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Christmas Peanut Butter Balls

Published: Jan 16, 2021 · Modified: Nov 29, 2021 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

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These no bake Peanut Butter Balls are a delicious staple for the holidays and can be made in 20 minutes and are kid friendly. Whip these up early in the month and cut down on your baking stress.

No Bake Peanut Butter Balls dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with holiday colors.
Kid Friendly No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
Contents hide
1 🥜 Ingredients
2 🍽️ Instructions
3 📝 Expert Tips
4 ❓ Recipe FAQ
5 Christmas Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

If you’re going to be baking up some sweets for holiday gatherings, these treats are perfect! This no-bake recipe is loaded with peanut butter and chocolate AND you can make them all at once ahead of time. So it’s also a time saver…a win on all levels.

As mentioned above, these are excellent to make with the kiddos during the holidays (make sure to make the Chocolate Strawberry Christmas Trees too!) when they have more energy than you do 😀. Stage them at the table and give them the ingredients to start practicing measuring, stirring and forming the balls. You can melt the chocolate at the stove (unless your kiddos are a little older) but they can do everything else. Make some great memories!

🥜 Ingredients

Creamy Peanut Butter – This is the star of the recipe right here. You will want to steer towards a Jif brand or the like and not use the natural brands as you will have a harder time forming the balls.

Butter, Softened at Room Temperature – I point out the room temperature specifically because it does take an hour or two to get it to room temperature so you need to plan just a tiny bit for this recipe.

Powdered Sugar – This is the fine sugar that goes everywhere when you touch it in the kitchen but isn’t grainy when you eat it.

Rice Krispies Cereal – This is what is going to give you a little bit of crunch. Don’t leave it out, as the texture is a really nice addition.

Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – This is the outside coating of your peanut butter balls. Melt it with a little bit of shortening so you can dip the peanut butter balls in it.

🍽️ Instructions

These are so easy to make that even your kids will love helping.

Step One: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Step Two: In a large mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter and softened butter together. Add powdered sugar and stir well to blend completely.

Step Three: Add cereal and mix until well incorporated. Cover and chill for 15 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and roll into two inch balls. Transfer to lined baking sheet.

Step Four: In a double boiler, melt the shortening. Add chocolate chips and stir until smooth and melted.

Step Five: Transfer the melted chocolate into a smaller bowl for easier handling. Then, dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, using a spoon to help coat it evenly. Place the coated PB balls on the lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with your choice of holiday sprinkles before the chocolate coating hardens to jazz them up!

Store chilled in an airtight container for up to four weeks.

chocolate covered peanut butter ball bitten in half so you can see the inside.
Have Your Kids Help with these Chocolate Covered PB Balls

📝 Expert Tips

Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate so it doesn’t burn. This is a low and slow process where you have a little bit of water in the bottom of a pan and place a bowl that is LARGER than the pan ON TOP of the pan. Add the chocolate and shortening. The gentle heat from the hot water will slowly melt your chocolate so it doesn’t burn. Don’t have bowl touch the water.

Replace the chocolate and shortening with CandiQuick from the grocery store. I like to add just a couple block of the CandiQuick at a time and heat in the microwave for 15 second intervals and stir. The heat from the side of the glass cup when you stir helps melt it as well. DON’T OVERHEAT. I use a little at a time as it will harden on you and it can be messier to remelt again.

The microwave/CandiQuick technique works great for impatient people (like me) as long as you just do a little at a time. I say that a couple times because of years of frustration when I would try to heat up a ton and then the results were gloppy.

❓ Recipe FAQ

What to do if the chocolate is too thick?

Add a little bit more oil/shortening to it and stir. It will thin out enough to be able to dip.

What can I use if I don’t have shortening?

Use canola or vegetable oil. Sometimes people use a little bit of cream as well.

Why won’t my chocolate chips melt?

It sounds like your chocolate may have “seized.” When chocolate does that, it has come in contact with water or it has been overheated.

Can I fix “seized” chocolate or do I throw it away?

The chocolate at this point is gritty and lumpy. It sounds wacky but one of the techniques to try to fix it is to add a little big of shortening and stir quickly to get it all incorporated.

Related Recipes

  • 25+ No Bake Desserts for the Holidays
  • No Bake Nutella Cracker Bites {30 Minutes}
  • No Bake Nutella Chex Mix Bites {under 30 Minutes}
  • Cadbury No Bake Mini Cheesecake

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Easy Holiday Dessert Idea for Christmas - No Bake Peanut Butter Balls Recipe.

Christmas Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

This No Bake Christmas Peanut Butter Balls Recipe is the perfect winter treat to make this holiday season!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Christmas, Holiday
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 36
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Ginny

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter
  • ¾ cup Butter softened at room temperature
  • 3½ cups Powdered Sugar
  • 3 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
  • 12 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 tbsp Solid Shortening
  • Holiday Sprinkles in Colors of Your Choice optional

Instructions

  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter and softened butter together. Add powdered sugar and stir well to blend completely.
  • Add cereal and mix until well incorporated. Cover and chill for 15 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and roll into 2 inch balls. Transfer to lined baking sheet.
  • In a double boiler, melt shortening. Add chocolate chips and stir until smooth and melted.
  • Transfer melted chocolate into a smaller bowl for easier handling. Then dip the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to help coat evenly. Place the coated PB balls on the lined baking sheet. And if you’d like to, sprinkle with your choice of holiday sprinkles before the chocolate coating hardens to jazz them up!
  • Store chilled in an airtight container for up to four weeks.

Notes

Double Boiler for Chocolate: Make sure to use a double boiler to melt the chocolate so it doesn’t burn. This is a low and slow process where you have a little bit of water in the bottom of a pan and you place a bowl that is LARGER than the pan ON TOP of the pan. Add the chocolate and shortening. The gentle heat from the hot water will slowly melt your chocolate so it doesn’t burn. Don’t have bowl touch the water.
Chocolate Won’t Melt: It sounds like your chocolate may have “seized.” It is time for a new batch to melt.
Microwave Option: If you use CandiQuick, microwave it in 15 second intervals, stirring each time.
Butter: Make sure the butter is at room temperature so it will incorporate correctly. 
Storage: Store in airtight container. Does not need to be refrigerated. 

Nutrition

Serving: 36g | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savorandsavvy or tag #savorandsavvy!
Christmas Peanut Butter Balls
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Make Ahead Freezer Oatmeal Cups {25 Minutes} »

About Ginny

Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for my family that is always on the go!

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Family Photo Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for families on the go! Read More...

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