How To Make Peanut Butter Balls
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Peanut butter balls are delicious!! This is a great snack for children and grown ups alike. They are kept in Ziploc bags in the freezer and when we manage to have any (they are eaten so fast!). Full of all sorts of goodness, it’s one snack that will not only tide your family over until you can finish up supper, but one you can feel good about letting them have.
What You’ll Need:
Ingredients:
- quick oats
- peanut butter
- powdered milk
- honey*
*Note about honey: If you have children under the age of two, substitute corn syrup as raw honey poses health risks.
How To Make Peanut Butter Balls:
Measure oats into mixing bowl.
Measure out milk and add it to the mixing bowl
These are seriously irresistible. Enjoy having this delicious and nutritious snack around!
If you’re feeling creative, feel free to add your favorite additives to your peanut butter balls! Adding some extra ingredients can take your peanut butter balls to the next level of flavor and texture. Here are some delicious add-in ideas to consider:
- Crushed Graham Crackers: Stir in some crushed graham crackers to the peanut butter mixture for a subtle hint of sweetness and a satisfying crunch.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Mix in mini chocolate chips for bursts of chocolatey goodness throughout the peanut butter balls.
- Chopped Nuts: Add chopped nuts such as peanuts, almonds, or pecans for extra crunch and a nutty flavor.
- Toasted Coconut Flakes: Incorporate toasted coconut flakes into the peanut butter mixture for a tropical twist.
- Dried Fruit: Mix in chopped dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots for a chewy texture and a pop of sweetness.
- Pretzel Pieces: Stir in crushed pretzel pieces for a salty-sweet contrast that adds crunch and flavor.
- Crispy Rice Cereal: Mix in crispy rice cereal to add a light and crispy texture to the peanut butter balls.
- Flavored Extracts: Experiment with different flavored extracts such as almond extract, coconut extract, or maple extract to enhance the flavor profile of the peanut butter balls.
- Spices: Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom to the peanut butter mixture for a warm and aromatic flavor.
- Protein Powder: For a protein-packed treat, mix in some protein powder of your choice to boost the nutritional content of the peanut butter balls.
Feel free to get creative and customize your peanut butter balls with your favorite add-ins to suit your taste preferences. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients
- 2 C honey or corn syrup
- 3 C creamy peanut butter
- 5 C dry milk powder
- 6 C quick oats
Instructions
- Mix all together with hand mixer. Form into balls with hands and freeze on waxed paper lined cookie sheets until hardened. Store in freezer in ziploc bags. (Makes about 100)
With being pregnant (first timer), the cravings are all over the place. Well this mornings craving is peanut butter balls. Oh goodness…so tasty!
I would like to add that a 16 oz bottle of honey is the 2 cups needed for this recipe, a 28 oz jar of peanut butter is the 3 cup, and an 18 oz can of oats is the 6 cups of oats(with a few extra tablespoons :). It saved me time to measure them out as I make these about every 2 weeks. Soooo good!
Christy, I have to try this recipe for the peanut butter balls. So many people hseem to have fond thoughts of cafeteria foods, domeone should come out with a cookbook (or section) of those recipes. Loved your stories of your husband’s food dislikes. Where do they get these things? My hubby would taste/smell mushrooms and onions no matter what I did with them!
Kove your blog and recipes!
Correction to the previous message. Think that I need an Edit button! 🙂
Christy, I have to try this recipe for the peanut butter balls. So many people seem to have fond thoughts of cafeteria foods, someone should come out with a cookbook (or section) of those recipes. Loved your stories of your husband’s food dislikes. Where do they get these things? My hubby would taste/smell mushrooms and onions no matter what I did with them!
Love your blog and recipes!
The [presumed] original of this recipe first hit the public in a cookbook made by the La Leche League, predominantly of recipes from cafeterias throughout the Western world. This one came from a cafeteria somewhere on one of the Hawaiian islands, and used granola instead of the oats, but it spread VERY quickly throughout the States.
Oats are a far better choice, no matter which type you use. Old fashioned or steel cut will give it a more chewy texture, add slightly more nutrition, and make them slightly more filling, decreasing the danger of eating them by the pound. 😉
I process my oats first, so the whole recipe can be made in a high powered food processor. NOTE: some blades will cause a metallic taste due to the honey. Consider blending the honey with either the PB or dry milk first…dry milk is likely to be most effective.
Agave nectar is purely awesome. Drinks made with it are top-sellers and favorites at our house, and would go sooo nicely with peanut butter. Stevia or milk thistle **may** work if adding cocoa powder or cinnamon. Mom won’t use Splenda in her tea for more than a week, but she makes these with it fairly often.
They make soy products that roughly equal to dry milk powder, and still have that level of nutrition.
My grandmother first made these, from that book, and now we all have made them. I’m the only one to have ever had a batch make it to the freezer, just once. I was home alone when I made them. 😉 Since they normally lasted less than 24 hours (okay, 12, if that), we always just kept them in the empty oats container, using the fridge only in the summer. [We’re not pigs, but we have a familial magnesium deficiency, and these are awesome for that!]
Hubby would NOT eat “food in his food” until I came along. No marinara on any pasta, even lasagna he hated, no garden on a dry sandwich…now he eats 5+ingredient pizzas, LOVES my garden marinara, and lots more. Get creative, use blenders and processors, and DON’T GIVE UP!
This has got to be the most sensible recipe blog I have seen so far, and I’m beyond grateful I found it. THANK YOU!
I have to use gluten free oats which are not quick cook. Any ideas how to work around that? This would be awesome to have on hand.
Oh just use them and they’ll be fine! I’ve used old fashioned oats when i didn’t have quick on hand. In fact, they’ll probably be even better!
These are so easy & delicious! Thank you for always having the step-by-step instructions with pictures. You always make things look so easy 🙂
Christy I love your site!!! I love your spunk, personality, sense of REALITY (hello! hydrogentated oils will have to be fine in moderation!), and the easy to follow directions! I am making the peanut butter balls today for gifts, and love this healthier alternative to my family’s rice krispie peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. And I don’t know what HOLE I grew up in, but MY cafeteria did not have such wonderful goodness! HA! We had congealed salad Thursday. Woohoo, really gets the kids worked up, you know?
Do you have any plans on some kind of community forum? I’ve been testing recipes on my blog, http://luckygirlsweetsnstuff.blogspot.com/, and would love any kind of feedback!
I look forward to your new stories everyday! Thanks for giving us a sneak peek into your life! Keep em comin’ Christy!
I am following the weight watchers diet and i eat well. (I love food which is how I became overweight to begin with! 🙂 I just keep foods I like on my diet and work around my preferences the best I can. I hope you don’t mind, but I usually figure out the pt value per serving so I know what I am getting myself into. This is 2 pts per serving according to my calculations. If anyone figures it differently feel free to let me know! I just gotta make sure I make 50 balls from the half recipe! I got a goal and I will make it happen. 🙂
I am definitely going to try this. Since they can be stored in the freezer it may take me a while to eat them but I will eat them! Thanks for all you do for us Christy! 🙂