Before Christmas, I found this recipe pictured in my Family Fun magazine. Anna Hammari sent it in, and I think she won some kind of prize for it. I have never been able to make chocolate covered peanut butter anything come out quite right, so I’d like to try this recipe.

Especially in the season of chocolate peanut butter eggs, I long for some chocolate peanut butter goodness.

Actually, I think I have a Reece’s egg hidden in the entertainment center right now. I digress.

As usual, I rewrote this recipe to make it easier to follow.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 2 (12 oz) packages of chocolate chips – you can use all one kind or 2 different kinds
• 4 to 5 tablespoons of vegetable shortening
• Chocolate or peanut butter chips for decorating

1. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter and butter and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly blended. Add the powdered sugar and stir until the mixture has the consistency of sticky play dough.
2. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips with the shortening, stirring frequently. If you’re using different types of chocolate, melt them in separate batches. White chocolate doesn’t contain cocoa butter, so it requires extra shortening. The Family Fun people used 2 tablespoons for semisweet chips, and 3 tablespoons for white chocolate.
3. While the chocolate melts, roll the peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls and set them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. (Reader tip: If the dough is too sticky, add more confectioners’ sugar and/or wet your hands with warm water to prevent sticking.)
4. Brilliant – Put the baking sheet in the freezer until the peanut butter balls are solid enough to pick up with a toothpick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Why have I never thought of this?
5. Insert a toothpick into each peanut butter ball, then dip it into the melted chocolate. Set the chocolate-coated balls on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Remove the toothpicks. Immediately place a chocolate or peanut butter chip over each toothpick hole. Cool the peanut butter balls in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened, about 5 minutes.

Makes 100 (1-inch) peanut butter balls.

Reader Tip: Use leftover melted chocolate to coat pretzels, or pour it into candy molds and add chopped nuts or dried fruit.

Happily submitted to Mouthwatering Mondays,  I am Blissfully Domestic, Homemaking Monday, Making a Happy Home Monday, Make Something Monday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tuesday Toot, Works for Me Wednesday, and Saturday Stirrings