continuously.
The times for melting the chocolate vary from microwave to microwave but rough estimate would be 45 seconds to 1 minute for 1 ounce of chocolate, 2 to 3 minutes for 8 ounces.
Do not forget to stir the chocolate every 20 seconds while melting.
Ingredients
2 cups creamy low sodium peanut butter
2 tbsp spiced rum(Strictly optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered or confectioners sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
For Topping
16 ounces semi sweet chocolate2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup of roasted skinless peanuts
Method
Chop the butter into pea sized pieces. Take peanut butter and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for a minute, stirring the mixture for every 20 seconds, till the mixture is soft and little bit runny.Add powdered sugar little at a time and keep stirring with a rubber spatula to incorporate the sugar into the peanut butter mixture. Once the mixture starts to form into a dough use your hands for mixing. Keep adding the sugar till the mixture has the consistency of a stiff dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the dough into small lemon sized balls and place on the baking sheet.
Assembly
Step 1Place the peanut butter balls in the freezer for atleast an hour before dipping in chocolate as it will make dipping easy.
Step 2
Crush the peanuts into small pieces. The way I do this is to seal the peanuts in a ziplock bag and smack them with a rolling pin. Take them in a bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Take the chocolate and chop up into almond sized pieces as shown in the picture.
Once the chocolate is melted pour it into a smaller(and deeper) bowl.
Step 4
Take half of the peanut balls out of the freezer.
Step 5
Line another baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Line up the topping ingredients.
Step 6
Once half of the balls are dipped in chocolate place the baking sheet in the refrigerator.
Repeat step 3, step 5 and step 6 for rest of the chocolate and the peanut butter balls.
Note
Always use a good quality chocolate for melting. The first and foremost rule while melting chocolate is to avoid any contact with water.The most critical part of melting chocolate in the microwave is choosing an appropriate container. Choose a microwave-safe bowl that remains cool or only slightly warm after several minutes of continuous microwaving. I use the corningware bowl which is perfect for melting chocolate.
If you have overheated your chocolate, immediately pour it into a cool bowl add chunks of unmelted chocolate, and stir continuously.
The times for melting the chocolate vary from microwave to microwave but rough estimate would be 45 seconds to 1 minute for 1 ounce of chocolate, 2 to 3 minutes for 8 ounces.
Do not forget to stir the chocolate every 20 seconds while melting.
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