Healthy Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls

These Healthy Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls are the best healthy makeover ever! They are sweetened with honey and semi-sweet chocolate, so you won’t even miss the powdered sugar! They have a creamy peanut butter center and a delicious chocolate coating! These buckeyes are way healthier than your regular buckeye candies, but they still have the wonderful chocolate and peanut butter flavors we all love.

Buckeye Ball Recipe Inspiration

Buckeyes are a classic candy that I remember having every single year for Christmas. Living in the midwest, of course, my family called them buckeyes. They originated from Ohio and are a traditional Christmas treat, and we lived in Michigan. To everyone besides midwesterners, I think they are actually known as Peanut Butter Balls. But whatever you may call them, they are delicious!

Even though we made buckeyes every year, I have always thought they were a little too sweet. I would choose other desserts over them because I didn’t like how overpowering the powdered sugar and peanut butter filling was. But I love the flavor combo of chocolate and peanut butter, so I figured I could give them a makeover! Just like my Healthy No-bakes!

Healthy Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe are very minimal!

• Natural peanut butter
• Coconut oil 
• Raw honey
• Oatmeal or oat flour
• Vanilla extract
• Fine sea salt
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ingredient Substitutions

There are a few easy swaps you can make in this recipe to suit different diets or whatever you may have in your kitchen.

The coconut oil can be replaced with butter and will produce the same results. Also, the honey can be swapped out for Natural Maple Syrup for anyone that is vegan or has that on hand!

For anyone that has a dairy issue, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips, like the Enjoy Life Brand.

Also, anyone that has a peanut allergy or prefers almond butter can certainly use that instead! You can even replace the oat flour with almond flour.

Recipe Notes

• Use natural peanut butter that is unsweetened.
• If the peanut butter filling is too wet to handle, place the mixing bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm it up.
• When you melt the chocolate, make sure to heat it at 30-second intervals in the microwave or a double boiler, so it does not overheat.
• Make your own oat flour by grinding the oats in a blender to a flour texture.
• Store the buckeyes in a container in the fridge for up to a week, 
• The buckeyes can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap them in wax paper and place them in a ziplock freezer bag or container. Defrost in the fridge whenever you’re ready to eat them.

Buckeye Recipe Equipment

• Blender
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Spatula
• Large baking sheet
• Microwave safe bowl
• Parchment paper
• Small spoons

If you have never made oat flour before, I promise it is easy! I use my Ninja Blender with a small smoothie attachment and grind it for about 10-15 seconds. Of course, you can use any blender you choose. That’s just the brand that I have and love. Oat flour can easily be used instead of grinding oats in a blender if you prefer.

I make sure to line my Wilton baking sheet with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the balls, and it also makes the clean up easier.

If you like this healthier version of a peanut butter ball, you will probably like my Peanut Butter Energy Bites and Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies!

Healthy Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls

Alyssa

These Healthy Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls are the best healthy makeover ever! They are sweetened with honey and semi-sweet chocolate, so you won’t even miss the powdered sugar! They have a slightly sweet peanut butter center, and a delicious chocolate coating!

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 114 kcal

Equipment

• Blender
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Spatula
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Microwave safe bowl
• Small spoons

Ingredients

  

Peanut Filling:

• 1 Cup Creamy natural peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp Coconut oil softened or unsalted butter
• 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp Raw honey
• 1 Cup Oatmeal finely ground or oat flour
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp Fine sea salt

Chocolate coating:

• 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp Coconut oil

Instructions

 

• Grind the oats in a blender into a fine flour texture.
• Stir together the peanut butter and softened coconut oil in a mixing bowl.
• Measure in the honey, ground oats, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir to combine.
• If the filling is too messy to handle, place the bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and it should harden enough to roll.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out small portions of the peanut butter mixture and roll into 1-inch sized balls, then place each one on the baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet back in the freezer for 30 minutes so the balls are firm when dipped into the chocolate.
• In the last 5-10 minutes of freezing time, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a bowl and melt in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals, stirring until it becomes smooth.
• Dip the balls one at a time in the melted chocolate with a spoon or a toothpick inserted in the top.
• Flip them around to make sure they’re covered, except for a small circle on the top.
• Then use a spoon to remove them from the chocolate and shake off any excess that drips off.
• Place each ball back on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Continue this process until all the peanut butter balls are dipped.
• Put the sheet back into the freezer to let chocolate coating harden up.
• Store the finished peanut butter balls in an airtight container in the freezer or fridge until ready to eat.
• Frozen is better in my opinion!

Notes

• Use natural peanut butter that is unsweetened.
• If the peanut butter filling is too wet to handle, place the mixing bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm it up.
• When you melt the chocolate, make sure to heat it at 30-second intervals in the microwave or a double boiler, so it does not overheat.
• Make your own oat flour by grinding the oats in a blender to a flour texture.
• Store the buckeyes in a container in the fridge for up to a week. 
• The buckeyes can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap them in wax paper and place them in a ziplock freezer bag or container. 

Keyword Buckeyes, Healthy Buckeyes, Holiday Cookies, Peanut Butter Balls