Football fans who love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups will go gaga for these super peanut butter-y, chocolate covered Peanut Butter Footballs. Each bite of this sweet and creamy, homemade confection is pure peanut butter bliss. This is the perfect bite-sized treat for your next game day event or watch party that everyone will be talking about.
Picture this: you're hosting a game day watch party (it might even be the Big Game!).
You've already made Football Cheese Ball (a sure win with the crowd), as well as Pepperoni Pizza Dip. You also have some crunchy and savory snacks, like Parmesan Herb Pretzels and Candied Mixed Nuts, ready to go.
But, have you thought about a sweet, chocolaty treat to fit the theme of your football event? Because that, party planner and dear reader, is how you're going to score your extra point.
Chocolate covered peanut butter footballs are cute, fun and absolutely delicious. With a homemade, soft peanut butter center coated in sweet chocolate (and of course laced with white sparkle gel), these bite-sized confections are a tremendous crowd pleaser.
Now I'm not saying these eye-catching footballs are going to help your team win (though they can't hurt, right?). But what I can say is that these scrumptious Reese's inspired footballs will definitely have you scoring plenty of touchdowns with the party in your living room😉.
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👪Why you'll love it
| Make ahead recipe- Peanut butter footballs require some time in the kitchen, but here's the great news: they can be made days, even weeks, in advance. They keep well in the fridge for up to 1 month and can also be frozen! Tastes like the real thing, but even better- Homemade is always best, right? These Reese's Peanut Butter football copycats are no exception. They are super smooth and creamy and full of chocolate and peanut butter decadence. Uses no butter or shortening- That's right, no added saturated fats for the peanut butter center in this recipe like many others you'll find online🥳. |
🥘Ingredients
- smooth peanut butter- choosy moms choose Jif for good reason, and it's an excellent choice for this recipe, since peanut butter is the main ingredient
- salt- just a little bit is needed to accentuate flavors
- pure vanilla extract- for rich flavoring; avoid imitation
- sweetened condensed milk- this is not the same as evaporated, so look at the labels carefully
- confectioner's/powdered sugar- for (you guessed it) sweetness
- semisweet or milk chocolate baking bars- use bars and NOT chocolate chips, which melt differently and have a waxy coating; for more of an authentic Reese's experience, choose milk chocolate
- white decorating gel- I've tried different methods for the laces and find that decorating gel works best; I really like Wilton's white sparkle gel for this recipe
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Mix peanut butter, salt, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk. Add the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, and blend.
- Step 2: On a clean workspace, knead the mixture with your hands until it is pliable and moist (it will be thick).
- Step 3: Using a melon baller or cookie scoop, place peanut butter balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Pinch ends to resemble footballs. Refrigerate 2-3 hours.
- Step 4: Melt chocolate in microwave. Use a fork to roll and coat the chilled footballs. Transfer to a new pan with parchment paper and refrigerate 1 additional hour before adding gel laces.
Hint: An electric hand mixer or stand mixer is super helpful when making the peanut butter filling, especially if you have sturdy attachments typically used for cookie dough.
🥣Substitutions
- Peanut free- if allergies are a concern, there are a few products on the market that claim to taste like peanut butter without using peanuts. Though I haven't personally tried it, WOWBUTTER (made from soybeans) is a popular choice online and is sold in some local grocery stores. Remember to also make sure the chocolate you're using is made in a peanut free facility.
📖Variations
- Go team!- You can get super creative with these fun and cute footballs. Decorate the ends of them in your team's colors with sanding sugar (do this while the chocolate is still wet). You can also buy melting wafers in the colors of your team to coat them!
- Buttercream footballs- Follow my recipe for Buttercream Eggs, but make them in football form! (Then save the recipe to make again in the spring 😉.)
🍽Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- electric hand or stand mixer (sturdy dough attachments recommended)
- measuring cups and measuring spoons
- melon baller or cookie scoop (1 T. capacity)
- parchment paper (a must)
- rimmed jelly roll pans or cookie sheets
- microwaveable bowl
- candy dipping scoop or fork
🍶Storage
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Separate rows of footballs with parchment paper. Some people like eating them cold, but it's also okay to have them sit out for 10 minutes before serving so they soften.
You can also freeze peanut butter footballs in freezer safe packaging for up to 3 months. Slightly defrost them on the counter and enjoy partially frozen for a special treat, or defrost overnight in the fridge and enjoy them in their original form.
💭Top tip
Chill the footballs in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours (as this recipe suggests) before dipping them in the chocolate for easier coating. If you're adding any sprinkles, apply them while the chocolate is wet. Allow peanut butter footballs to then chill in the fridge for an additional hour before applying the white gel for stitches.
🗨️FAQ
Buckeyes are partially dipped in chocolate, while peanut butter balls (and these footballs) are fully coated in chocolate.
I don't recommend it. Chocolate chips have a waxy coating to preserve their shape while baking. When you melt them, you get the coating in the bowl with the chocolate. This not only doesn't taste the same as a pure chocolate baking bar, it has a different consistency.
A candy dipping scoop is an excellent tool because it doesn't waste as much chocolate; the dipped candy also comes out looking nicer. If you don't have this kitchen tool, use a fork to roll and coat; then lift the candy out of the chocolate without puncturing it (some excess will drip through the fork's prongs back into the bowl).
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Peanut Butter Footballs:
📋Recipe
Peanut Butter Footballs
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- electric hand or stand mixer sturdy dough attachments recommended
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- small melon baller or cookie scoop about 1 T. capacity
- parchment paper
- large rimmed jelly roll pans or cookie sheets
- microwaveable bowl
- candy dipping scoop or fork
Ingredients
- ¾ cup smooth peanut butter I use Jif
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 lb confectioner's sugar
- 12 oz semisweet or milk chocolate baking bars
- 1 tube white decorating gel I use Wilton's white sparkle gel
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix peanut butter, salt, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
- Add confectioner's sugar, 2 cups at a time. Mix on low speed to incorporate; then raise speed to medium and blend for 2-3 minutes (mixture will start to resemble coarse crumbs).
- On a clean workspace, knead the mixture with your hands until it is pliable and moist (it will be thick).
- Using a melon baller or cookie scoop, place peanut butter balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Pinch ends to resemble footballs. Refrigerate 2-3 hours.
- When ready to coat, melt chocolate in microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals until almost smooth. Stir out any small clumps and set up your dipping station.
- Use a candy dipper or a fork to roll and coat the chilled footballs in the melted chocolate. Transfer to a new pan with parchment paper and refrigerate 1 additional hour before adding gel laces.
- Use a white gel decorating tube to apply laces on the footballs.
Barbara K. says
Yum! I have a "sweet tooth" and have always favored cream eggs over coconut ones.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Me too! You will love these peanut butter footballs. You can also freeze them!
Liz says
Great treat for football games or perhaps shaped as a baseball. We love peanut butter any way.