One of my grandmothers moved from Ohio to our little California town when I was 8 years old, and for every Christmas after that, she drove over to our house shortly after 6 am (or eventually around 9 am, after my brother and I graduated from college and sleeping in sounded more appealing than ripping off wrapping paper before dawn…) with a grocery bag or two full of presents.
She brought gifts for the four of us, along with my mom’s parents, who had flown in from sunny Arizona to spend the holidays with us as well. She usually passed them out partway through the morning, after we had dug through our stockings and called our aunt in Colorado to thank her for that year’s Legos, dark chocolate, and Denver Broncos t-shirts. (My family is full of sports fans!)
Although what lay underneath her festive wrapping paper generally varied year to year, I always looked forward to the three metal tins decorated with Santas and snowflakes she handed us: a medium one for Dad, a small one for Mom, and a huge one for my brother and me.
During the days leading up to Christmas, she spent lots of time in the kitchen making sweet treats. Dad always received crunchy butterscotch cookies; my brother and I found super soft, almost cake-like sugar cookies decorated with red and green sugar crystals on top in our tin; and Mom opened hers to see a few dozen buckeyes.
That tradition continued for around ten years, until Grandma started to slow down and couldn’t spend as much time on her feet cooking and baking in the kitchen, which also happened to be about the time Mom discovered her peanut allergy. (All of a sudden, I didn’t feel so guilty for sneaking so many of her homemade Christmas candies from Grandma!)
This year, it’s becoming harder and harder for all of my different grandparents to travel, so I thought it’d be nice to carry on the tradition one more time when we’re together during the holidays. But… You know me and that I put a healthy spin on just about everything, including these 4-Ingredient Protein Buckeyes!
For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, buckeyes are candy! They’re traditionally made with a peanut butter, regular butter, and powdered sugar filling that’s dipped in melted chocolate. The candies are named because they look like the nut of the buckeye tree.
To make your healthier buckeyes, you’ll start with peanut flour instead of peanut butter. Peanut flour is made from finely ground peanuts that have been partially defatted, so it contains a lot fewer calories and fat compared to peanut butter. This is the kind that I buy because the only ingredient is ground peanuts! Other brands sold in grocery stores commonly contain sugar and flavorings, so check the label before you purchase. (I buy mine from Amazon!)
To the peanut flour, you’ll add cashew milk and sweetener. I love cashew milk because it’s thick, creamy, and only 25 calories per cup! I use it in many of the recipes I bake for those same reasons. However, any milk will work in this recipe, including almond, soy, and dairy-based milk.
As for the sweetener, you’ll use vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s also very concentrated, so a little goes a long way! I use SweetLeaf’s vanilla crème stevia, which comes in a small bottle with an eyedropper. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. (You’ll use it in all of these recipes on my blog, too!)
Note: If you’re sensitive to the taste of plain stevia, I highly recommend that you try this vanilla crème version! Stevia generally has a bitter aftertaste to me, but I don’t detect it with this liquid variety.
Mix those three ingredients together, and then roll the mixture into 24 small spheres. They don’t have to be perfect! Place them on wax paper as you go, and when they’re all rolled, melt your dark chocolate in a small ramekin. Anywhere from 72% to 85% will work for these candies—just pick whatever you prefer!
To coat the buckeyes with chocolate, gently insert a toothpick into the top of each peanut butter ball, pressing it down almost as far as it’ll go. Swirl it around in the ramekin, carefully shake of any excess, and place it back on the wax paper. Ease the toothpick out, and let the chocolate coating harden for about 20-30 minutes. Then you’re done!
Chocolate + peanut butter = bliss ♥
| 4-Ingredient Protein Buckeyes | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) peanut flour (I used Protein Plus)
- ½ cup (120mL) unsweetened cashew milk
- ½ tsp vanilla crème stevia
- 4 tbsp (56g) chopped dark chocolate
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Add the peanut flour to a medium bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour in the cashew milk and stevia. Stir until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 24 balls, and place each ball on the prepared baking sheet.
- Add the dark chocolate to a small microwave-safe ramekin. Microwave on HIGH for 15-second intervals, stirring thoroughly after each one, for 30-45 seconds or until all of the chocolate has melted. Be careful not to overcook the chocolate!
- Working with one peanut butter ball at a time, press a toothpick into the center until it goes all the way through. Dip the ball into the melted chocolate, and shake off the excess. Place the ball back onto the prepared baking sheet, and slide the toothpick out. Repeat with the remaining peanut butter balls and chocolate. Let the chocolate on the buckeyes set for at least 20 minutes before serving or transferring to an airtight container to refrigerate.
Other brands of peanut flour may be substituted. However, the only ingredient should be “peanuts” for the best results. I cannot guarantee that almond flour will work as a substitute.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the cashew milk.
I do not recommend substituting any other type of liquid sweetener in place of the vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is very concentrated, so anything like maple syrup or honey would add too much moisture to the buckeyes. If substituting a granulated sweetener, you’ll need the equivalent of ¼ cup of sugar, and you may need to adjust the amount of milk.
{vegan, gluten-free, low fat, low calorie, low carb, sugar-free, high protein}
These buckeyes are so much healthier than the traditional ones, and they look really delicious too, pinned!
Thanks Eve!
Do you think PB2 powdered peanut butter would work too?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Maria! As I mentioned in the Notes section (I know it can be easy to miss!), I can’t guarantee that other brands of peanut flour will work. PB2 contains added sugar, so it behaves a bit differently than the peanut flour that I used and recommend. I’d love to hear what you think if you try these buckeyes! 🙂
Can I use this instead of the stevia? https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Organic-Vanilla-Flavoring-Ounce/dp/B00I6CV8FK/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?hvadid=78271537279814&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&hvqmt=b&keywords=simply+organic+non+alcoholic+vanilla+extract&qid=1553011209&s=gateway&sr=8-3-fkmrnull&tag=mh0b-20
OR what about plain stevia if I don’t have vanilla stevia. Or a mix of the two. Please advise. I want to make
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sara! The vanilla extract you shared in the link won’t work as a replacement for the vanilla stevia, but another stevia product might! What’s the exact brand and product name of the plain stevia you’d like to substitute? Nearly every brand and product has a slightly different sweetness level, so once I know the exact one you’d like to substitute, I’ll have a better idea of how much you’ll need to use! 🙂
I HEART BUCKEYESS!!!!! This healthier version look exactly and probably tastes exactly like the original! Good for you for continuing in your grandmothers footsteps and making these beauties!!
Thanks Bethany! Anything with chocolate + PB is my weakness. 😉
Wow! I am in love!! These candies look amazing and just like the ones I remember my cousin’s grandma making. What an amazing recipe. I love your use of peanut flour in this recipe. I will have to try out some of the vanilla creme stevia too. It sounds yummy and a great addition to recipes like these. Thank you for another winner!
Thanks Trista! Grandmas always seem to make the best desserts and candy, don’t they? 🙂 I really hope you can find the vanilla creme stevia — it’s been a wonderful addition to my baking pantry!
How far in advance can these be made and stored in an airtight container?
They’ll be fine for at least a week if refrigerated. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the buckeyes Suellyn!
I have PBFit and PB2 is that the same thing as peanut flour? I also saw that Jif now makes it and is cheaper than PB2, but I’ll have to check the label to see what else they’ve added.
I haven’t seen PBFit before, but PB2 is peanut flour with added sugar and salt. I haven’t checked out JIF’s peanut flour yet. I hope you enjoy the buckeyes if you try them Megan!
I went ahead and made them with the PB2 but I am ordering the brand you use for next time. They turned out great, but hard to work with. My batter was so sticky I had to add more pb2 and then some as well as use it like flour so it would stick to my hands. Any pointers for next time around? I used flax milk because cashew hurts my stomach. Maybe too much liquid or the consistency was more watery than cashew milk.
P.s. I forgot to mention that my daughter and husband love them! I will definitely keep trying to perfect it on my end. Thanks Amy!
I’m sorry the buckeyes didn’t turn out for you Megan; that must have been disappointing. I haven’t worked with flax milk before, but if it’s similar in consistency to almond milk, then it should be fine. (I’ve made these with almond milk before, and they’ve turned out!) My guess is that it’s most likely due to the PB2. PB2 contains other ingredients besides peanuts, which could potentially affect the weight of the measurement and the final outcome. Hopefully the Protein Plus peanut flour works for you!! 🙂
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGGGGGGGG AMY! How did I somehow miss this recipe??? This is pure genius and I’m running to my kitchen to grab my peanut flour now 😀
You are WAAAAAAY too cute Jessica!! I’m pretty sure I published it shortly after you announced the release of your new cookbook (eeeeeeek — CONGRATULATIONS by the way!!), so I don’t blame you at all for missing it! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the buckeyes!!
I’m glad someone asked about pb2 instead of peanut flour because that was my question! But additionally, I wonder how peanut butter protein powder would work! Still looking thru your recipes!
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe of mine too, Janae! 🙂 I do not recommend PB protein powder. All protein powders behave really differently, so I can’t guarantee that any will work. You can see more about that on my Protein Powder FAQ page here. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these buckeyes!
Made these because they APPEAR easy to make. 4 ingredients, but, consistency seems to be the trick as not mentioned in the recipe. Theres alot of variation on how wet the mix should be so unless you add extra PB powder, it will be a soft, stick mess that wont even hold while pulling from glaze with toothpick. Had to drop the ball in and coat completely as the mechanics simply do not work. It also took well over 30 mins to make about a dozen of them once it got sticky and messy. Will not make again, i dont see any benefit to making these when energy/goo balls are 100x easier and cleaner. Nice novelty though for the camera. Flavor is also just ok for all the effort.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe John! Did you use the same brand of peanut flour that I did? Did you make any modifications or substitutions to the recipe? The mixture shouldn’t be sticky; instead, it should be easy to roll into balls. I’d love to work together to solve the issues that you saw! 🙂
Amy: I just finished making these; they are extremely delicious and so easy to make! I’m glad I had not read the comments before I tried these, as I might have been scared away. I did not have any problems with stickiness. I used PB Fit Organic Peanut Butter Powder, almond milk, an 85% dark chocolate bar and a combination of stevia extract and vanilla extract, as my store did not carry the stevia/vanilla recommended. The combination made a nice dough that was easy to work with. I ended up making a second half-batch because I had chocolate left over, and accidentally added too much vanilla so it was a little sticky. I just kept adding the powder until the dough got dry and workable – and that is what I’d recommend to anyone making this who experiences stickiness. Also, I wonder if perhaps others were mixing up the peanut powder with water (i.e., making it into peanut butter) rather than putting the peanut powder by itself directly into the recipe. From your recipe, it was clear to me that I should just use the powder by itself, but that is the only thing I could think of that would explain the varying results. Thanks for a great recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these buckeyes, Erin! That really means a lot to me! 🙂 I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and experience. That’s a great point about people accidentally mixing the powder with water ahead of time — you’re so smart to think of that!
What size chocolate bar should I use? I’m going to try to make with the PB2 powder. Please lmk what size of bar and how much and do you do dark chocolate?
Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sara! I’ve actually linked to the exact chocolate bar that I use in the recipe’s ingredients list. (My links are the pink colored font!) 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these buckeyes!
Erin, Do they still need the stevia sweetner eventhough you used PB2 which has some sugar? Lmk what you think!
Yes, still use the stevia sweetener! PB2 only has a very small amount of sugar, so if you skip the stevia, you’ll end up with centers that taste like peanut butter, rather than sweet peanut butter candy. 🙂