This easy homemade buckeyes candy recipe is the perfect blend of creamy peanut butter and smooth chocolate. With just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes of prep, this simple no-bake candy is perfect for cookie trays, gifting, or anytime you want a quick sweet treat.

If you’ve ever wanted to make homemade candy but thought it sounded complicated, this buckeyes candy recipe is a great place to start. This simple, buckeye recipe needs just six pantry-staple ingredients and no candy thermometer — just mix, roll, dip, and chill.
The creamy peanut butter center pairs perfectly with a smooth chocolate shell for a candy that tastes like everyone’s favorite peanut butter cup. Buckeyes are quick enough for a weeknight treat but special enough for holidays, cookie trays, or edible gifts.
They’re easy to make ahead, freeze beautifully, and always disappear fast.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Peanut butter: You’ll want a smooth peanut butter like Jiff or Skippy, not a natural peanut butter, for this recipe. Natural peanut butter can be too oil, which makes it so that the buckeyes don’t hold together well.
- Butter: If you’d like to use unsalted butter, add a couple of pinches of salt with the butter. The salt helps to balance out the flavor of the buckeyes.
- Chocolate chips: If you’d like sweeter buckeyes, use milk chocolate chips. If you’d like less sweet buckeyes, use bittersweet chocolate chips.
How to make buckeyes candy
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.

Step 1: Cream the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla together until well-combined.
Step 2: Add powdered sugar and mix in on low until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.

Step 3: Scoop into tablespoon-sized balls and roll with the palms of your hand until smooth and round.
Step 4: Transfer balls to a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Add chocolate and coconut oil to a medium bowl and melt on 50% power in the microwave. Stir to combine, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Step 6: Use a toothpick to dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, leaving the top 1/3 undipped. Chill to set the chocolate and enjoy.

Recipe Tips!
- Removing the hole: If you’d like to remove the hole, smooth the top of the buckeye with a butter knife to even it out.
- Make-ahead: Buckeyes are a great make-ahead treat! They keep well in the fridge, so they can be made up to 24 hours in advance and then chilled until ready to serve.
- Freezing: The buckeyes can be flash-frozen and then stored in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.

Storage
Store the buckeyes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for about 5 days when properly stored in the fridge.
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Buckeyes Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter not natural peanut butter
- ⅓ cup salted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Cream the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla together until well-combined.1 cup smooth peanut butter, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup salted butter
- Add powdered sugar and mix in on low until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.3 cups powdered sugar
- Scoop into tablespoon-sized balls and roll with the palms of your hand until smooth and round.
- Transfer balls to a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Add chocolate and coconut oil to a medium bowl and melt on 50% power in the microwave. Stir to combine, and set aside to cool to room temperature.2 cups semisweet chocolate, 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Use a toothpick to dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, leaving the top 1/3 undipped.
- Chill to set the chocolate and enjoy.
Notes
- Peanut butter: You’ll want a smooth peanut butter like Jiff or Skippy, not a natural peanut butter, for this recipe.
- Butter: If you’d like to use unsalted butter, add a couple of pinches of salt with the butter. The salt helps to balance out the flavor of the buckeyes.
- Chocolate chips: If you’d like sweeter buckeyes, use milk chocolate chips. If you’d like less sweet buckeyes, use bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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