I handmade (almost) all the gifts we gave this year, and naturally, didn't get around to taking pictures. I'll try to do that soon and get them up here. I sewed scarves for the lovely ladies in my life, and made microwaveable rice warmers for the men to warm their chilly toes! I also made fun coffee mugs for a few friends, and, of course, made about 40 Christmas cards! It was fun to see everyone's amazement at the things I'd whipped up.
I also made these wonderful peanut-butter truffles, called Chubby Hubby Buckeyes. They were a hit! I've shared the recipe below. Before we get to that, though, I want to say how thankful I am for the wonderful people in my life. I know we are often more cognizant of that this time of year, but I'm truly blessed to be surrounded by so many delightful folks, and you reading this are most definitely among them. If I haven't said it already, Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year to you!
Now, the truffles. I found the recipe on Pinterest. If you aren't a Pinner, I won't say you're missing out on the world's most important website, but it has been sooooo fun for me to see ideas for crafting, recipes, decorating, and more on there. Plus, because I am friends and family with so many talented folks, I can see their inspirations, too! I don't remember how I stumbled onto this one, but it's a goodie! They are called Buckeyes after an Ohio treat that resembles a tree-nut called a buckeye. Usually they are made without the pretzels, and when dipped in chocolate, an "eye" of peanut butter is left un-dipped, so as to resemble the tree-nut. That was more work, so these were totally covered in chocolate. Still tasted great! Plus, I only know one person from Ohio, so the Buckeye reference was lost on most.
Chubby
Hubby Buckeye Truffles Recipe:
Yield: About 18 truffles (I doubled
the whole recipe-what are you going to do with only 18?)
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Chill Time: 1 hour, total
1½ cups pretzel pieces
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips (since I doubled, I did a whole bag)
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or vegetable oil (do just shy of a full Tbs. if using oil)
1. Put the pretzel pieces into a resealable plastic bag and crush into small bits (a rolling pin works great for this). My rolling pin is in storage, so I used a wine bottle!
2. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are completely blended and smooth (I used a hand-mixer for just this part). Add the pretzel bits to the peanut butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the powdered sugar and mix until completely combined. It will be a little sticky and not fully together. They set up after a few minutes in the fridge. I didn't try it, but you might chill the dough for 5-10 minutes before forming the balls to firm it up. What I did was chill them a few minutes after forming, then rerolled them. They were just too lumpy the first time!
3. Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. Using a small cookie scoop, or about 2 teaspoons worth of peanut butter mixture, gently shape into a ball with your fingertips. Place the ball on the wax paper-lined cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining peanut butter mixture. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. When ready to dip the truffles, microwave the chocolate chips and vegetable shortening together in a small bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.
5. Working one at a time, dip one peanut butter-pretzel ball into the melted chocolate and use a fork to roll it around, ensuring that it is completely coated with chocolate. Let any extra chocolate drip off and place back on the wax paper-lined sheet. Repeat with all of the peanut butter-pretzel balls.
6. Return the baking sheet to the refrigerator and again chill for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with a drizzle of melted peanut butter and crushed pretzels, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I didn't drizzle (I'd made a lot of dishes at that point anyway) but I added some festive sprinkles. Also, keep an eye on them when serving. Mine started to melt sitting close to a warm oven! If that happens, pop them in the fridge until the chocolate sets up again.
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Chill Time: 1 hour, total
1½ cups pretzel pieces
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips (since I doubled, I did a whole bag)
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or vegetable oil (do just shy of a full Tbs. if using oil)
1. Put the pretzel pieces into a resealable plastic bag and crush into small bits (a rolling pin works great for this). My rolling pin is in storage, so I used a wine bottle!
2. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are completely blended and smooth (I used a hand-mixer for just this part). Add the pretzel bits to the peanut butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the powdered sugar and mix until completely combined. It will be a little sticky and not fully together. They set up after a few minutes in the fridge. I didn't try it, but you might chill the dough for 5-10 minutes before forming the balls to firm it up. What I did was chill them a few minutes after forming, then rerolled them. They were just too lumpy the first time!
3. Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. Using a small cookie scoop, or about 2 teaspoons worth of peanut butter mixture, gently shape into a ball with your fingertips. Place the ball on the wax paper-lined cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining peanut butter mixture. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. When ready to dip the truffles, microwave the chocolate chips and vegetable shortening together in a small bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.
5. Working one at a time, dip one peanut butter-pretzel ball into the melted chocolate and use a fork to roll it around, ensuring that it is completely coated with chocolate. Let any extra chocolate drip off and place back on the wax paper-lined sheet. Repeat with all of the peanut butter-pretzel balls.
6. Return the baking sheet to the refrigerator and again chill for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with a drizzle of melted peanut butter and crushed pretzels, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I didn't drizzle (I'd made a lot of dishes at that point anyway) but I added some festive sprinkles. Also, keep an eye on them when serving. Mine started to melt sitting close to a warm oven! If that happens, pop them in the fridge until the chocolate sets up again.
Enjoy! I know my family sure did! Feel free to forward-I love to share good recipes when I can. It's always nice to know someone tried it and it was tastey, rather than take your chances with one you find in a cookbook or online. Plus, it was easy, so, so easy.
Other than that, things just keep rolling along. I hope you and yours are finding ways to indulge in good food, good company and good cheer this holiday season.
All my love,
Kelli
