Fill in the blank. Traditions are part of what builds a family and Christmas is full of them. When you open your gifts, the dinner you create, right down to which ornament goes on what side of the tree. It's all a part of holiday traditions.
On the Knolltop, I have managed to carry on a tradition that began in my childhood, on my home farm. Each Christmas was filled with holiday baking. My mom and sister would begin baking and end with pretty packages filled with home made goodies to give away to friends and relatives.
Among those baked goods were Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls originating from the local church cookbook published in the late 70's.
My sister made those one year and we haven't missed a year since.
While the recipe originated to us in 1976, the tattered recipe card is from the late 80s when wrote a copy for myself when I moved out on my own. For 39 years Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls have been at every family Christmas celebration. We don't make them any other time of the year, just Christmas.
The ingredients are simple but specific and important. There can be no substitutes for the butter, only the real thing will do, especially for this dairy farm wife! And they turn out best if they are made with Jiff brand peanut butter. The dipping chocolate is a personal preference. For looks and efficiency, almond bark is best. But for taste, I would only use Hersheys Milk Chocolate Chips. They don't set up quite as well, but I would rather enjoy the taste than see how pretty they are on a platter. You can also mix the two kinds of chocolate, this is what I do. It's a nice compromise.
When I was a teenager, we had a confectionary in our little town called Spagnolos Confectionary. Mr. Spag, as we called him, had big blocks of Hersheys Chocolate in a glass case. He would hammer the chocolate into big chunks and measure out 10 pounds at a time for me. I usually ended up going back in and getting more. This was before chocolate chips came in different flavors, back then it was semi-sweet or nothing.
While some people may recognize these delectable treats as buckeyes, they are a little different. First off you cover the entire peanut butter ball. Secondly, these contain rice crispy cereal. So they are just a little different than the traditional Buckeye. Plus any self respecting Michigan State fan would beat a buckeye, not eat a buckeye.
While these are great treats to eat, they are also a great family activity. Bring the kids in and have them help you roll up the balls and dip until their hearts content!
Enjoy!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
1 Cup Butter
4 Cups Crunchy Peanut Butter
6 Cups of Rice Krispies
6 3/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
6 Bags of Milk Chocolate Chips (Approx)
Mix softened butter, peanut butter, rice krispies and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Roll into small balls, a little smaller than a golf ball. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave and dip each ball in the chocolate and place on parchment paper, foil or wax paper. Refrigerate or leave out to set up.
Here are a few other dairy good recipes:
- Posset-ively Eggnog Is Ice Cream by Farmer Bright
- #DairyChristmas: Peanut Butter Balls by Messy Kennedy
- Winter Iowa Corn Chowder (as featured on Cheeserank) by Little House on the Dairy
- #DairyChristmas Farm Barbie
- The best Christmas cookies in the world by Truth or Dairy
- Recipes for a Dairy Christmas by Cow Spots and Tales
- #DairyChristmas: Cherry Mint Sugar Cookies by Kimmi's Dairyland
- Perfect for a Party – Cheddar Olive Bites by DairyCarrie
- Dairy Christmas Traditions by Knolltop Farm Wife
- #DairyChristmas: Love and Latkes by New Moon Dairy
- Family at the Table by The Deere Milkmaid
- French Onion Soup – Our Family Christmas Tradition by Eat Farm Love
- Dairy Delight by Spotted Cow Review
- Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts by My Barnyard View
- Italian Soup by So She Married A Farmer
- Christmas Tapioca Pudding by Guernsey Dairy Mama
- #DairyChristmas: Festive Parmesan Frico by Dairy Good Life
