Buckeyes

Buckeyes are a no-bake Ohio treat resembling the horse chestnut from Buckeye State.  They are also simply scrumptious.  I found them in one of my favorite cookbooks from a bakery in Brooklyn, Baked Explorations.  If you consider yourself a serious baker, you need to stop what you're doing and get your hands on one of the three Baked cookbooks so you can make their amazing brownies, sweet and salty cake, and monster cookies.  Back to the Buckeyes, I'm making these as a gift to thank my HR friend for all of the time he spent offering ideas, advice, and answering my countless emails.  It's always important to say thank you; thank interviewers afterword with an email, thank your parents as much as you can, and bake thank you treats containing peanut butter and chocolate frequently. 

Buckeyes (taken from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

You will need:

1/4 c cream cheese, softened (leave out at room temp for a bit)

1 1/2 c peanut butter

1 c graham cracker crumbs (14 crackers/7 sheets) I like to use the food processor

10 Tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

12 oz dark chocolate (60-72%)  I like to use 60% Ghirardelli chips because they're easy to find

1.  In your KitchenAid, beat the cream cheese and PB with a paddle attachment until combined. 

2. Add the graham cracker crumbs.  Beat on medium for 10 seconds.  Add sugar and butter, I like to use my dishtowel trick from the PB&J bars so a sugar eruption does not occur.  Beat until combined, scrape, beat.  It ends up looking like wet sand but will easily form a ball.

3.  Over a double boiler set over hot water, melt chocolate until smooth.  Pour into a small, deep bowl and let cool until 100 degrees F (should take 10-15 minutes).  In hindsight, I wish I had used a deeper bowl.  It's better for rolling/dipping later.

4.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (I used wax paper and it worked fine).  Scoop out around 1 Tbsp PB mixture and roll into ball with hands. 

I like to use a 1 Tbsp scooper.  Since I'm studying for the DTR exam, let's do a scoop example problem together.  Remember, the number on the scoop tells you the number of scoops in 1 quart.  Therefore, the smaller the number on the scoop the bigger the size of the scoop!  Let's say my scooper is a #60.  If I had 2 gallons (oh mylanta) of peanut butter mix, how many 1 scoop Buckeye servings would that be?

2 gallons = 8 quarts

I can get 60 scoops from each quart

60 scoops x 8 quarts = 480 #60 size Buckeyes

(I hope that was right, it would be really embarrassing if I did that wrong.  If I did, I'm blaming it on the peanut butter coma I am in right now)

5.  The dipping was a struggle.  I was racing the clock; couldn't miss Body Pump-those OC housewives get toner by the second and are putting my 23 year old arms to shame.  The book says to use a fork to prick the ball and roll it from side to side, leaving a small circle on the top exposed.  Then you cover up the fork holes by dripping chocolate in that direction.  Yeah, that didn't work for me.  I ended up dropping the ball in my chocolate because it was shallow enough.  I kind of rolled it around and drizzled chocolate on top to try and make the exposed dot.  Then I lifted them out with a fork to let excess drip off.  It kinda worked.  I  had barely enough chocolate. Mine don't look as pretty as the ones pictured in the cookbook, but you forget about that once you taste them.

6.  Place them back on the covered sheet pan.  Once finished, chill for at least 30 minutes.  They will keep for 3 days, covered, in the fridge.  Recipe says makes 32-48; I ended up with 41.