Irresistable Peanut Butter-Graham Cracker Balls

 

This weekend Mr. Cozy and I invited some new friends that he works with over for a relaxing evening of homemade dessert and coffee. It was a small casual gathering, and we had a great time!  I love getting to know people over a bit of sugar and coffee.  One bite at a time!  

 

I had to serve a little bit of savory, too.  Enter the cheese and cracker plate!  Smoked cheddar, Havarti with dill, crackers and apple slices.  (The cheese was amazing!)  I think sometimes it's nice to have a bit of salty to accompany the sweet.

 

I captured a few snapshots of the kitchen just before everybody arrived.  The water pitcher and cheese and crackers were out in the living area, and all the desserts were together in the kitchen with the coffee. 

 

The afternoon sun rays were beautiful streaming through the kitchen window!

 

I love my cafe lights!  They're staying up until we put a new light fixture in the kitchen.  We haven't found the right one yet, but that's okay since these lights are so much fun!  I like some whimsy in my kitchen!

 

We still have a few updates to do in the kitchen.  In the meantime, I'm loving my butter yellow walls and the cottage feel a cozy galley-style kitchen provides!

 

 As you all know, this was a perfect time for me to try out a couple of new recipes. Everyone agreed they were delicious!!!  I made homemade peanut butter & graham cracker balls--rolling some in crushed salted peanuts--dark chocolate covered Fleur de sel caramels, and unbelievably delicious mud hen bars!  The bars will be featured very soon at Inspired By Family magazine!

 

The peanut butter-graham cracker balls are scrumptious!  The graham cracker crumbs give these a nice texture that's different than the usual buck-eyes. (Don't get me wrong I love those, too!) This treat fun and so easy to make!  I have a feeling this recipe is going to pop back into my kitchen at Christmas-time!  They would be a lovely gift to package up in some cute Chinese take out containers and give to family and friends! 

 

I have a couple left over right now in the fridge.  Hmmm.  If you'll excuse me, the smooth dark chocolate covered peanut butteriness is calling my name....

 

Hope you'll try these delicious treats out soon!

 

Peanut Butter-Graham Cracker Balls

Adapted from: Baby Gizmo Blog

 

1 c. Peanut Butter

 

1 1/2 c. Graham Cracker Crumbs, finely ground

 

1 1/4 c. baking chocolate, chopped

(I used equal parts semi-sweet and bittersweet.

Here it really helps to have a baking/melting chocolate versus chocolate chips.)

 

Optional: 3/4 c. chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, Heath toffee bits

(Used to roll the balls in.  I'd love to try the toffee bits, but my favorite were the ones simply dipped in chocolate.)

 

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Take your graham crackers and grind in a blender or food processor until you get 1 1/2 cups.  Add graham cracker crumbs to the peanut butter.

 

Mix it up well.  You want the mixture dry enough to make balls.  Here, I decided to add a heaping Tbsp. of powdered sugar.  The original recipe doesn't call for this, and you can do whatever you want.

 

Form 24 even sized balls with your hands and place on an aluminum foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Freeze for 30 minutes.

 

 

Melt half the chocolate in a double boiler until just melted.  (I used a glass bowl sitting over simmering water.)  Once melted, add the rest of the chocolate and stir until melted and glossy.  The more you stir, the glossier it becomes. 

 

 Place toppings in smaller separate bowls.

 

Using a toothpick, dip the balls in the chocolate and allow for some of the excess chocolate to drip off.  Proceed to roll them in the topping or place them back on an aluminum foil or wax paper lined baking sheet. 

 

Refrigerate until firm.  Keep in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.  Will keep for several days.

 

 

 

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