Several years ago, our family discovered the yumminess of Buckeyes. You know, those lovely, round, dipped-in-chocolate Christmasy treats. BUT…they are a pain to make. I’m just keeping it real here. I love my kids, but every time they ask for Buckeyes for their birthdays or special nights or Christmastime, I cringe. I just don’t wanna.
Now granted, it might have something to do with the size of my family, but the idea of standing around rolling a million and one graham cracker – powdered sugar – peanut butter balls, then dipping them in chocolate using a toothpick that inevitably falls out of said ball is torture…sheer torture.
And then it hit me…put them in a pan! In my world, if it can be put into a casserole dish, it’s golden! It’s the easy way to feed my crowd, and I will take just about any recipe and make it into a casserole lickety-split (like my Family Style Chicken Pot Pie!).
So, while I considered calling this Buckeye Casserole, I figured that didn’t sound very delicious and opted for Buckeye Bars instead!
You are going to LOVE these because they are SO simple! No dipping, no toothpicks, no mess! Pop it in the pan, refrigerate for a bit, and eat them out of the pan! (Or be civilized, and cut them into squares and put them on a plate…never mind…just eat them out of the pan!)
Here are photos to give you an idea of just how FUN of an event making Buckeye Bars is around our house!
And now, for the recipe!
- 1 c. graham cracker crumbs (approx. 15 squares)
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 2 sticks (1/2 lb) butter, softened
- 1 lb. peanut butter
- 12 oz milk chocolate chips
- Combine first 5 ingredients. Press into a 9×13″ dish. Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave, and pour over the top of the crust. Put in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to harden. (Don’t allow to harden too much or you won’t be able to cut it!) Once hardened, cut into squares.
Looking for more holiday recipes? Try our Cranberry Celebration Salad or our Easy Cheese Ball or our Festive Hot Punch! And if you need a little help with menu planning, there are a ton of resources and ideas on our Large Family Meal Planning page!
jodie says
This looks yummy! We don’t have Graham crackers in New Zealand so I had no idea what they were, but a quick Google tells me that our Digestive biscuits are a good substitute. Now I know that, I have no option but to try them 🙂
Love the photos – that sells it!
Amy says
Oh wow! I had no idea Graham crackers were an American thing! I’m glad you found an alternative – you’ll have to come back and let me know how it went!
Diana says
Wow! I can’t believe I’d never heard of these before two months ago, and now TWO bloggers I read have posted recipes for them! (Here is the other: http://homejoys.blogspot.com/2018/08/buckeye-bars-and-how-they-got-their-name.html) I can’t wait to try these – thank you!!
Amy says
That’s hilarious! We started doing this years ago because I hated dipping them, but my kids kept asking for them! SOOOOO much easier!
AmbeR says
Love this idea and also love the pics! ?