Peanut Butter Chocolate Acorn Truffles
A peanut butter chocolate treat dressed up for the season!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Acorn Truffles are the best way to beckon in autumn! A creamy and nutty peanut butter truffle core is coated in silky chocolate and garnished with salty peanuts and pretzels, creating the ultimate sweet and salty dessert!
This recipe is a great recipe to make with kids without having to turn on the oven. A few mixes in a bowl, a few stints in the freezer and microwave, and you have a treat that is holiday-worthy and utterly cute.
The base of the acorns is a peanut butter and butter base that has a light fragrance of vanilla and is firmed up with a bit of powdered sugar. It is almost like a frosting, but much thicker.
Scoop the acorn base, using a tablespoon to portion them out. Using clean hands, roll the balls into acorn shapes. Freezing the acorns at this point is crucial, so don’t rush this step.
Next comes the fun part — dipping the acorns. A bit of vegetable oil in the chocolate gives these acorns a smooth and glossy finish. Dip the acorns into the chocolate, tapping the fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place the acorns back onto the lined baking trays. Again, freezing the acorns again will make the next step much easier (and less messy).
Dip the top end of the acorns back into the melted chocolate and carefully roll the top of the acorns into a bowl of chopped salted peanuts. Gently return the acorns to the lined baking sheet and insert a pretzel rod into the top. Repeat this process with the remaining acorns. Freeze again to firm up the outer coating, serve, and enjoy!
These Peanut Butter Chocolate Acorn Truffles have all the taste and texture of a peanut buttercup but are less sweet. The salted peanuts and the pretzel rods balance out the sweetness of the chocolate and peanut butter centers.
These acorns are a great way to welcome in fall or a cute dessert for the Thanksgiving table, either way, they won’t last long!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Acorn Truffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup chopped peanuts
- Pretzel sticks, cut into 1-inch long pieces
Preparation
- Line one large or two medium-sized baking sheets with wax paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl beat peanut butter and butter until smooth and lump free, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla followed by powdered sugar and milk, the mixture will become very thick.
- Using a tablespoon portion out the dough into small balls. Shape each portion of dough into an oval shaped ball with a pointed end and transfer the shaped dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
- Transfer the shaped dough into the freezer and let the dough firm up for 1 hour.
- Once chilled, prepare the coating. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and oil until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Using a fork, dip each truffle into the melted chocolate, turning the truffle around in the chocolate to coat all sides. Lift the truffle out of the chocolate and let the excess chocolate drip off of the truffle and back into the bowl.
- Transfer the baking sheets back into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- If the remaining chocolate has hardened, carefully remelt the chocolate in the microwave. Set the chopped peanuts into a clean bowl.
- Remove the truffles from the freezer. Using gloved or clean hands take a truffle and dip 1/3rd of it into the chocolate and then dip it into the chopped peanuts. Transfer the truffle back to the baking sheet and repeat this with the remaining truffles.
- Dip one end of the pretzel with the chocolate and insert it into the top of the peanut coating part of the truffle. Repeat this process with the remaining truffles.
- Return the truffles to the freezer, chilling for a final 15 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Sweet Spicy Kitchen.