By Jess
Last updated on
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These easy, homemade, chocolate covered buckeye balls are to-die-for and made with almond butter instead of peanut butter. Give them a try!
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How to Make Almond Butter Buckeye Balls
Make the balls: Puree the dates and almond butter in a blender until smooth. Form the date mixture into 12 one-inch balls and put them on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Make the chocolate: Melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth and chocolatey.
Dip the balls: Use a fork or toothpick to dip each ball into the chocolate mixture and place them back on the tray. Put the chocolate-coated balls back in the freezer for another 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
Storing Instructions:
To Store: Almond butter buckeye balls can be made far in advance. Just put them in an airtight container after freezing the chocolate coating. To stop them from sticking, place some wax paper or paper towels between the layers and store them in the freezer.
(Make this next: Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Bites)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pitted medjool dates
- 1/2 cup all natural creamy almond butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Puree dates and almond butter in a food processor until the mixture is smooth.
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Form the mixture into 12 one-inch balls and place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the tray with the balls on it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the chocolate. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until everything is smooth and chocolatey.
- Remove the balls from the freezer and, using a fork or toothpick, dip each ball into the chocolate and place it back into the tray. Once every ball is coated in chocolate, put them back into the freezer for another 30 minutes. Take them out just before serving. Store them in the freezer.
Servings
Serving Size
1
Time
Notes
How to Blend Smoothly: Ensure dates and almond butter are thoroughly blended for a smooth consistency. You can soak them in water for up to four hours to make blending easier.
Chill time control: Stick to the specified freezer times between steps — 30 minutes for both initial and chocolate-coating freezing. Rushing these steps will result in mushy buckeyes.
Dipping technique: Poke the ball with two toothpicks at a 90-degree angle from each other for more control. Also, make sure your chocolate coating is in a deep enough bowl to submerge the buckeye ball completely under the chocolate for even coating.
Consistent sizing: Try to get all your balls the same size. You can do this by dividing the pureed mixture into 12 before rolling the balls to judge the spread of the batter.
Swapping the nut butter: If substituting the almond butter, maintain the same quantity for proper binding. A nut-free substitute you can consider is sunflower butter. It has a very similar nutty taste, so it will not affect the recipe’s flavor too much.
Flavor personalization: You can experiment with variations of all the ingredients, but make sure to maintain overall ratios for proper binding and flavor profiles.
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More Good Buckeye Recipes
1. Sunflower Butter Buckeyes
Sunflower seed butter is used to make these delicious buckeye balls that taste similar to the popular Reese’s candy. Mixing everything by hand is fun to do and ensures that the ingredients are well combined. If desired, top the buckeyes with chopped nuts while the chocolate is still wet. Store in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
1 1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp coconut oil
Chopped almonds, for topping
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix together the sunflower seed butter, honey, 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, almond flour, flaxseed meal, vanilla, and salt.
2. Using your hands, roll the dough into small balls and place on a Silpat or parchment paper. Refrigerate for half an hour.
3. In a double broiler, melt the chocolate and remaining tablespoon of coconut oil. Dip each buckeye into the chocolate and place it back on the Silpat. Top with chopped almonds if desired and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
2. Pumpkin Buckeye Balls
These simple pumpkin buckeyes combine the spiced flavors of pumpkin pie with rich dark chocolate. This dessert requires no baking and it can be prepared ahead of time, which may help alleviate some stress around the holidays. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the chocolate to thin it out if desired, since sometimes it is easier for dipping.
Ingredients
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp almond flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt
4-5 oz. dark chocolate
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the chocolate. Place in the refrigerator until firm enough to shape, about 20 minutes.
2. Use your hands to roll the chilled dough into small balls and place on a Silpat or parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
3. In a double broiler, melt the chocolate. Dip each buckeye ball into the chocolate with a fork and place back on the Silpat to cool. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set, then serve cold.
4 Comments
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Would these work with sun butter?
Reply
Definitely! They would be delish 🙂
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Can you use honey instead of maple syrup? If so, how much? Thanks!
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Looking forward to trying these. They look yummy!!
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