Peanut Butter Balls (or Buckeyes)

I might just be the meanest mommy ever. After tucking my kiddos into bed, not only did I pillage their Easter chocolate stash and melt down about 75% of what remained to bake with it, but the thing I was making was something that my son can't even eat because of his peanut allergy. Who does that?!!

Luckily, they haven't asked for any Easter chocolate for a while now, so I'm thinking it's safe to say that they've forgotten about it. You can't miss it if you don't even remember it's there, right? Right??! Well, that's what I'm going with.

As for the peanut allergy, I have no defense. We gave up all nuts in our house when my son was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy 2 years ago. His allergy is not severe, but I didn't see the need to risk it. Until lately. I broke down and bought some peanut butter because I've been missing it something fierce. I eat it when he's not around. And now apparently I bake with it while he sleeps. After smashing up all his Easter eggs. Go me.

This recipe came from Baked Explorations. Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. They taste like Reese Peanut Butter Cups, except they're sweeter. Next time, I think I'll toy with the recipe a bit, decreasing the amount of sugar, and use more graham cracker crumbs. Don't get me wrong, they're great the way they are, but I'd like to get it even closer to a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. But that's just me. Also, the original recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate, which might have been a better choice - as milk chocolate is much sweeter. Serves me right, huh?

Recipe for Peanut Butter Balls
(adapted from Baked Explorations)
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 17 graham crackers)
3 cups of confectioner's sugar
10 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
12 ounces good quality chocolate, coarsely chopped (either semi-sweet or milk)

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter until combined. Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix to combine. Add the sugar and butter and beat at low speed, then gradually increase the speed as the sugar is absorbed until completely combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat again. The mixture will seem slightly dry. Form balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Chill the balls and melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave at 50% power until smooth. 

Dip the balls into the chocolate. The book says to pierce the balls (as above); but I found that you could also place the ball on top of the fork and dunk it into the chocolate, which prevents the ball from having holes from the fork. Set the dipped balls back onto the parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate until chocolate sets.