Peanut Butter Balls are a family favorite for a lot of families at Christmas! This is no exception for my friend Val and her family!
Meet Val
One of my favorite holiday traditions is making Christmas goodies with my family. Growing up I remember making Christmas cookies with my Mom and sisters and today I love baking with my kids. I love making Christmas cookie
plates as gifts and to bring to Christmas parties. So I start making, freezing and storing Christmas goodies right after Thanksgiving. Each week I try to make a couple different varieties of goodies so I have a diversity of goodies for my cookie plates. I also do this so I have enough to make it till the end of Christmas). One Christmas goodie that it seems inevitable that I end up making a few batches of is my family’s favorite – Peanut Butter Balls (affectionately known as Christmas Crack by my husband!)
Peanut Butter Balls
18 oz jar Creamy Peanut Butter (Many brands have decreased their jar size over the last few years so if you can’t find an 18oz jar you’ll be fine, but you might want to add an extra scoop of peanut butter to your recipe. If you live in Iowa, I personally know that Fareway still sells their generic brand at an 18 oz size.)
2 cups Powdered Sugar
4 Tbsp Butter, soften
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Chocolate Almond Bark, melted
Combine first four ingredients. The mixture should be able to stick and stay together, and at the same time not leave peanut butter all over your hands. Roll mixture into balls about the size of a quarter. Dip balls into melted almond bark. (If your almond bark is really thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to the almond bark to thin it out slightly but not changing the flavor.) Refrigerate or keep in cold storage.
***Chef’s Note***
I like to use a spoon to help cover each peanut butter ball in almond bark and then spoon the ball onto a fork to drain off excess chocolate before letting it set on a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.
If you are looking for some more Christmas cookie recipes, check out my Iowa Christmas Cookie Exchange that includes 16 different recipes to fill your Christmas goodie plate!
Note: I live in the community in which I grew up! I know a lot of people because I have one of “those” last names (or at least it was before I married T)..meaning, everyone knows my family and it’s rather large. I’m excited to have Val guest blogging today, who also shares of one of “those” last names. I haven’t known Val all that long, but I’ve know her in-laws pretty much my entire life! Val shares an enthusiasm for food & parenting that I do and those are some of the many reasons that I asked to her to be a guest this week!
Val blogs at “Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids” where she shares about life as a farmer, farmer’s wife, stay at home mom and volunteer.
Yummers. I used to make Buckeyes every year which are similar but without the rice krispies and an Ohio treat. 🙂 I am going to scale back the baking this year but will love to see what everyone else is making.
Those looks SO much prettier than when I make them. I like these with AND with out Rice Krispies. Peanut butter all around! 🙂 I won’t be making these this year or any sweets for that matter as everyone is trying to eat healthier before the wedding. 😛
I agree that they look awesome (much bettwr than mine do too)! Im looking forward to tryong these with the Rice Krispies…thats new to me!