It was my grandmother who made Peanut Butter Balls.
She hand-rolled and dipped each one.
I remember helping one time, learning what “heaping” means when adding butter, and melting paraffin wax into chocolate so it would harden.
Grandma only made two batches, one for sharing with family during the Christmas holidays, and one batch filling a metal coffee can, which she gifted to my mom.
That coffee can was always buried deep in the freezer, mom would say “they don’t eat nor drink, so they can be saved.”
When we thought the treats were more than forgotten, my sister and I would sneak a couple into our lunches. Every day!
Thinking back, Elaine and I were always surprised to see the bottom of the can poking through.
Mom was always surprised to see it, too.
Peanut Butter Balls remain a family favourite and yes, they only come out once a year.
From our family to yours, happy holidays!
from Susan Byrom, senior community investment managerwith Envision Financial
Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients:
• 4 heaping tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• Chocolate (tempered for melting, available at Well Seasoned, Michaels, and others)
Directions:
Cream butter, peanut butter and salt together until smooth.
Add icing sugar 1 cup at a time, mix well (mix by hand, use a mixer or food processor for this step).
Stir in Rice Krispies.
Roll into 1” balls, refrigerate, or freeze until firm.
Melt chocolate over double boiler until smooth.
Dip balls in chocolate (use a fork to toss them around to coat evenly), place on wax-paper lined cookie tray.
Transfer to a coffee tin, like Grandma, or any tight-sealed container – keep in freezer to enjoy anytime.
You’ll be tempted to double the recipe – don’t do it!
I’ve tried many times, and I always get the best results by mixing the ingredients one batch at a time.
I freeze several rolled batches at a time, then dip them all at once.
