Peanut Butter Balls

If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, you'll probably like these... My chocolate-dipping skills leave a lot to be desired, but the end result tasted delicious. Basically, you mix together butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until its dough-like, then you chill the balls in the refrigerator for a while, and then you dip them in melted chocolate. Its heaven. I'd never made candy before, I don't exactly know if this counts, but its close enough. As for the Ed-rating, it was a challenge to make sure he didn't eat them all before the bike race I'd made them for... and he was more than willing to take a decorative bite out of one for the picture. He named a steep price, though--the rest of the ball!



Ingredients:
2C creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy, because its what I have, and it was actually kind of nice to have the peanuts in there)
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbs butter
2-4C powdered sugar
12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate

In the microwave, melt the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir it together, and then start adding the powdered sugar. Once it reaches a dough-like consistency, roll the dough into small balls (whatever size you feel is appropriate--smaller for more chocolate, larger for more peanut butter, relative to each other). Put the balls on some waxed paper on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Melt the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl over some boiling water (or a double boiler. I guess that is a double boiler). I think the original recipe called for 9oz of chocolate, and I did that, and I found it almost wasn't enough chocolate. So use the whole bag of chocolate chips. Once the chocolate is melted, roll the peanut butter balls in the chocolate using two forks, and place them back on the tray and chill in the refrigerator. They're fine at room temperature once they've set, but don't leave them in a tent in sunny eighty-degree weather... I speak from experience!

Supposedly these will stay good for weeks at room temp in an airtight container, but mine didn't last that long, so I can't verify that. I don't remember where I found this recipe, either, so if its yours, please say so in the comments and I'll cite you or take it down, as you wish.