Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

Crispy Peanut Butter Balls look fancy but are so easy to make!  And you can't stop at just one.  How could any candy made of peanut butter and chocolate not be addictive? 

 

 Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

 

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies™ cereal

1 oz. (1/4 bar) paraffin (See note) 

1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line two baking sheets with wax paper, foil, or parchment paper.  Using a handheld mixer in a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.  Add the peanut butter and beat on medium speed until combined.  Turn mixer to low and add half of the powdered sugar.  When combined, add the remaining powdered sugar and mix on low until combined.  Mixture may be crumbly.  Remove bowl from mixer, and using your hands, mix in the Rice Krispies. The mixture will be very thick, and the kneading motion of your hands will work best for combining everything.  Dough will be very sticky.

Roll peanut butter dough into balls (about one slightly rounded tablespoon of dough each) and place on the baking sheets.  You will have 25-30 balls of dough.  Refrigerate for about an hour to chill.  

Using a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (but not touching the water), a double boiler, or an Instant Pot™ (instructions on how to use a pressure cooker below), melt paraffin.  When it is melted, add the chocolate chips and stir until everything is melted and smooth.  

Remove one baking sheet from the refrigerator.  Submerge one peanut butter ball at a time into the chocolate making sure all sides are covered; then use a fork or candy dipping tool underneath the ball to remove it from the chocolate.  Tap the fork or tool gently on the side of the bowl/double boiler to remove excess chocolate.  Place back onto the lined baking sheet and repeat process with remaining balls.  Once all candy on that baking sheet has been dipped, return it to the refrigerator, and repeat the process with the remaining baking sheet.  Chill both sheets until candy has set. (Candy will set very quickly.) If desired, after coating has set, drizzle with remaining melted chocolate mixture to decorate. 

Using your Instant Pot™ as a double boiler:  Put two cups of water into the inner pot of your pressure cooker.  Put a heat-proof 2-qt. glass bowl on top of the inner pot.  Select SAUTE and adjust so it's on the "more" or "high" setting.  Add the paraffin to the bowl.  When it is melted, add the chocolate chips and stir until everything is melted and smooth.  Select CANCEL and then KEEP WARM.  The mixture will remain perfectly melted while dipping the candy.

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Paraffin Note:  A common brand of food-grade paraffin is Gulf Wax.  It is found in the grocery store where canning jars and supplies are sold.  According to the FDA, food-grade paraffin wax is safe to eat and passes through the body undigested.  It makes candies and fruits shiny and pretty. More information can be found here:

 

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=175.250

https://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/paraffin2.htm

Here is what the wax looks like.  Each box of Gulf Wax has 4 bars.  You will use 1/4 of 1 bar:

Here is my pressure cooker being used as a double boiler.  Put two cups of water into the inner pot of your pressure cooker.  Put a heat-proof 2-qt. glass bowl on top of the inner pot.  Select SAUTE and adjust so it's on the "more" or "high" setting.  Add the paraffin to the bowl.  When it is melted, add the chocolate chips and stir until everything is melted and smooth.  Select CANCEL and then KEEP WARM.  The mixture will remain perfectly melted while dipping the candy.