Recipes from Ohio
If
you’ve never been to, or heard of, Ohio there is a chance you don’t
know about buckeyes. The state tree produces a seed (sort of
like a chestnut) that is chocolate brown and about the size of a
cherry tomato. There is a lighter brown circle on the nut which
I guess sort of makes it look like the eye of a buck. Those
buckeyes are not nearly as popular as THE BUCKEYES! Yep, any and
all sports teams from the Ohio State University are practically
worshiped by devout followers. They refer to themselves as
Buckeye Nation. Of course, it does help that they usually do
very well in sports, too.
Since I live in Columbus, ground zero for Buckeye Nation mania, I have become a fan of THE BUCKEYES. However, long before that, I was a fan of yet a third buckeye. In my humble opinion, it is the best of all buckeyes. Perhaps you will agree if you ever eat these peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. You can buy them at the grocery store (if you live inside Buckeye Nation) but I really prefer them the way my mother used to make them.
Buckeyes
Mom Martin, Buckeye Nation
Mom Martin, Buckeye Nation
|
1
1/2 lbs. powdered sugar
1/2
lb. butter
|
1
lb. peanut butter |
Just
look at that list of ingredients! It's all so bad for you
that it has to taste great! Mix everything together over low heat
and then form into balls. It's certainly your choice how
many balls you want to roll. Real buckeyes are about the
size of a cherry tomato.
Chill 2 hours (or overnight if you have lots of patience) on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.
Dipping
|
12
oz. chocolate bits
box
of toothpicks
|
1/4
slab paraffin 1 new computer printer |
Can
it get any better than this? Chocolate! Can it get any
worse than this? Paraffin?? Melt the two items. My mom's
recipe called for a double boiler. When I finally actually
made these with my sister, she just melted them in a pot. Dip
the peanut butter balls with a toothpick into the melted
chocolate. You don't want to cover them in chocolate. Dip
them about three-fourths of the way into the chocolate. That way
you have a treat with the two-toned buckeye effect.
Mom said to set the buckeyes aside on waxed paper until the chocolate cools. (If you can possibly wait that long.) However, I learned from my sister that if you just set them on wax paper, they have flat bottoms and look more like caramel covered apples. You don't want to ruin the "buckeye effect" with flat bottoms. So, buy yourself a new computer printer and use the Styrofoam packing material to help with the buckeye process. Poke your peanut butter ball with a toothpick and swirl the ball in the chocolate. Then, swirl it above the chocolate to let some excess drip off. Remove the buckeye from the pot and continue to swirl the chocolate in the air. This is a time for caution because the hot chocolate can burn your skin. I know, first-hand experience. And, if you are not careful, you can even swirl burning chocolate on your glasses. So, take care as you swirl. When the chocolate is cooler, stick the toothpick into the Styrofoam packing material to let the treat fully cool down.
The recipe has gone international. It was a favorite treat of my Moroccan family. Mom came prepared for her visit when I lived in Casablanca. We made -- and quickly devoured -- the whole tray of buckeyes.
Mom said to set the buckeyes aside on waxed paper until the chocolate cools. (If you can possibly wait that long.) However, I learned from my sister that if you just set them on wax paper, they have flat bottoms and look more like caramel covered apples. You don't want to ruin the "buckeye effect" with flat bottoms. So, buy yourself a new computer printer and use the Styrofoam packing material to help with the buckeye process. Poke your peanut butter ball with a toothpick and swirl the ball in the chocolate. Then, swirl it above the chocolate to let some excess drip off. Remove the buckeye from the pot and continue to swirl the chocolate in the air. This is a time for caution because the hot chocolate can burn your skin. I know, first-hand experience. And, if you are not careful, you can even swirl burning chocolate on your glasses. So, take care as you swirl. When the chocolate is cooler, stick the toothpick into the Styrofoam packing material to let the treat fully cool down.
The recipe has gone international. It was a favorite treat of my Moroccan family. Mom came prepared for her visit when I lived in Casablanca. We made -- and quickly devoured -- the whole tray of buckeyes.