peanut.butter.truffles

I love this time of year! I get to bundle up with warm cozy hats, scarves, and mittens, drink hot chocolate, smell cookies and goodies baking, sing Christmas songs all day long, and trim the tree. Oh wait...not the last one, at least not yet. And that's my predicament. Since we'll be moving in the middle of December, I don't want to decorate the apartment just to tear it all right back down again. But I guess it's not too bad. After all, we're moving into a HOUSE! Best Christmas present ever! [other than a baby, but that's on my birthday wish list ;)]

But yes, back to those yummy treats. We have a tradition in my family. Each year, it's like a competition to see who can make the most Christmas cookies. We have cookies, upon cookies, upon cookies. My sister and I used to spend hours at Grandma's house making sugar cookies and decorating them ever so cleverly. Even though I'm far away from home and I won't be able to visit this year, I still want to keep the tradition alive - with a little twist. I don't necessarily want to make just cookies, I want to do a LOT of baking. Mmmm. So to start the season off right, I made Peanut Butter Truffles, upon Wes' request, for Thanksgiving. And it was definitely a success. Everyone loved them.

*Side note. Many thanks to Pinterest for providing recipes that make me look like the perfect little housewife. Really though, these Peanut Butter Truffles may look fancy and hard to make, but they're not. You just need to have a little patience.

Peanut Butter Truffles

Makes: 50 servings
Yield: about 50 truffles

Prep: 50 mins Cook: 12 mins Chill: 45 mins to 1 hr Freeze: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 5 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups tiny marshmallows
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 12 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons shortening
• Finely chopped peanuts (optional)

Directions:

 

1. Butter the side of a medium heavy saucepan. In the saucepan, combine sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture is boiling. Reduce heat to medium; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in marshmallows, peanut butter, and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Chill for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until mixture is thick and can be molded.

3. Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.

4. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate and shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip off balls. Place on a wire rack set over waxed paper. If desired, sprinkle with peanuts. Let stand until chocolate is set.* Makes about 50 truffles.