Buckeye candy, AKA chocolate covered peanut butter balls, are the perfect easy dessert made from of the best marriage of ingredients ever – peanut butter and chocolate!
In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, Add the icing sugar one cup at a time until your desired consistency has been met. How much confectioners/icing sugar you use will depend on your peanut butter, your butter, the humidity in your house, ETC. Add enough to the mixture until it's a harder dough that you can roll, doesn't stick to your hands too much and will hold it's shape. The dough won't be that sticky, it's a dryer dough but should still roll into balls.
Roll the peanut butter dough into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Poke a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and place in the freezer until the dough very firm, about 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate chips with the shortening in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir the mixture frequently until smooth and all of the chocolate chips are melted together.
Dip the now frozen peanut butter balls into the hot melted chocolate by holding onto the toothpick. In order to make them look like real Buckeyes leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top as shown in my photos.
Put each Buckeye back on the cookie sheet. Remove the toothpicks and using your fingertip pat the top of the peanut butter mixture where the toothpick was and smooth it over so there isn't a hole anymore. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
Keep in the refrigerator and between layers of waxed paper to prevent sticking. You can also freeze these for 4-6 weeks.
Notes
use enough confectioners' sugar to make the dough the right consistency for you!