A couple of years ago, I began taking one or two vacation days each December solely to calm the holiday crush of chores. I’ve turned at least one of those days into a baking day. This year, Thursday was my holiday baking day. (I also mailed packages that day but otherwise spent all day — eight hours, in fact — in the kitchen.)
The result: 31 dozen peanut butter balls and a batch of chocolate-cherry-almond biscotti (via Real Simple).
(I call this Part 1 because I will be making some more treats on Christmas Day in Herrin. It’s difficult to carry four types of cookies on the airplane and still have room for clothes and presents.)
Chocolate-cherry-almond biscotti (halfway done).
I made biscotti for the first time last Christmas, and it seems like a decent Italian holiday tradition. This year I tried a different (chocolate!) recipe. Honestly, I’m not the world’s biggest biscotti fan. But last year’s biscotti went over well, and I even sort of like this year’s, so I think others will be happy to eat it, too.
The main event was the peanut butter balls. Peanut butter balls, Tennessee balls, buckeyes … whatever you call them, the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is always a hit. Grandma Bondioli and Grandma Korte both made these when I was growing up. But while Grandma Korte focused on a variety of holiday cookies (church windows are a favorite that should be resurrected as are turtles), Grandma Bondioli had one specialty — Tennessee balls. (I looked up Tennessee balls to try to figure out why she called them that and was unable to find ANY reference to this treat being linked to Tennessee. Buckeyes, of course — which usually are only partially chocolate-coated and often do not include Rice Krispies — are linked to Ohio, so I’m not sure where this reference to Tennessee came from.) Grandma Bondioli would start making these around Thanksgiving and continue until Christmas, giving out tins of hundreds, if not thousands, of the treats to her friends and family. When I was younger, I often helped. And as she grew older, my parents and I tried to convince her to take a break from the tedious work and let me do most of it. We succeeded to some extent, though she made plenty of batches behind our backs even then.
So, I’ve taken up the tradition. I made four batches on Thursday — and I was exhausted by the end of it. I know Grandma used to make many more than that.
If you have the desire to make your own, here’s the recipe. (I didn’t take photos during the process because I was coated in chocolate and peanut butter and feared for my phone or camera.)
Containers of completed treats.
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls
Makes about 7 dozen 1″ balls (depending on their exact size)
1 stick margarine
2 cups creamy peanut butter (18 oz. jar)
1 lb. box powdered sugar (about 3 1/2 to 4 cups)
4 cups Rice Krispies, crushed
Melt margarine in pan. Remove from heat, add peanut butter and cream together. Add powdered sugar and crushed Rice Krispies. Mix well with a spoon. Form into (smaller) balls and place on waxed paper. Put in the refrigerator or freezer for a short while (to make dipping easier).
2/3 bar paraffin wax
1 Hershey’s bar (8 oz. size)
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a double boiler, melt the paraffin. Turn down the heat and add the Hershey’s bar and chocolate chips. Melt, stirring occasionally.
Turn heat to low. Stick a toothpick in each peanut butter ball, dip each ball in the chocolate mixture and let the excess run off. Place on waxed paper and remove toothpick. Cover toothpick hole with a drip of melted chocolate. Put in refrigerator or freezer until chocolate hardens.
