Cherry Peanut Butter Balls are kinda like a peanut butter cup with a cherry in the middle. They take a little time to make but are so worth it.
If you’ve never had a peanut butter cherry ball, you’re missing out! These festive no-bakes are similar to Buckeyes but with a maraschino cherry in the middle of each one. They’re sweet, salty, chocolatey, and insanely delicious.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Are Cherry Peanut Butter Balls?
These are sweet, no-bake treats that are popular at Christmas. It’s basically a buckeye candy but with a cherry in the middle of the peanut butter mixture. You already know that peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven, but the addition of a maraschino cherry adds a sweet and juicy contrast. Plus, the cherry stem is very handy for dipping in the melted chocolate!
Tips For Making Cherry Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Cherry Balls can be a little finicky to make, but they’re not difficult and they’re well worth the effort. Seriously, the hardest part about making them is not eating all the delicious dough. It’s super addictive.
It’s important to keep the dough cold while you make these. Otherwise, it can be very sticky and hard to work with. You’ll need to chill it at three different points throughout the process of making these peanut butter cherry balls (which is the finicky part). As long as you plan ahead for that, you should be all set! If you prefer, you can also spread the process out over a few days, mixing up the dough on day 1, wrapping it around the cherries on day 2, and dipping them in chocolate on day 3.
To get a beautiful glossy finish, you’ll need to add some shortening to the melted chocolate. This will also help prevent the chocolate from being too brittle and shattering when you bite into it. Look for shortening sticks near the oil at your local grocery store. You could also use chocolate-flavored candy melts instead of the chocolate chips and oil, but they don’t taste nearly as good and can be on the pricy side.
More Dessert Recipes
Love this recipe and want to make some other easy treats? Try these.
- Swedish No-Bake Chocolate Balls
- How to Make Ganache
- Chocolate Bark Recipe
- No-Bake Thumbprint Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Bites
Podcast Episode About Making Cherry Peanut Butter Balls
Listen to our editor, Christine Pittman, explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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Cherry Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
Cherry Peanut Butter Balls are kinda like a peanut butter cup with a cherry in the middle. They take a little time to make but are so worth it.
- Prep Time: 4 Hours
- Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 24 Servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups and 2 tbsp. powdered sugar, divided
- 24 maraschino cherries
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp. shortening
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the peanut butter and butter then mix in the vanilla. Finally, stir in 2 cups sugar.
- Chill 1 hour.
- Pat the cherries dry with a paper towel. Lightly dust with powdered sugar. Wrap each cherry with a rounded teaspoon of dough, rolling it into a ball.
- Refrigerate 1 hour.
- In a double-boiler, melt together the chocolate chips and shortening. Holding each cherry by the stem, gently dip into the melted chocolate to coat. Place on a tray lined with parchment paper.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour, until firm. Store in the refrigerator.
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This post originally appeared in December 2019 and was revised and republished in November 2023.