Buckeyes

source

Buckeyes


Until moving to Wisconsin, I always just assumed everyone everywhere knew what Buckeyes were. Growing up in Ohio, naturally everybody knows Buckeyes in their various forms (including, but not limited to, nuts, trees, football players and residents of the great state), but I still get questioned quite frequently by outsiders who scratch their heads every time Brutus the Buckeye's round head graces the television screen during OSU football games.


WHAT THE *&#!$ IS A BUCKEYE???


The Buckeye, my friends, is the state tree of Ohio. It is also the state nut. The nut is encased in a spiky shell, and is deep brown in color with a little tan spot on top, which resembles the eye of a deer (a buck's eye.... get it?). 

The nut itself is actually poisonous, so I would advise against chopping any up and including them in your next salad. However, crafty Ohioans have discovered a way to make the Buckeye not only edible, but delicious: Create a version of the nut using the most perfect flavor-taste combo known to man: Chocolate and peanut butter. It won't kill you with poison, but you just may die from its tastiness. It's like a big Reese Cup, only with more peanut butter. Need I say more?

Buckeyes aren't necessarily a Christmas candy - they really can be made and enjoyed all year round - but you're likely to find them adorning any holiday party treat platter from Cincinnati to Cleveland. I happen to make them every year, and I love introducing them to Wisconsinites - only after, of course, they've received their lesson on what a real Buckeye is. 

First, you start off with the necessary ingredients (also pretend the butter is in this picture. You know what butter looks like):

Then, break out the stand mixer and whip together the peanut butter and the butter butter.

Add in the powdered sugar little by little! Otherwise, you will end up with a big, powdery mess all over your kitchen/clothes/hair/up your nose.

When it's all mixed up, dig in your hands and start rolling, baby!

Then, dip 'em in chocolate, leaving a tiny bit bare at the top and, viola! One of the easiest and tastiest of treats is now in your possession.

Buckeyes

2 cups creamy peanut butter

1.5 lbs powdered sugar

1 cup butter

12 oz. chocolate chips (semi-sweet work great!)

2" block of paraffin wax

Mix the peanut butter and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar little by little until well combined. Roll the peanut-butter dough into balls, roughly the shape of a bouncy ball. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Melt chocolate and paraffin wax. Remove peanut-butter balls from fridge and, using a toothpick, dip each ball into the melted chocolate, leaving a nickel-sized opening at the top (to resemble the actual nut). Place the Buckeyes back into the fridge so the chocolate will harden faster (and you can start eating them sooner!).

Another variation is to include graham cracker crumbs in the peanut-butter dough. I fancy myself a purist, so I've never included the crumbs in my Buckeyes before, but Eric pleaded for me to try it this year, so I gave in. I don't think I included enough (I split the dough in half and mixed about half a cup of graham-cracker crumbs in one half, but they weren't easily detected in the final product). Try it out if you prefer a little crunch to your sweets!

Do you have a favorite Christmas candy? Is there a signature treat cherished in your state?