Peanut Butter Ball Candies

There has been a lot going on lately.  Christmas is always so busy!  Shopping, decorating, working, filling orders...I am feeling pretty worn out and stressed right now.  This weekend, I plan to spend inside with my best friend and in my pajamas in an attempt to relax and re-focus on the true meaning of this season.  Posts will probably be sporadic at best until after the New Year, but I'll try to do at least a few recipes or photo posts between now and then.  Hard to believe that it's almost 2013!  I took some time today to make something I haven't had in three or four years, since before I had braces: peanut butter ball candies!  They were too chewy/sticky to eat with a mouth full of metal, but since I don't have them anymore, I really wanted to make them.  I used to make them all of the time growing up, and they were a favorite.  These are a little different than buckeyes, which you will see in the ingredient list, but they are really good!

Peanut Butter Ball Candies
Ingredients:
1 C creamy peanut butter
1 C light corn syrup
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
1 1/4 C dried powdered milk
1 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-2 tsp solid vegetable shortening

Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter and corn syrup.  In a smaller bowl, mix the powdered sugar and the powdered milk.  Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, to the wet mixture.

Mix together with a spoon until it's too stiff to work; knead powder mix in with your hands the rest of the way.
Once it's completely mixed, form the dough into balls roughly the size of a walnut.  Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight).

I got 42 peanut butter balls out of this batch.  Once the balls have chilled and firmed up, begin preparing the chocolate coating:
Melt chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave at 30 second intervals.  Once smooth, allow the chocolate to cool slightly.  With a tablespoon, begin spooning the chocolate over the balls.

Smooth and spread the chocolate over the candies to your liking.  Once all of the balls have chocolate on them, return the pan to the fridge to allow the chocolate to set up, about an hour or two.

Done!  Have fun with your Christmas baking!

Everyone goes shopping for Christmas.  The day after Thanksgiving is notorious for its insane middle-of-the-night shopping hours and equally insane sales, and millions of people trying to buy as many sale items as possible for gift giving.  More money is made by retail stores at this time of the year than any other time.  The true meaning of Christmas gifts has been lost in the shuffle and bustle of a commercialized holiday.  Sadly, too many people care more about the gifts than the meaning of Christmas, and how much they spend on each other.  Money has been a desire of every man since they first began bartering and trading for goods.  We are warned about the temptation of money in Scripture, and it still applies today: "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17).  Also, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:10).  Forget about the presents for Christmas.  Focus on the true gift that was given to the world 2000 years ago, and the eternal gift that awaits all who come to Him for forgiveness.  God wants to spend eternity with us, if we will just accept the gift of His Son's sacrifice!  Best gift EVER!