Upgrade Ohio Buckeye Candy With A Crunchy Graham Cracker Twist
Whether you live in the Buckeye State or not, it's easy to fall in love with Ohio's iconic bite-size chocolate candy of the same name. Buckeyes are a satisfying combination of easy peanut butter fudge balls encased in melted chocolate.
By spreading the sweetened peanut butter mixture onto these crunchy snacks, you're able to achieve that classic buckeye flavor, but with an additional, honey-kissed crunch. You can also tackle this upgrade without making any big adjustments to your go-to recipe. Just prepare the peanut butter base as usual, press onto your crackers, and dip in chocolate.
To ensure each bite has the right amount of smooth and creamy peanut butter (and for structural integrity), make sure to mold the filling evenly to the outer edges of each cracker. And just like when chilling traditional buckeye candy for the best results, you can use your refrigerator to set the chocolate coating — but the freezer really speeds things up, so you can get to customizing and crunching on your treats.
Creative ways to enhance buckeye-inspired graham crackers
While this tasty alternative dessert is easy to make, there are a few small ways to streamline the preparation process. When melting your chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, incorporate a bit of neutral-flavored cooking oil for added smoothness. This small addition makes melted chocolate easier to handle due to its thinner consistency. Once each peanut butter square is properly dipped, instead of placing your graham cracker treats on a lined sheet pan to chill, arrange them on a wire rack over a baking sheet. This lets excess chocolate drip off and makes for better air circulation, leading to faster freezing.
To top off the squares before chilling them, make a simple peanut butter glaze composed of melted peanut butter chips and oil and drizzle over the crackers. Instead of using a PB glaze, you can also use white chocolate chips, strawberry jam, or mix together olive oil and maple syrup for an easy faux caramel sauce.
After making this recipe, you may feel inspired to try more variations. Use chocolate graham crackers; saltines or Ritz crackers for a saltier base; or to keep that quintessential round buckeye shape, just incorporate the crushed crackers into the peanut butter mixture. Then, simply roll into bite-size balls. Delicious toppings for either style of these treats include crushed nuts, sea salt, coconut, crispy cereal, or a big dollop of marshmallow fluff to up the s'mores vibes.