How To Make Your Buckeye Treats Snap

Many peanut butter lovers are well aware of the delightfully sweet-savory combination of chocolate and peanuts. Those who appreciate the culinary mashup will most likely enjoy buckeye candies, a gummy ball of peanut butter dipped into milk or dark chocolate. Simply made, Old Time Candy explains the old-fashioned treats are meant to resemble the nuts that fall from Ohio's buckeye tree, delivering an irresistible mix of salty gooeyness with a light chocolate crunch.

With origins dating back to 1919, buckeye candies have claimed the title of Ohio's official candy. Sold in stores throughout the region, buckeyes have become a popular snack at Ohio football games (per Ohio Artisan Collective). And while you may think there isn't much to rolling up peanut butter with a few other ingredients and dipping the balls in melted chocolate if you've never made the treat before, there are a few strategic moves you can take to ensure your candy-making skills are up to par and impress even your Ohio-based friends and family.

We've previously warned of the perils of coating buckeyes in too much chocolate, but there are other preventative measures that you can take to help guarantee that the outer coating is perfectly crispy, crunchy, and irresistible. Buckeyes have a reputation for being a little messy, but that is mostly because eager candy makers often don't wait to chill the rolled peanut butter balls long enough before dousing them in chocolate. Ideally, advises the Kitchn, the peanut butter globes should be left in the fridge for at least two hours before being dipped into chocolate. Alternatively, Ohio State University says you can freeze the balls for 15 to 20 minutes if you're pressed for time.

After your buckeyes have been coated, placing the chocolate-peanut butter goodies back into the fridge (Kitchn says 10 minutes will do, but Food Network recommends at least 30 for a fully cooled shell) will help crisp up those chocolate layers into crunchy shells that will have you reaching for more.

It can be hard to hold off snacking when these treats are staring up at you, but we promise the wait is worth it for beautiful buckeyes with a snappy shell.