My father was very old school which may explain why he never allowed me to wear nail polish (even clear) or make-up or the latest trends in clothing. So it may come as a surprise to you that he wouldn’t sign for me to get my driver’s license, but he would sign for me to get married. Go figure huh? I guess he felt like if I was married, that I would have someone to take care of me! I guess he didn’t recognize my headstrong streak or he would have never put pen to paper on that marriage license! Since he was 54 years old when I was born, he didn’t live long enough to see me grow into the strong independent woman that I became nor did he get to see that both me and my sister inherited his ability to make an incredible feast out of a very few meager ingredients. I count that as one of the greatest gifts passed on from my father and thought I would share one of his good old southern recipes that was always one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, this could just explain why Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my absolute favorite candy today! Do you have a family recipe passed down from generations gone by? Please share them at editor@lostcreeksentinel as part of your Homegrown Heritage!
SOUTHERN BUCKEYES
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate
2 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
Cream the peanut butter and butter together with the vanilla extract.
Add powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Scrape down bowl and mix again.
Pinch off tablespoon sized pieces and roll into balls. About 20g if you’re weighing.
Transfer balls to a baking sheet and chill until firm. At least 20 minutes.
Add chocolate and coconut oil to a medium bowl and melt on 50% power in the microwave. Stir to combine and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Use a skewer or toothpick to dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Leave a bit of the peanut butter exposed for that signature buckeye look.
Chill to allow the chocolate to firm up and enjoy. If you want to remove the holes left from the skewers, run a small knife or spatula over the tops.
Tip for success: make sure you’ve chilled the balls well before dipping into the chocolate and only dip them about three quarters of the way for that signature buckeye look.
