Peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies look like they came from a candy counter. What it takes to make them is considerably less fancy: a bowl, a spoon, and a microwave. No mixer.
The Rice Krispies are what set these apart from a regular peanut butter ball. They run all the way through the center, so under the chocolate shell there is a soft peanut butter bite with a little crunch to it.
These should taste like peanut butter balls with a crisp center, not Rice Krispie treats covered in chocolate. If what you really want is a pan of peanut butter and cereal that can be sliced into squares, use my peanut butter Rice Krispie treats.
Making These Ahead
If you’re making batches of different Christmas cookies at once, you can easily split making these over two days. Scoop and chill one day, dip them the next. Waiting actually helps, because dough that has been cold overnight rolls smoother and holds its shape even better.
Once dipped, they keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they freeze extremely well for longer storage. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Warm Peanut Butter Keeps This A One-Bowl Recipe
Peanut butter straight from the jar is too thick to easily mix with the butter and powdered sugar. Warming it for 30 seconds loosens it enough to stir everything together by hand, so you can leave the mixer in the cupboard and one more bowl out of the December sink.
I microwave the peanut butter for about 30 seconds, just until it stirs like a thick sauce. Once it is warm, the remaining ingredients can be mixed in with a spoon or spatula.
The Part That Trips People Up Is The Dipping
It is tempting to roll each ball perfectly as soon as the filling is mixed. But if you roll the balls while the dough is soft, it sticks to your hands instead of to itself.
I found the way to get around this is to scoop onto a tray first and chill until firm. It then only takes about a second a ball to roll the dough smooth and remove the flat bottom left by the scoop.
It’s the difference between a scooped mound and something round enough to dip.
When you’re ready to start dipping, rest a cold peanut butter ball on the fork instead of stabbing it with the tines.
Lower it into the chocolate, coat the top, then lift it out and let the extra chocolate drain between the tines.
Tap the fork lightly against the side of the bowl until the chocolate slows from a stream to a few drips. Then slide the ball onto the lined tray. This keeps the shell thin and avoids leaving a hole in the top of the finished candy.
Work in batches and rewarm the chocolate before it becomes a problem. Dipping three dozen balls takes long enough for the chocolate to begin cooling in the bowl. You will notice it first when the coating stops running cleanly off the fork.
That is the point to stop and reheat it for another 30 seconds. Give it a thorough stir and continue once it is fluid again.
The drizzle makes the finished tray look intentional, but that is not its only job.
It also covers small dipping marks, uneven spots and any ball that did not leave the chocolate quite as gracefully as it entered. Let the shells begin to set first, then drizzle across the tops in thin lines.
Three dozen hand-dipped candies do not need to be identical. They only need to look like they belong on the same tray, which is usually where these end up anyway, boxed up as gifts or set out next to a batch of Secret Kiss cookies on a cookie plate.
The Biggest Failure Point
If all you have is chocolate chips, they can be used but they need a little help. They are designed to keep their shape during baking, and that makes them thicker than melting discs once melted.
If your melted chocolate gets thick and lumpy and clings to the balls in globs, it is almost certainly chocolate chips.
Instead of using melted chocolate chips only, stir in one or two teaspoons of coconut oil or shortening, adding only enough that the chocolate falls from a spoon in a steady stream. If it drops in a blob, it will go onto the peanut butter balls the same way.
Ingredient Notes
- Standard Rice Krispies are not gluten-free, so use a certified gluten-free crisp rice cereal instead. Check the package rather than assuming all crisp rice cereals are made the same way.
- Use no-stir, creamy peanut butter. This is not the recipe for natural peanut butter that separates in the jar.
- Regular no-stir commercial peanut butter is consistent from the first scoop to the last. That consistency is what lets the filling firm up without becoming dry or crumbly.
- Melting discs form a better chocolate shell. Choose either milk or dark chocolate. They both work the same, it just depends on how sweet you want it.
Of course, you can serve these on a tray with other yummy bite-sized treats. Oreo balls, rum balls, chocolate cheesecake bites, and traditional peanut butter balls are great recipes that are delicious and easy to make.
Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups creamy peanut butter, Peter Pan brand (one 16-ounce jar)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal, lightly crushed
- 20 ounces dark chocolate melting discs (I used the Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting discs)
Instructions
- Line 2 large rimmed baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Heat the creamy peanut butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds or just until the peanut butter is melted and easy to stir.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the creamy peanut butter, unsalted butter, and powdered sugar. Stir until well combined and smooth.
- Gently fold in the lightly crushed Rice Krispie cereal, using a rubber spatula, until all the cereal is coated with the peanut butter mixture.
- Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop level balls until all the rice crispy mixture has been used.
- Place the baking tray into the refrigerator to chill the scoops for up to 1 hour or until firm. Once firm, lightly roll each ball in the palms of your hands to smooth the outer layer. This makes the dipped rice crispy peanut butter balls look better when dipped into the chocolate.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the dark chocolate melting discs. Heat on high for 1 minute, then stir. Heat another one to two 30-second intervals until the dark chocolate is melted and stirred smooth. Be sure to stir between each heating interval to ensure that you do not burn your dark chocolate, or it may seize up.
- Using a fork, carefully dip a rice crispy peanut butter ball into the melted dark chocolate and roll around to completely cover it in the dark chocolate.
- Using the fork, lift the dark chocolate-coated rice crispy peanut butter ball out of the bowl and gently tap the fork on the side of the bowl to allow any excess dark chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Using a second fork or toothpick, very carefully slide the dark chocolate dipped rice crispy peanut butter ball onto the second prepared baking tray. Repeat until all the rice crispy peanut butter balls have been dipped into the dark chocolate.
- To create a decorative drizzle on the tops of each dark chocolate-coated rice crispy peanut butter ball, use a spoon to drizzle some of the remaining melted dark chocolate in an ornamental pattern over the coated rice crispy peanut butter balls once the dipped balls have started to harden and set. This is a great way to cover any flaws from dipping and to use up any excess melted dark chocolate.
- Place the tray of dark-coated rice crispy balls back into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set and harden the dark chocolate coating. Once the dark chocolate coating has fully hardened, you can remove the rice crispy peanut butter balls and place them onto a serving platter.
Notes
- While the chocolate is still wet, you can use a toothpick to run along the bottom of each ball where the melted chocolate has pooled or puddled to create a clean line. Once the dark chocolate hardens, you will easily be able to snap off the excess dark chocolate from around the bottom of the rice crispy peanut butter balls. This is not necessary, only optional for a cleaner edge to the bottoms of the rice crispy peanut butter balls.
- You can substitute chocolate almond bark in place of the dark chocolate melting discs. They both work the same as you do not need to add anything to them as you would with chocolate chips when melting, and the chocolate will adhere and harden quickly when used. Be sure to follow the melting instructions for your brand of chocolate used.
- A 1000-watt microwave was used to melt the peanut butter and dark chocolate melting discs. You will need to adjust your heating time, or temperature, according to your particular microwave oven.
- Do not use “natural” peanut butter, as it has too much oil in it and alters the consistency of the mixture. Stick with a commercial brand such as Peter Pan, JIF, or Skippy for best results.
- If your dark chocolate starts to harden up as you are dipping and coating the rice crispy peanut butter balls, you can re-melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts. You want to be sure not to overheat and to stir well to ensure that you do not burn the chocolate or cause it to seize up.
Nutrition
Comments
Lauren says
These were so delicious! I used a specialty peanut butter from a local small business. Carmel espresso peanut butter! It had ground espresso beans and Carmel mixed into the peanut butter so I omitted the powdered sugar. I mixed the PB with the rice crispy cereal and dippped in chocolate and holy cow these are my favorite little treats!!! Way better than Reeces