Real true buckeyes are poisonous nuts that grow on buckeye trees. My parents have one in their yard. The Indians named them buckeyes back in the day because they resembled the eye of a buck. They have a darker brown outer part and a smaller light brown top part.
The football team at Ohio State get little buckeye decals for their helmets when they do great things during the game. It's sort of like a scrapbook that you wear - ha!!! Once I had to share with Phil's friend Brian that no, they weren't marijuana leaves, they were buckeyes. He just needed to look a little closer.
True diehard fans like my Uncle Joe have rooms devoted to the OSU. His just so happens to be a bathroom. Some will even fashion themselves some buckeye jewelry. No, I never had one, but I had co-workers and students who did and I think it would be mighty fun to wear one during spirit week on sports day.
Today I'm going to share with you my famous recipe for buckeyes. I say famous because at Christmas time or New Year's Eve in Oregon I cannot show up to Phil's aunt and uncle's house without them. They probably wouldn't let me in the door. And also, a couple summers ago, Phil's company had a picnic and they always give away great prizes and have cool contests at these picnics. This year it was a dessert contest. So I made buckeyes, won 2nd place, and got a $25 gift certificate to Kitchen Kaboodle! (In case you were wondering, I lost out to rum cake. Ya, the alcoholic dessert won first prize. No, I'm not bitter.) I also now have to send some in with Phil to work because those people know just how good they are.
The ingredients are few - but my secret is to always use Jif creamy peanut butter, Blue Bonnet margarine, chocolate melty disks I buy in bulk, and the cheapest powdered sugar available.
Mix 1/2 c. margarine & 1 3/4 c. peanut butter together in the biggest bowl you've got. Use your hands. It's more fun that way!
Add in almost a pound of powdered sugar. The recipe calls for a full pound, but it always makes it too dry.
You'll end up with the center part that looks like this. If you think it's too dry or crumbly to roll into nice little balls, add a smidge of melted butter or some more peanut butter.
Next the recipe says to refrigerate for an hour. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. Depends on how big of a hurry I'm in. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. I usually use waxed paper, but I'm currently all out.
Melt 2 c. chocoate melty disks or coating chocolate on low in a double boiler. Or be lazy like me and just use one pan. Keep stirring until it's nice and smooth.
Use a toothpick to dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Be sure not to cover the whole entire thing. You want them to look like buckeyes, which is the whole point of my post, folks.
When you get a whole tray done, pop it into the fridge or freezer for a bit so the chocolate can set up. After that you use your fingers and push the peanut butter together to close up the hole from the toothpick and you are done :) 
1 comment:
I made Buckeyes today! I am going to bring them to a New Year's Eve party we are going to. Thanks so much for posting the recipe!
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