Lifestyle March 24, 2021

By: Anna Baun

No Bake Peanut Butter Balls – 5 Simple Ingredients

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No bake peanut butter balls are the easy and sweet snack recipe everyone in your family will love! Made with creamy peanut butter, semi-sweet or dark chocolate and pretzels, I dare you to have only one!

I am a sucker for Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs. They are by far one of my favorite easy dessert recipes. And, who can resist a peanut butter and chocolate combo? Not us!

We follow a very similar recipe when making these no bake peanut butter balls. They are the bite size treat everyone in our family loves.

What’s better is these chocolate peanut butter balls are so simple to make, require no baking, are fun for the whole family and are very verstile.

You’ll note below, you can either melt the chocolate in the microwave, stove top or, if you have an Instant Pot, you can also use it as a double boiler.

The reason I like the Instant Pot as an option is it keeps the chocolate warm without burning. When I use the microwave, I find I have to warm the chocolate up a few times to keep it creamy.

ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO MAKE NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

While we chose to make these easy no bake peanut butter balls with creamy peanut butter, semi-sweet milk chocolate, a bit of powdered sugar and pretzel bits, there are so many other great ingredients you can include to suit the taste of everyone in your family.

Here are just a few of our favorite ingredients to include:

Rolled oats or granola bits
Chia seeds
Rice Krispie
Dried cranberries or rasins
Cookie dough
Andies Mint Bits
Sea salt
Ground flax seed
Shredded coconut
Dark chocolate or white chocolate as opposed to semi-sweet milk chocolate
Crunchy peanut butter, almond butter or your favorite nut butter
Graham Cracker crumbs

… just to name a few!

Also, peanut butter balls are a great treat to seve during the holiday season. We added a drizzle of natural peanut butter to a half dozen of the peanut butter balls to give them a bit of extra flavor – and make them pretty :).

However, you can also decorate these easy peanut butter balls for holidays such as Halloween, Chirstmas or New Year’s by adding sprinkles, holiday colored icing and so much more! This recipe is reader favorite all year long!

TIPS FOR MAKING NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS:

This easy recipe will make closet to 2 dozen chocolate peanut butter balls depending on the size of each ball. I used a small 1-inch ice cream scoop to ensure each size was relatively equal. Also, be sure to roll in your hands until all the sides are even.

To ensure you get an even coat of chocolate all over the peanut butter balls, I used a toothpick and tilt the bowl slightly on it’s side when dipping into the chocolate.

When you are ready to dip the peanut butter balls in chocolate, I recommend ensuring the balls are cold or frozen. The choclate will adhere to the peanut butter much better when doing so. Also, when they are cold or frozen, the toothpick you use for dipping will remain in place.

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is why we use shortening in the recipe? The shortening will help thin the chocolate just a bit so you don’t end up with such thick melted chocolate. If you don’t have shortening, you can also use coconut oil.

CAN YOU FREEZE NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS?

Yes, absolutely! In fact, that’s how our family likes them best. Layer in an airtight container with wax or parchment paper and freeze up to 2-3 months.

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INGREDIENTS FOR NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS:

1 16-ounce jar creamy peanut butter (you can also use natural peanut butter or almond butter, if preferred)
3 cups powdered sugar
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (sometimes I will mix milk chocolate with semi-sweet – it just depends on how sweet your family might like them)
3/4 cup pretzles, broken into smaller pieces
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon shortening
Top with white choclocate drizzle, sea salt, peanut butter drizzle, sprinkles and more!

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS:

In the bowl of your mixer, add peanut butter, powdered sugar and melted butter and mix until all ingredients are well combined and looks like dough.
Add pretzel and continue to combine.
Using about a tablespoon and a half of dough, form 1-inch peanut butter balls and place on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper or wax paper.
Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to allow the peanut butter balls to harden before dipping into the chocolate mixture.
Melt chocolate and shortening in a small mixing bowl in the microwave.
After 15-20 minutes, remove the peanut butter balls from the freezer, dip into the melted chocolate covering all sides. NOTE: To assist in the dipping process, use a toothpick at either end. Also, tilt the bowl with melted chocolate on it’s side to assist with covering all sides evenly.
Place dipped peanut butter balls onto a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Place in the freezer for 30+ minutes to allow the chocolate to harden. The thicker your chocolate, the longer you may need to allow to freeze.
Serve and enjoy!
To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5-6 days or in the freezer for 2 months.

TO USE YOUR INSTANT POT TO MELT THE CHOCOLATE:

Pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot.
Place a heat safe bowl on top of the liner. The bottom of the bowl should just fit inside of the Instant Pot.
Place the chocolate and shortening into the bowl.
Select the ‘Saute’ function and stir the chocolate regularly as it starts to melt.
Follow all other steps above.

LOOKING FOR OTHER DELICIOUS RECIPE IDEAS? HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES:

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