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}
We have tree nut allergies in our home. Could I use Fat Free Milk?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lauren! I’ve actually covered the answer to your question in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these buckeyes!
How should these be stored? How long can they be stored. This sounds so yummy!!!
It means a lot that you’d like to try making these buckeyes, Cathryn! I’ve actually covered the best way to store them in the paragraph of text directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’m really excited to hear what you think of these!
These look good. I have a similar recipe, so I’m here looking for tweaks. You answered catheryn’s question on storage, but you didn’t say how long these buggers can be stored for. The milk probably drives how long they’re edible.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Webbie! The second sentence in the paragraph of text directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box actually does state for how long these can be stored. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉
Could I use PB2 powder in place of the peanut flour?
PB2 Powder Is peanut flour – the only difference is that the newer PB2 formula has sweetener and salt and a couple of other ingredients. 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Teresa! I haven’t tried using PB2 in place of the peanut flour. Because it contains added sugar and salt, it can sometimes behave a little differently than pure peanut flour, like the one I use (where the only ingredient is “peanuts!”), since sugar completely dissolves in liquids, whereas peanut flour does not.
However, keeping that in mind, if PB2 is the only peanut flour product you have access to, then it’s probably worth trying! You may need to tweak the amount of PB2 or milk to get the same roll-able consistency — but not by too much. 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of these buckeyes if you try making them!
I’m curious as well. Peanut flour is not as easy for me to find. Can you use the PB2 powder as a substitute for the peanut flour?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Tanya! I actually buy my peanut flour online at the link I provided in the ingredients list. 🙂 I haven’t tried using PB2 in place of the peanut flour. Because it contains added sugar and salt, it can sometimes behave a little differently than pure peanut flour, like the one I use (where the only ingredient is “peanuts!”), since sugar completely dissolves in liquids, whereas peanut flour does not.
However, keeping that in mind, if PB2 is the only peanut flour product you have access to, then it’s probably worth trying! You may need to tweak the amount of PB2 or milk to get the same roll-able consistency — but not by too much. 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of these buckeyes if you try making them!
I was trying to make your 4 Ingredient Protein Buckeyes and failed miserably. I need some advice. I used Peanut flour without sugar, Liquid Stevia, Unsweetened Almond Milk and followed the amounts to a “T”. The peanut mixture was so sticky it would not roll into balls. It looked nothing like yours in the picture. I then added some more peanut flour until the consistency was able to be rolled into balls but that was almost 1/2 cup more. Should I have refrigerated the peanut mixture before rolling it into balls? I then, melted the chocolate as instructed (and not too long) but it too was pretty thick and did not want to coat the peanut balls at all, In fact it was un-dippable. I wonder if I should have added some milk to it as well. I tried it again and could not get it to work the second time either.
What am I doing wrong?
Any advice would be helpful, thanks,
Peggy
I’m honored that you tried my recipe, Peggy! That sounds really frustrating and not like how these buckeyes should turn out, so I’m happy to help solve the mystery. In order to do so, I have some questions for you! 🙂
What are the exact products (brands and product names!) for the peanut flour and dark chocolate that you used?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups for the peanut flour and milk?
How was the flavor of the peanut butter ball part — was that sweet enough? Did you use the same liquid stevia that I did?
When you say you “tried it again,” were you referring to just melting the chocolate? Or making the entire recipe a second time?
I have a hunch about what happened, both for the filling and the coating, but I’ll have a better idea of whether I’m correct (and how to fix it!) once I know your answers to all of the above questions!
Thanks so much for your fast reply. Let’s see if I can answer your questions with enough info.
First the ingredients I used:
Tru-Nut Peanut Protein Flour
Bakers Dark Chocolate Dipping Chocolate
Pyure Organic Liquid Vanilla Stevia
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk Vanilla
I do not have a kitchen scale so I carefully measured the Peanut flour as I would flour without packing it in and leveling it with a knife.
The finished product was sweet enough and tried again meant starting over and trying the whole thing again.
I hope that helps you help me solve the mystery.
Thanks so much,
Peggy
It’s my pleasure, Peggy! I’m happy to help. 🙂
The good news is that the issues you experienced are because of the ingredients that you used — you did nothing wrong! To elaborate, let’s start with the easiest one first…
The Bakers Dark Chocolate Dipping Chocolate is actually semi-sweet chocolate, not true dark chocolate. The easiest way to tell is to look at its ingredients list. Sugar is listed before chocolate, which means there’s more sugar (by weight) and therefore a lower percentage of chocolate, which moves it down into the semi-sweet category, rather than the dark chocolate category. (If you look at the ingredients list on the dark chocolate that I used and linked to in the recipe’s ingredients list, you’ll see the opposite is the case, where chocolate is listed before sugar!)
Products with a lower chocolate percentage are thicker and goopier when melted, compared to true dark chocolate (70% and above) that’s more thin and liquidy when melted. (The higher the percentage, the thinner they get. When you melt 100% unsweetened chocolate, it’s almost as thin as milk!) This is why I recommend using high quality bars of true dark chocolate; they have a better and thinner consistency when melted and are much easier to work with! If using anything below 70% chocolate, you’ll typically need to add a small amount of neutral-tasting oil to the melted chocolate to get a thinner consistency that’s better for dipping. Don’t add milk — that can cause your chocolate to seize!
Second, I compared the Tru-Nut Peanut Protein Flour you used to the Protein Plus peanut flour that I did. Although they have the same calories per ¼ cup, they have different weights per ¼ cup (22g in Tru-Nut vs 30g in Protein Plus), grams of fat (6g vs 4g), and grams of protein (10g vs 16g). I think this is the biggest reason why you had to add so much more! Powdered-state proteins are much drier, chalkier, and can absorb a LOT more liquid compared to solid-state fat. Since your peanut flour was higher in fat and much lower in protein, it wasn’t able to absorb nearly as much milk as the Protein Plus peanut flour that I use, which is why you needed nearly double the amount of peanut flour.
So to summarize… If you’d like to use the Tru-Nut Peanut Protein Flour, then I’d recommend starting with just 3 tablespoons of milk. You may need to add more (I’d recommend 1 teaspoon at a time, to be safe!), but that should prevent your mixture from being so thin and sticky! If you’d like to use the Bakers Dark Chocolate Dipping Chocolate, then I’d recommend adding a neutral-tasting oil (I typically use canola for melted chocolate) to make it thinner and easier to work with. Otherwise, look for bars of dark chocolate that are at least 70%. (Don’t use regular chocolate chips — they contain a stabilizer that make them even harder to work with than the Bakers Dark Chocolate Dipping Chocolate!)
Does all of that make sense?
Totally makes sense. But, wow. We new to Baking have an awful lot to learn. I always look at ingredients and labels but this time I guess I did not know what to look for. I saw the products you used but could not find those in my area so I took the chance and bought the others. Next time I will know better and just go to good old Amazon. I really, really appreciate your help. I will try it one more time with the adjustments you recommend but that will have to wait awhile since I need to first get all my presents wrapped and delivered.
I really enjoy your blog and recipes. Next on my list-maybe even before the Buckeyes re-attempt- are the Amy’s Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies.
Have the merriest of Christmases and thanks again for the education,
Peggy
You’re welcome, Peggy! I was a chemist before I became a full-time baking blogger, so I love the science of ingredients, how they interact with each other, and how those interactions then affect the taste and texture of things. I’m definitely a nerd! 😉 If you ever have questions about substituting ingredients in the future, please feel free to ask — I’m happy to give whatever advice I can!
I’d love to hear how your next round turns out (but zero pressure whatsoever — I know how much time and energy wrapping and delivering gifts can take!), as well as the cookies, if you end up trying them too. 🙂 Happy holidays to you and your loved ones!
Another fantastic recipe! Thank you.
My store was out of peanut butter flour so I bought almond butter flour.
And I have some darling toothpicks with a Merry Christmas little placard on top of
the toothpick -so I left those in each buckeye for fun and flair.
They are delicious!
Great directions, easy to follow, and fun to make.
Happy Holidays!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these buckeyes too, Twyla! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it really means a lot! 🙂 Your “Merry Christmas” toothpicks sound like such a perfect finishing touch for these. I wish I could find something like that here where I live; it sounds so fun!
Happy holidays to you and your loved ones!