Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy
There’s something that feels really old-fashioned about making your own candy. I had not thought to try it until I came across a recipe from a blog called Bite From the Past. I thought it seemed a good idea as any to try making in our from-scratch kitchen. Seeing as I am currently not eating dairy or soy while breastfeeding, I’ve been admittedly having trouble not wanting to snack on a Reese’s peanut butter egg this time of year. While we try our best to eat only whole foods or foods made with whole ingredients at home, there’s something about a little treat that I just cannot resist at times. Are you the same?
I discovered that making my own version of this popular Easter treat was incredibly simple. Just mix up a few ingredients, dunk in melted chocolate, and voila! Chocolate covered peanut butter eggs. I did alter the original recipe to accommodate some consistency issues, and I also found it was easier to simply shape them into balls, much like cookie dough. You can, of course, make them whatever shape that you wish.
ingredients & recipe:
MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN CANDIES:
2 cups creamy peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 egg white, beaten until foamy
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup lard or butter, softened
1 medium baking potato, peeled, mashed, and cooled
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp cooking oil, such as sunflower or coconut, melted
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, egg white, vanilla, lard, and cooled mashed potato. This is best done with an electric standing or hand mixer to remove any lumps.
Cover the mixture and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
In a microwave safe dish, melt the chocolate chips until smooth on high. You can also melt these over the stove over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and mix in well.
Roll the peanut butter mixture into small balls, about 2-inches in diameter. With a fork, dunk each ball into the melted chocolate. Place on a piece of wax paper and allow to harden.
Store in the refrigerator for about 1-2 weeks, if they last that long!
NOTES:
I found the original recipe here. I did alter some things!
This recipe uses a raw egg white. You may want to swap that our for powdered egg whites or meringue powder.
Try adding sprinkles to the tops when the chocolate is still wet!
These are delicious and much less sugary than I was expecting, though they are quite rich. The addition of the mashed potato helps them to hold their shape well together, and it does not alter the flavor. In fact, I think it helps to balance out all of that powdered sugar. You do not have to add any oil to your melted chocolate, but I learned the trick of using it for any dunked candies or cake pops when I worked in a small bakery in high school. It really helped to spread the chocolate out farther and create a more creamy texture to bite into.
Enjoy!
xoxo Kayla
