Chocolate Snack Balls (+ Peanut Clusters)

These no-bake chocolate snack balls are a fun treat to have on hand when you’re craving something sweet , crunchy and chocolatey!

Unlike regular “buckeyes”, this recipe takes you up a notch with crunchy additions like coconut flakes, rice kripsies and optional chopped nuts.

You can make this recipe for the holidays, birthdays, or just something to have on hand when you have a sweet craving! We make them every year around Christmas time as our traditional family sweet treat.

Children will love you for making these yummy sweet treats that can be enjoyed anytime of the year and on any occasion! An after-school snack is one of the best! (Serve with some cheese sticks and fruit for a balanced afternoon snack.)

Why you should make this recipe!

This recipe is super easy to mix up and you don’t need the oven for it either! Perfect for those hot summer days or birthday parties when you want something sweet to snack on, but that doesn’t take a lot of time or heating up the kitchen with the oven. 

Most of the time, these are all ingredients that you have on hand in your pantry and can pull out to mix up in five minutes! 

And the best thing about this recipe is that there is no corn syrup in it! 

chocolate snack balls cooling with toothpicks

Ingredients you will need:

  • Powdered sugar/confectioners sugar
  • Peanut butter (your favorite kind)
  • Butter, melted
  • Coconut flakes, sweetened
  • Rice krispies
  • Chopped nuts, optional
  • Melted chocolate of choice for dipping

Equipment you will need:

Mixing bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon sheets

Tooth picks

Saucepan/double boiler, or microwave to melt chocolate

Recipe

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup peanut butter (your favorite kind)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup coconut flakes

2 cups rice krispies

1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Melted chocolate of choice for dipping

Directions

Mix together the powdered sugar, peanut butter and melted butter. 

Stir in the coconut and rice krises (and optional chopped nuts). Mix well. Shape into balls (pressed tight) about 1 inch in diameter (or bigger if you prefer). Stick a toothpick into the center of each ball and chill for 30 minutes to 3 hours. 

chocolate melting in various steps

Next melt the chocolate in your double boiler or however it works best for you. We don’t have anything fancy, so we just put a stainless steel bowl over a pot of heating water on the stovetop. Mix and melt till smooth. We don’t have a specific kind of chocolate we use, just something we buy at a bulk store or some other place. You can even use chocolate chips if you want (but it takes a lot!)

Then dip into melted chocolate, covering the ball with it.

peanut balls getting coated with chocolate

Chill again to harden the chocolate. Then pull out the toothpicks and enjoy your snacks!

Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Using up the Extra Chocolate!

We usually have some chocolate left over, so we take advantage of it and the peanuts we have on hand to make peanut clusters!

steps on how to make peanut clusters with chocolate

To do that, simply dump in peanuts (sometimes we have used whole ones, and other times they are crushed). Make it the right ratio for your likes, stir it all up, and then drop by spoonfuls onto you parchment paper or silicon baking sheets.

Once they are cooled in the freezer, you can put them all in a container, enjoy them, and freeze them up to 2 months to snack when you need a sweet treat that’s not too sweet.

Pin this recipe to make later!

chocolate snack balls pin

What kind of nuts to use?

Chopped walnuts, chopped pecans or even chopped hazelnuts are all great ideas! We usually just use chopped peanuts as they are the easiest to get ahold of. 

How long do these chocolate snack balls last for?

We just store them in the freezer and they are usually gone in a month or two, so you should be able to freeze them for atleast two months or more.

Always freeze in an airtight container or plastic bag that is well sealed and label it for future reference! 

Can you use other nut butters then peanut butter?

While peanut butter is the traditional and most-used nut butter for these type of snack ball recipes, you can very well replace with almond butter or sunflower butter if you have a specific allergy or preference. 

Test them out to make sure they have the right consistency.

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Silicone Baking Sheets (I couldn’t find the exact ones I use so I can’t be sure which to recommend, but to me they are life savers when it comes to baking, nothing sticks, and cleaning is so much easier!)

I would love to have more recommendations, but due to living in Costa Rica, I just don’t know what to recommend for my northern readers!

chocolate snack balls on a pile

Chocolate Snack Balls

These no-bake chocolate snack balls are a fun treat to have on hand when you're craving something sweet , crunchy and chocolatey!
Prep Time 2 hours
Course: Snack

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter your favorite kind
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • 2 cups rice krispies
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts optional
  • Melted chocolate of choice for dipping

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Baking sheets lined with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper
  • Toothpicks
  • Saucepan/double boiler, or microwave to melt chocolate

Method
 

  1. Mix together the powdered sugar, peanut butter and melted butter.
  2. Stir in the coconut and rice krises (and optional chopped nuts). Mix well.
  3. Shape into balls (pressed tight) about 1 inch in diameter (or bigger if you prefer). Stick a toothpick into the center of each ball and chill for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
  4. Next melt the chocolate in your double boiler or however it works best for you. Mix and melt till smooth.
  5. Then dip balls into melted chocolate, covering the ball with it.
  6. Chill again to harden the chocolate. Then pull out the toothpicks and enjoy!
  7. Freeze extras for future use.

Notes

If you have extra chocolate, you can dump in a bunch of peanuts at the end. Stir it all up, and drop by spoonful on the silicone sheets. Freeze, and you have easy peanut clusters on hand!

Let me know how they work out for you in the comments below.

Looking for more family friendly recipes? Check out my simple homemade sandwich bread.

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