Hang on Sloopy!

I traveled for the holidays this year to my home state of Ohio.  For those that don't know, the state tree of Ohio is the Buckeye, and it is the mascot of "THE Ohio State University" where almost 65,000 students are enrolled.  The Buckeye is also a fantastic confection that supposedly originated in Ohio (makes sense) and is made and available all over the U.S.  It features one of my favorite flavor combinations, chocolate and peanut butter, and is very simple.  You can find a Buckeye recipe very easily by googling, and there are a lot of variations.  I prefer my buckeyes to not be too sweet so if you prefer more sugar, feel free to add it.

Buckeyes
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 1/2-5 c. powder sugar
4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1.  In a large bowl, mix together mix together peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powder sugar.  The mixture is going to look really dry to you, but it isn't too dry.  Just roll the mixture into balls about 1" in size.

2.  Place the rolled balls on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.  Press a toothpick into the top of the balls (these will help in dipping the balls).  Chill in the freezer 30 minutes until firm.

3.  Melt the chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently until smooth.

4.  Dip the frozen Buckeyes into the chocolate until partially coated, leaving a small portion of the peanut butter mixture showing.

5.  Put the Buckeyes back onto the cookie sheet, remove the toothpick, (you can fudge over the hole if you want to) and into the refrigerator and chill until serving.

Pre-dipped Buckeye

Dipped Buckeye

A lot of folks usually smudge over the hole left by the toothpick  with a finger moistened with a bit of water

These are a great treat to share, and a lot of people enjoy them.  This recipe makes approximately 60-70 Buckeyes (depending on the size of the balls that you roll) and it can easily be doubled.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!