Peanut Butter Eyeball Time!

Hey guys!

Even though Halloween has now passed, I still wanted to post about one of my favorite Halloween recipes.  I had these no-bake peanut butter balls for the first time at a Halloween party in roughly 3rd grade. I remember them distinctly because they are absolutely delicious. They're also really easy to make and pretty cute. Check it!

Here's what you'll need:

Start by mixing the softened butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. 

Gradually add the powdered sugar in 1 cup increments. If you want, add it all at the same time. But don't say I didn't warn you when it explodes everywhere;] Refrigerate for 2 hours.

 

Next, roll the mixture into 1 inch balls. Let them set up in the freezer while you melt the chocolate.

In a double boiler (see the below), slowly melt half a package of white chocolate almond bark.

I don't have a 'real' double boiler, so I boil some water in a saucepan and put a metal bowl on top. Beware of hot steam!

Remove the top half of the contraption from the double boiler and dip the now frozen balls into it. Some of them might be kind of ugly. Deal.

Put the balls back into the fridge to harden. While you're waiting, melt a bar of almond bark and add a few drops of food coloring. Let it harden up a little before using it. For added cuteness, put the eyeballs into small cupcake liners.

On this particular day, I let my chocolate harden back to basically the texture of modeling chocolate. It was firm enough that I was able to mold it into circles, which act as the iris of these eyeballs.

Finally, melt around 10 chocolate chips in a plastic bag. Let it harden a bit, then use it to create pupils.

And, you're done. Some people add red food coloring to look like veins, but I personally don't like the taste of red dye and figured these were fine the way they were. My co-workers agreed, and I'm pleased to report that they were a pretty hot commodity. Please note that they can be modified decor-wise to work for any holiday, and they're even more delicious dipped in semi sweet chocolate. They can be fancied up or not, just depending on what you want.

Peanut butter Eyeballs

2/3 cup softened butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 pkg. white chocolate almond bark

Food coloring (optional) 

10 chocolate chips, melted (optional) 

Mix together the softened butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls, then freeze them for a few minutes.  

While you're waiting, melt half the package of white chocolate almond bark slowly over a double boiler. Dip the now frozen balls, then place them onto a baking sheet covered in wax paper. Refrigerate the balls again.

Melt one square of almond bark in the microwave and add a few drops of food coloring. Put it into a plastic bag and wait for it to harden slightly. Once it's to a workable consistency, "squirt" out circles of chocolate in the shape of irises. Melt around 10 chocolate chips to use as pupils.    

Enjoy! 

-T, K, J, & C

p.s. Do you have Peanut Butter Jelly Time in your head? Read the title again.