How about some Buckeyes while you watch college football over the Thanksgiving weekend. There is a lot of eating and watching football during this holiday in my family. It is also the University of Michigan (my alma mater) and Ohio State University game.
This is one of the biggest college games for my hometown of Ann Arbor. Especially since the team is playing so well and we have a new football coach, Jim Harbaugh. He was a quarterback for Michigan; played 14 years as a quarterback in the NFL and then was the head coach of a number of pro football teams. Can you tell I have high hopes for this years football team as well as all “GO BLUE” fans do.
The Michigan and Ohio teams have a fierce rivalry that goes back to 1897 and had been renewed annually since Michigan rejoined the Big Ten in 1918. For me I remember the so-called “Ten Year War” between Woody Hayes (OSU) and Bo Schembechler (Michigan) as I was getting my Masters in Library Science at the time.
Ohio is known as the “Buckeye State” and is the state tree of Ohio since 1953, on the occasion of Ohio’s 150th anniversary of statehood. In 1950 Ohio State University adopted the buckeye logo as its official symbol. Then in 1965 Brutus Buckeye became the official mascot of OSU.
So what is a buckeye? Buckeyes are nuts that grow on medium-sized deciduous trees growing 50 to 80 feet tall and are related to the horse chestnut. It is native primarily to the Midwestern and lower Great Plains regions of the United States. The nuts are contained in a spiny hull until they ripen in September when they open and fall to the ground. Having lived in Ohio for the first 16 years of my life I enjoyed foraging for these little beauties with my siblings and friends. Aren’t they cool???
Dried Buckeyes
Buckeye Candy – peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate
The dried nuts are mainly used in decorations and crafts. During the pioneer days the tannic acid extracted from these nuts was used in making leather. Native Americans roasted, peeled and mashed the buckeye nut, which they called “Hetuck,” into a nutritional meal. I guess they didn’t know buckeyes are slightly poisonous and are not edible unless they are heated and leached. Doesn’t sound good to me!
Climate change could shift the Buckeye Trees’ habitat to Michigan. If the world keeps warming this could actually happen. Oh my – that would be something!!!
Buckeye candy is a confection made into balls consisting of peanut butter, a little butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, rolled into small balls and dipped into chocolate leaving a circle of peanut butter showing, just what the real nuts look like.
You can use 1) chocolate wafers as seen below or 2) semi-sweet chocolate chips plus 1/3 cup paraffin wax beads you can buy from Amazon.
Even if you will not be watching football these make a sweet little dessert. They are easy to make and can be made ahead of time. Who doesn’t like peanut butter and chocolate?
Buckeye Candy
- 1-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup butter, softened or you can melt it in the microwave
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2-3 cups chocolate wafers or
- 2-3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips plus 1/3 cup paraffin wax beads or 1 tbsp. shortening
Combine the first four ingredients and mix well. Shape into balls using a 1-inch stainless steel scoop. You can either refrigerate or freeze the balls and then take out a few at a time to dip.
Slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler; I did use the chocolate wafers and did not have to add any paraffin or shortening. Remove the balls from the refrigerator or freezer a couple at a time – insert toothpicks for easier dipping and dip the balls in the chocolate leaving the top uncovered. Work quickly as the weight of the chocolate makes them come off of the toothpicks.
Place on wax paper or a cake rack to cool. I sprayed a cake rack and the balls wanted to stick anyways. So I turned the rack over and carefully coaxed the balls off the rack so the chocolate would stay as intact as possible. Close up the holes made by toothpicks with your finger.
Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Comment: Paraffin wax is a chemical preservative used to make fruits, vegetables and candy shiny, pretty and to retard moisture loss and spoilage.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
I’m sharing these peanut butter balls dipped in dark chocolate with Fiesta Friday. Everyone will love these “Buckeyes.”
These are so cute☺☺☺
Thanks Lina… 🙂
Iowa has buckeye trees, but Nebraska doesn’t…weird. I make my peanut butter balls like this, and didn’t know about the parafin beads! I just use that block that is hard to break. Your buckeyes turned out perfectly!
That’s like Ohio and Michigan – Ohio has trees but we don’t, yet! I have a block of paraffin too and it’s a pain to use – these beads are much easier. These “Buckeyes” are always very popular!
Never heard of Buckeyes nuts. How interesting!
The candies looks so delicious. 🙂
Thanks – they just melt in your mouth 🙂
They are so cute and scrumptious! In the reader, I thought they were chestnuts. 😀 )))
Thanks Fae – chestnuts and Buckeyes are definitely related. These make a simple but delicious treat 🙂
Judi another new recipe and it looks so decadent. I thought it was chestnut too 😉 Have a nice day! 🙂
They are in the same family as the chestnut! Fun to make and loved by all peanut butter/chocolate lovers 🙂
I’ve heard the slogan but had no idea what a buckeye was. Your candies look like them…I’m sure you can’t eat just one.
Definitely not Karen – they are very addictive 🙂
I actually didn’t know the buckeye candy was representing the actual buckeye haha, good to know! This looks so delicious!!
Thanks – The candy and the buckeye nuts are very similar in appearance. A special treat and so easy to make 🙂
Oh my, I love these candies! My ex-husband’s grandmother use to make these every year at Christmas, although she didn’t call them Buckeyes. I never got the recipe …now I can try this one. They look and sound delicious! Thanks for sharing. Saving 🙂
Thanks Arlene – these are so good as you know and go quickly, I never can make enough of them as everyone seems to love them. I mean, peanut butter and chocolate – yum 🙂
These look so cute, Aunt Juju. I thought they were chestnuts at first. 🙂 Thank you for bringing these this week. Have a lovely weekend! xx
Thanks Jhuls – a few thought these were chestnuts (same family) but they are actually buckeyes. The candy looks like these fun nuts that I use to collect when I was much younger and living in Ohio.
Very beautiful and yumm yumm
Thanks!
These look so pretty and I know they taste amazing, just in time for the holidays!
So cute!
Thanks – and they are good too!
These are so cute, Judy!
Thanks Patty – fun to make 🙂
Oh my they look so cute and delicious Aunt Juju. …
Thank you Chitra – so simple to make and yet so good 🙂
Gorgeous buckeyes Judi… these can be pretty addicting 🙂
If you like peanut butter and chocolate together you will find these addicting!
Thanks for sharing the story about football and I hope the team won. I’ve never heard of these nuts but I enjoyed reading about them.
We lost – maybe next year as the team continues to grow and get better. When I lived in Ohio as a youngster the nuts were a lot of fun to look for in the fall 🙂
yummy!, thanks Aunt Ju Ju for bringing all those delicious snacks!
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You’re welcome – happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Judi, Just checked out this post and love the buckeyes! Good to see what the paraffin wax beads look like too.
As Julie mentioned above we only had these blocks of paraffin available and were a pain to work with. The beads are much better to use Sandhya.