In honor of our home team: BUCKEYES

This is the traditional, not-so-healthy, Ohio recipe for buckeyes. If you're not familiar with them, they are a confection consisting of a sweet peanut butter center dipped in chocolate. Buckeyes are made to look like the inedible nut of our state tree, a member or the horse chestnut family. They're also the mascot of our local college team, The Ohio State University Buckeyes.

These are served at Ohio State football game tailgates and holiday parties everywhere - and there are never any leftovers!

The chilling, dipping and re-chilling takes a while, so plan on doing this over two days. There's nothing that says you can't sample the filling, though! This recipe makes about 48 buckeyes.

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

• 1-pound jar creamy peanut butter (about 2 cups) *
• 2/3 cup margarine *
• about 1-1/2 pounds powdered sugar (3-1/2 to 4 cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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COATING

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate or chips
•  1-2 ounces paraffin (1-inch square) optional*
• box of square toothpicks for dipping

* INGREDIENT HINTS:

• ​Low-fat margarine and butter don't work well in this recipe, as they make the balls too soft at room temperature. You can use non-hydrogenated shelf-stable versions of PB and margarine or butter if you prefer, but do not use all-natural. It's too loose a mixture - and this is a candy, after all!
• If you don't have paraffin, you can omit it. The wax just makes the chocolate coating a little more finger friendly!

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DIRECTIONS

1. Using your SideSwipe beater on your stand mixer, mix peanut butter and margarine, vanilla and salt until combined.
2. Add powdered sugar in small batches until combined and a soft dough forms. If it seems too sticky to roll, add a bit more powdered sugar. We find that the best flavor ratio is around 3-1/2 cups of sugar, but it's easier to make the balls at 4 cups.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls. We use a 1 tablespoon scoop, then roll into balls. If your dough seems sticky, chill for 30 minutes, then make the balls.
4. Place on lined cookie sheet.  Refrigerate or freeze 6-8 hours or overnight.
5. Melt chips and paraffin in a double boiler. You can also microwave the chocolate at medium power until just beginning to melt. Mix with spoon or mini whisk.
6. HINT: A narrower and deeper pan makes dipping easier, but use what you have.
7. Using a toothpick (square works best), dip the peanut butter ball into the chocolate, rolling sideways to form a rounded center where the peanut butter shows through. Do in multiple batches, keeping undipped balls cool in the fridge.
8. Put on wax paper or parchment to cool. Refrigerate while making additional batches. Remove toothpicks after cooling.
9. Smooth toothpick hole. No buckeyes have holes in them and it just looks bad!
10. Refrigerate - covered in plastic wrap, until ready to serve. ​Keeps about a week in the fridge, but are best within a few days.