Buckeyes! (not the Ohio State kind)

The marriage of peanut butter and chocolate is one for the history books. They just belong together. Its natural and its beautiful. I know, they both wander about attaching themselves to someone else from time to time, but they always end up together.  It seems like a story line for Hollywood. But its not. Its more for me.  Because it makes me happy. 
Around here, OSU it doesn't mean Ohio State, and there is never any mention of a buckeye.  That doesn't mean that we don't value buckeyes or that we deny the good luck they bring. ok, I say luck, maybe more like happiness and joy.  These little bits of goodness are easy peasy, but a little time-consuming.  Your best bet is to make up the peanut butter mixture and grab the bowl and a tray, then plop yourself in front of the tv or grab some friends and start rolling it in to balls for the next hour or so. (ok, maybe not that long)  Here are the details:

Buckeye Balls
what you need: medium sized sauce pan, cookie sheet, mixing bowl, hand mixer or stand mixer, rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fork

1 1/2 Cups Peanut butter
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 Cups powdered sugar

6 ounces chocolate almond bark
2 tablespoons shortening


In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix butter, peanut butter, vanilla together.  Add powdered sugar one cup at a time.  It gets sort of grainy looking, like wet sand.  That's when its ready.  Roll this mixture up in to balls, about one teaspoon at a time; set aside.
Over medium heat, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring pretty much constantly with your spatula, but it only takes a few minutes.
Drop the peanut butter balls four or five at a time in to the chocolate mixture pulling them out with a fork one at a time.  Let excess chocolate drip off before placing them on a cookie sheet to cool.  This will make close to 8 dozen and you will eat them happily as you rest your hands from all of the peanut butter ball rolling you've just done. And you will be smiling as you slip in to a sugar coma.