Easy Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls

If your self-control is anything like mine, you won’t be able to resist chocolate-covered peanut butter balls!

Rich and delicious, they’re a peanut butter and chocolate lover’s dream. 

You only need six simple ingredients to make these easy, addictive no-bake treats.

Once you try them, you’ll make them all the time!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

These melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-covered peanut butter balls are iconic.

Make them with creamy peanut butter, a little regular butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Coat them in smooth, shiny chocolate, and voila! 

They’re a delicious, customizable treat, ideal for parties, potlucks, household snacking, and gifting. 

Plus, they’re a fantastic way to introduce “baking” to kids. You can’t beat a fun, family-friendly activity.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these peanut butter balls:

• Peanut Butter – Creamy peanut butter is best! Avoid natural peanut butter, as it can be too dry or too oily. 
  
• Butter – Let it come to room temperature before using. And unlike most baking recipes, it doesn’t matter if you use salted or unsalted butter. 
  
• Vanilla Extract – It adds just the right amount of flavor, so this tasty treat isn’t too peanut butter-flavored.
  
• Powdered Sugar – It adds lots of sweetness. But it also binds your dough together. 
  
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips – Melt them to create the chocolate covering for the peanut butter balls. You can use baking chocolate, real chocolate, or chocolate melts. 
  
• Coconut or Vegetable Oil – The oil helps keep the melted chocolate smooth and creamy. It is necessary if you use chocolate chips. You do not need this if you use chocolate melts. 

How To Make Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

1. Do the prep work. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. Measure out your ingredients. 

2. Make the dough and chill it. Add the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla to a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until a dough forms.

If the dough is too sticky, add a little more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Refrigerate the dough for 15-30 minutes to firm it up.

3. Roll out the peanut butter balls. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes to firm them up completely. You can also freeze them.

4. Prepare the chocolate. Just before the 30 minutes are up, melt the chocolate chips and oil in a microwave-safe bowl. You can also do it in a saucepan over low heat. Stir it until it becomes smooth and glossy. 

5. Cover the peanut butter balls with chocolate. Dip each peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate, coating it evenly. Return the chocolate-covered peanut butter balls to the wax or parchment paper to cool and set. Add toppings like a chocolate drizzle, nuts, or cookies. (See variations below.)

Refrigerate them for at least 1 hour before serving.

6. Enjoy! After the chocolate coating has set, you can enjoy your delicious chocolate-covered peanut butter balls. 

Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Balls

Follow these tips and tricks for the very best treats:

• Can’t have peanut butter? No worries. You can substitute other nut/seed butters if necessary. Almond and cashew butter work well. 

• Try a dipping trick. Use a small fork for dipping. The excess chocolate will drip off the fork. And it will help keep your hands clean. Gently tap the fork on the side of the chocolate bowl to remove the extra chocolate.

• Dough getting too soft? Dipping the peanut butter balls into chocolate can take time. If your dough starts to warm up and soften, return the balls to the fridge. It should only take about 10 minutes. 

• Is your dough too crumbly? Keep molding it between your hands. It will warm up the dough and help it stick together.  

• Quality is key. Chocolate chips are easy to get your hands on. That’s why I use them here. But if you have good-quality chocolate, go for it! 

Recipe Variations

The best part about these chocolate-covered peanut butter balls is they’re super customizable! Try these fun variations.

• Switch up the chocolate. These are delicious covered in white, milk, or dark chocolate. 

• Go a little extra. Throw in chopped nuts, sprinkles, rice cereal, mini marshmallows, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, or dried fruit. Add them to the dough. Then, roll into balls and follow the recipe as directed. 

• Get fancy with decorating! Drizzle white chocolate, Nutella, or caramel over the top. Or add sprinkles, nuts, crumbled cookies, or fruit to the top while the chocolate is still wet.

• Add a little crunch. Try crunchy peanut butter to add texture while staying true to the peanut butter flavor. 

How To Store and Freeze

Make a big batch of these babies since chocolate-covered peanut butter balls keep very well. Here’s how to keep them fresh:

To Store: Store leftover balls in an air-tight container in the fridge. They will last for 2-3 weeks. 

To Freeze: Chocolate-covered peanut butter balls also freeze very well! Keep them in an air-tight container in the freezer. They will last up to 3 months.

More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Recipes

Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars