Strawberry Chic: Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter balls are one of my favorite Christmas treats! I love the slightly crisp chocolate outside mixed with the creamy peanut butter filling...Yum!

Apparently I'm not the only one with a love for peanut butter and chocolate...I made these the other night for a holiday dinner and they were gone before I could even finish my main course (luckily I saved a few and left them at home, just in case :)

These little treats are really quite simple to make, they just take a little extra time to roll out and dip. Get the recipe and tutorial by clicking below...

Peanut Butter Balls
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Butter
1 lb Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 bag of Chocolate chips or Avalanche Bark
*if you are using chocolate chips, you can add some shortening to the melted chocolate if you feel like it's a little thick. I usually add 1/2 to 1 tsp at a time.

Step 1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Step 2. Roll the dough mixture into 1" balls and place on a large cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Add a toothpick to each ball and then place pan in the freezer for 2-3 hrs (or until they are hardened).

Step 3. (Optional) place a small amount of melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag. Cut a small hole in the end of the bag and place a ring of chocolate around the top of each ball. (this will prevent the peanut butter from oozing out of the top after you have dipped them.)

Step 4. Melt the chocolate (you can do this in a pan on low heat, stirring constantly or place in the microwave in 30 sec increments, mix in between each increment and repeat until melted.) Dip balls into chocolate and place on a baking sheet covered in wax paper. I like to take the peanut butter balls out in sections as I dip so the ones in the freezer stay nice and hard.