- Crispy Peanut Butter Balls are a holiday staple because they are easy and tasty.
- There are only four ingredients, and they’re ready in under an hour.
- They have a little protein and healthy fats from peanut butter and are low in added sugar.
There’s a lot I love about the holiday season. Parties, glasses of Champagne, decorating our tree, lighting a candle during the midnight service on Christmas Eve. Yet out of everything that makes the holiday season so magical, there’s always one thing that truly marks the season in my family: snacking.
Now this isn’t just any kind of snacking. Sure, I love hot appetizers or charcuterie boards during a gathering but those aren’t the kinds of snacks I’m referring to. I’m talking about the snacks that sit in the kitchen in festive bowls and containers. The kind of snacks for unplanned moments during that cozy, quiet week surrounding the holidays, when you peel yourself from the couch and shuffle to the snack stash in the kitchen, still in your sweatpants, looking for something salty or sweet. And every year, without fail, one of those snacks has to be homemade Crispy Peanut Butter Balls.
Why These Are a Holiday Staple
In my family, we always make different variations of homemade truffles, but peanut butter balls always have a place in our snack station. Compared to Christmas cookies, which are a bit more involved to make, this sweet bite is easy to throw together. With just four ingredients and no baking necessary, you can easily throw together batches and batches. They also make an easy homemade gift idea, if you’re looking for something unique to surprise friends and party hosts.
The snack station, as I explained, is particularly special for my family. It tends to be the place where we all congregate during those in-between moments when we’re not opening presents, making dinner or playing games. Slower-paced midmorning or afternoon snacking, where we find ourselves leaning against the counter, huddled around trays of snacks, eating and making jokes. It’s a low-key and special way to reconnect after many months of not seeing one another.
But with so many of us, those snacks are consumed fast. So in order to keep the snack station stocked, we need simple options that don’t take a ton of time or effort to make. (Again, laziness is key sometimes during the holidays.) Given that these crispy peanut butter balls are ready to eat in less than an hour from start to finish, and much of that time is hands-off, they are a must for this magical time of year.
The best part? These crispy peanut butter balls are tasty and a bit healthier than your average snack. They aren’t loaded with sugar and butter, have about 110 calories per ball and only 5 grams of added sugar. Nutritionally, peanut butter provides a small amount of protein and healthy fats, which helps you to feel full instead of mindlessly snacking on empty calories. Plus, dark chocolate has some antioxidants. But ultimately, the snack is tasty, and that’s honestly what matters most.
How to Make Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Simplicity is key with holiday snacks, and this one is pretty simple.
For crispy peanut butter balls you need smooth peanut butter, rice cereal, pure maple syrup and dark chocolate chips. You can substitute the peanut butter with any other nut butter of your choosing, like almond butter or sunflower seed butter.
To make, simply mix a half-cup of the peanut butter, three-quarters cup of the rice cereal, and a teaspoon of pure maple syrup in a large bowl. Scoop and form small balls of the peanut butter mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze the peanut butter balls for 15 minutes so they hold their form. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl. Dip the peanut butter balls in the melted dark chocolate, then freeze for another 15 minutes. If you love a salty sweet snack like I do, top them with a flaky sea salt.
To make things easier, when I dip the peanut butter balls, I like to use toothpicks. I find it creates a seamless crispy peanut butter ball to dip using a toothpick, then drizzling a little extra chocolate on top. You end up with an appetizing snack, and I find it easier to dip than when using a fork.
The Bottom Line
Snacks are a major part of my family’s holiday, and the No. 1 snack that always makes an appearance every holiday season is a container of homemade Crispy Peanut Butter Balls . They are easy to throw together and they’re a satisfying salty, sweet, crunchy snack for those in-between holiday moments. They only require four ingredients, and thanks to the peanut butter and minimal added sugar, the snack provides some staying power. These are the perfect bites for snatching from the kitchen before settling under a cozy blanket on the couch to watch another holiday movie, or dive into that book you’ve been waiting all year to read.