Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie (Peanut Butter Buckeyes)

That song always makes me thing of home, especially around Christmas, mostly because I'm from Pennsylvania and we always had homemade *some kind of* pie around our table.  Makes me all warm inside.  

What I have for you today is not pumpkin pie.  It is not pie of any kind.  But it is homemade.  And it is delicious enough to drive from Tennessee for.

Last night was Bob's employee Christmas party.  Hubby is a PGA certified golf pro; he doesn't play on tour, but he manages a golf course here in South Jersey and oversees all the golf related aspects of that, such as tournaments and outings, lessons and daily play.  He has a small staff of bag drop guys, shop attendants and restaurant staff.  They work really hard all year, and I wanted to make them something yummy as a little party favor.  Peanut butter buckeyes are always a crowd-pleaser, and they're easy to make in large quantities.  

Then, at the grocery store, I ran into a jar of Nutella that inspired me.

Does that ever happen to you?  Chocolate inspiration?  Happened to me.  In addition to the traditional recipe, I also make Backwards Buckeyes, with a chocolaty center dipped in peanut butter.  They definitely something new, and everyone seemed to enjoy them.

The packages were just egg cartons - I saved all my egg cartons for the past year and cut them in half, lined them with cute little candy papers.  Cheap, easy, and they impressed even my mother in law.  :o)

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

(Since I couldn't find my recipe anywhere -gasp!- I used Michelle's over at Brown Eyed Baker)

1-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter

6 cups powdered sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups (2 bags) chocolate chips

1/4 cup shortening

Mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla until incorporated completely.  (I through it all in the stand mixer for about 2-3 minutes.)  Form into 1/2 inch to 1 inch balls and spread onto a wax paper lined plate/baking sheet.  Chill in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, until solid.  Melt the chocolate and shortening together in a double boiler until smooth.   Using a toothpick or other pokey device (I used one of the implements from our pumpkin carving kit), gently stab and dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, leaving only the very top exposed.  Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, until set.  Store in the fridge, as they will melt if left out.

Backwards Buckeyes

3/4 cup Nutella

2-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups (1 bag) peanut butter chips

Mix the Nutella, sugar, butter and vanilla until a dough forms.  Roll into 1 or 1/2 inch balls and spread onto a wax paper lined plate/baking sheet.  Chill in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, until solid.  Melt the peanut butter chips over a double boiler until smooth.  Using a toothpick or other pokey device (I used one of the implements from our pumpkin carving kit), gently stab and dip the chocolate balls into the peanut butter, leaving only the very top exposed.  Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, until set.  Store in the fridge, as they will melt if left out.