Classic Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut butter balls made with dry milk, rice krispies, vanilla and honey dipped in chocolate make the best bite sized desserts!

There are several delicious variations of this recipe, but our absolute favorite is making Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies.

This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

These chocolate-dipped peanut butter dessert balls are homemade candy at its finest! The nonfat dry milk used in this recipe provides a rich flavor and extra protein. The dry milk is also a healthier option to substitute in this dessert for confectioners sugar!

Classic peanut butter balls made with Rice Krispies make wonderful homemade gifts to share with loved ones at the holidays.

Peanut butter and chocolate is one of our favorite combinations for desserts. So our Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge and Flat Buckeyes are more candy like recipes that are an absolute delight!

Perfectly portioned peanut butter and Rice Krispie balls dipped in chocolate make the best bite-sized no-bake dessert for Christmas, Valentine’s day or any time of the year! Just like our Crock Pot Peanut Clusters, you can add some fun sprinkles on top that match the color of the occasion.

Peanut Butter balls with Rice Krispies are an easy to eat dessert that is packed with protein from the nonfat dry milk in place of using powdered sugar. I also love that these no-bake balls are made without corn syrup to decrease the amount of sugar used.

These chocolate covered peanut butter treats are absolutely delightful!  I love making smaller balls and adding a generous coat of chocolate.  My kids don’t worry as much about the amount of chocolate as the amount of sprinkles.

Buckeye Balls Are Not as Sweet As Buckeyes

We are literally Buckeyes, we went to the Ohio State University and we love tailgating when the football team plays. These Buckeye balls can be made with scarlet and grey sprinkles for a football party.

We love how the milk powder makes a nice treat, but they are not nearly as sweet as traditional Buckeye Balls that are made with powdered sugar.

The first time I made these balls was when my dietician friend Sally shared her version of No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls. When another friend shared their family’s old-fashioned peanut butter ball recipe with us that listed several variations including chocolate we found our favorite no-bake dessert. Of course our family can quickly enhance a healthy recipe with sweets.

Chewy Peanut Butter Balls

The variations are limitless when making Peanut Butter Balls.

Rice Krispie cereal can be substituted with quick oats to make chewy peanut butter balls.

The amount of honey can be increased a bit to help hold all of the ingredients together.

Powdered milk increases the amount of protein in the recipe and gives the peanut butter balls a rich flavor. 

Chocolate Filled Peanut Butter Balls

Carob powder can be used in place of crispy rice cereal for fudgy peanut butter balls.

Use 1/2 cup carob powder along with your peanut butter, milk powder, honey and vanilla to create a fudge peanut butter ball.

Peanut butter balls with any type of filling can be rolled in mini chocolate chips instead of dipped in chocolate for another easy way to add chocolate flavor.

What’s Needed to Make Peanut Butter Balls

• Peanut butter, we prefer smooth, but chunky can be used
• Dry powdered milk
• Crispy rice cereal
• Honey
• Vanilla, optional
• Chocolate – I find melting chocolate easiest to use, but chocolate chips can be melted with a teaspoon of vegetable oil to make dipping easier

How to Make Peanut Butter Balls

Put Rice Krispie cereal In a small plastic bag and crush with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin.

In a medium sized mixing bowl mix together peanut butter, dry milk powder, honey and vanilla.  Mix well.

Use a small cookie dough scoop to make balls. Place balls on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment paper.

Melt chocolate using a microwave safe dish. Stir chocolate every 20 seconds to prevent burning.

I like to use one or two forks to roll the balls around in melted chocolate. The balls can be lifted out on the fork and tapped on the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.

I personally enjoy the taste of all of that excess chocolate to be left on the peanut butter balls, but they do look best when evenly coated with a more uniform layer of chocolate.

If desired add sprinkles quickly before the chocolate sets.

Wrap in a festive holiday gift bag or seasonal self sealing bag to make great homemade gifts that neighbors and friends can enjoy this holiday season!

Can the Balls Be Dipped in White Chocolate?

Yes! These peanut butter balls pair well with white melting chocolate or white almond bard. Simply melt the type of chocolate that you prefer and coat each ball.

Our White Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are always popular among the crowd that enjoys white chocolate and these dessert balls are too!

Tips for Making Peanut Butter Balls

• Smaller peanut butter balls mean a higher chocolate to peanut butter ratio
• Sprinkles need to be added quickly to freshly dipped balls before the sprinkles set
• Measure crispy rice cereal before crushing
• Amounts of ingredients are adjustable in this recipe – use 1 to 1 1/2 cups Rice Krispie cereal, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of honey and vanilla can be omitted if desired
• Rice Krispie cereal makes crunchy peanut butter balls, but chopped nuts can be added to make the balls more crunchy as well
• Chilling balls before dipping in chocolate is optional, I think it makes the dipping chocolate difficult to use as it makes the entire bowl firm up more quickly

Other Delicious Recipes to Share As a Gift:

• Easy Farmhouse Fudge is the main gift that my grandma shared at Christmas. So rich, delicious and easy to make.
• Candy Pizza is perfect to snack on at a holiday or birthday party.
• Cake Bites are like cake batter cookie dough dipped in white chocolate and decorated with sprinkles.
• Caramel Peanut Butter Bars start with a cake mix and mini Reese’s cups and mix in caramel and chocolate icing to make a very memorable treat!
• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars are one of our most popular desserts and you’ll know why once you try them and make another batch to share!

Printable Peanut Butter Balls Recipe