These smooth and creamy peanut butter truffles are filled with M&M’S® and topped with rich chocolate. A homemade candy proving that there is no better combination than peanut butter and chocolate!
Like buckeye candies, but completely coated in chocolate and dotted with M&M candies!
You can dip the peanut butter truffles in tempered chocolate or melted untempered chocolate. I prefer just simply melted chocolate because I like these truffles cold. Tempered chocolate should not be refrigerated. (The only time you really need to temper chocolate is when you want a shiny, attractive chocolate coating for candies that will sit at room temperature.)
I melted semi-sweet chocolate in the double boiler. You can use milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or even white chocolate instead. Semi-sweet is the perfect coating for these creamy peanut butter truffles because it isn’t overly sweet. If you do not have a double boiler, use the microwave to melt the chocolate instead.
As always, I recommend a dipping tool for creating the most attractive truffles! I use and recommend these dipping tools, and you’ll use them many times over when making chocolate truffles, Oreo balls, rum balls, pumpkin spice truffles, and more.
More M&M Treats
- M&M Cookie Bars
- Mini M&M Cookies
- Soft-Baked M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- M&M Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- One Giant Monster Cookie
Peanut Butter M&M’S® Truffles
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 32-35 truffles
- Category: Candy
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These smooth and creamy peanut butter truffles are filled with M&M’S® and topped with rich chocolate. A homemade candy proving that there is no better combination than peanut butter and chocolate!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (185g) creamy peanut butter (not natural style)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) M&M’S® Baking Bits
- 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*
Instructions
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed in a large bowl until creamy—about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Beat on high until combined and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low for 2 minutes until everything is combined. The mixture is supposed to be a little soft, yet crumbly. See photo above for a visual. Using a rubber spatula (or your hands—I find hands work best!), work the M&M’S® into the peanut butter dough.
- Begin rolling peanut butter dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet. You should have about 32-35 balls total.
- Chill peanut butter balls in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until firm. During the last few minutes of the chilling time, begin melting the chocolate. You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. I like to use a liquid measuring cup. Its depth makes it easier for dipping the truffles. Melt in 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Let the warm chocolate sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool before dipping. Alternatively, you can temper the chocolate. If tempering, do not place or store truffles in the refrigerator.
- Remove peanut butter balls from the refrigerator and dip them in the chocolate using a dipping tool. When dipping, you can fully submerge the truffle OR leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like buckeyes. When lifting the truffle out of the chocolate, remember to tap the dipping tool gently on the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
- Place balls back onto the baking sheet after you dip each one. Allow chocolate to completely set in the refrigerator before serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Layer truffles between sheets of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Double Boiler | Liquid Measuring Cup | Dipping Tool
- Chocolate: I do not recommend using chocolate chips for the coating. Use pure chocolate. You can use semi-sweet like I do, or you can use milk chocolate, bittersweet, or white chocolate.
May I substitute the m&ms for rice crispy cereal?
Sounds delicious, can’t see why not!
Great!
Yum! These are amazing. My 1 and 2 yr old sons just devor them whenever they get the chance! So glad they like pb!. My UK husband thinks it is awful! 🙁 I dont have a double boiler so just melted choc in the microwave. Didnt work quite as well but still turned out good enough to serve to our visitors!
I’m going to try these today. But i came here to say, it’s crazy weird how people literally come to this link for a recipe and not read the directions then comment something that was stated in the link. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DOUBLE BOILER = use either 2 pots one smaller than the other or a pot and a heat safe bowl or use a microwave.
Amazing amazing amazing. I make buckeyes every year because they are my husbands very favorite candy. This year I used this recipe instead and didn’t mention that I had changed them. He ate one a couple of hours ago and since then has commented probably 20 times about how delicious they are. “Did you use a different peanut butter? Different chocolate this year?” “I don’t know why but the are extra good this year!” Thank you Sally…for yet another wonderful and most importantly, successful recipe!
Hi Sally, I noticed on this recipe and several others, it calls for a mixer with a paddle attachment. Is the paddle attachment necessary? Is there an alternative? Right now I only have a standard beater attachment. Would it be better to use that or maybe mix by hand?
Is the beater attachment a whisk or like a flat paddle? Because honestly either would be fine to use! 🙂
Where exactly do you find pure chocolate for dipping? I have looked for years and can only ever find chocolate chips or dipping chocolate like almond bark. Neither are very good in my book, so I’m hoping you can shed some light. Thanks!
Sold right by the chocolate chips, there are usually “baking bars” like Baker’s brand or Ghirardelli. That’s the pure chocolate you want for dipping.
These looked absolutely amazing, so I had to make them asap. I added the ingredients to my husbands shopping list and sent him on his way. He ended up getting natural peanut butter, but I used it anyways. Followed the directions exactly and when it came to the 3 CUPS of confectioners sugar it seemed like way too much, I checked the directions 3 or 4 times just to make sure I wasn’t doing it wrong. I left the balls in the fridge overnight and dipped them in the morning, they just continued to crumble. I tried them and I tasted more sugar than peanut butter. Very sad, please help. Is it the natural PB that made it this way? What did I do wrong?
Hi Brittany! Sorry about your crumbly truffles. Commercial style such as Jif or Skippy is needed to keep the creamier texture.
Hello! I love all of your recipes! I’m looking forward to trying this one as well. Quick question – If I don’t want to add the additional M&Ms into the mix, can I leave those out and everything else stays the same? Meaning do I need to increase the amount of other ingredients if I leave the M&Ms out? Thank You!
Just leave out the M&Ms. No need to add/remove anything else from the recipe.
Hi Sally!! I made these as part of my family’s Christmas treats this year, and I absolutely LOVE them! I made them just as wrote, however I did use salted butter and didn’t add salt in later. I was so worried that they wouldn’t turn out because awhile ago I tried a Cake Batter truffle from another site and that turned out completely gross, but your M&M truffles are literal perfection.
I am curious tho, how did you manage to chop your mini M&Ms for the topping? I discovered chopping them with a knife didn’t work, so I ended up putting 3-4 whole mini M&Ms on top instead. Still cute, but I’m curious how you managed to chop yours?
Thanks again & Happy Holidays!
Tyler, glad you loved them! I put the M&Ms in a ziplock bag and grabbed a sturdy glass and banged it on top of the M&Ms to slightly crush. Not perfect, but it works!
Hello!! So I attempted these today but my mixture came out still creamy rather than crumbly. I’m in the process of trying to salvage them because the filling still tastes yummy and I’d hate to think I’d wasted all the ingredients. I didn’t want to add more sugar because it’s so sweet as it is. Any suggestions??
Odd! What kind/brand of peanut butter did you use? With all that sugar, it’s surprising the mixture was so creamy.
Sally I made these on the weekend and they turned out well. The only problem I had is that my dipping tool (metal and spiral like) kept sticking to the truffles so when I pulled them off sometimes part of the peanut butter truffle stuck to it. Do you have any thoughts? Would it be easier if I froze the truffle before dipping in chocolate?
Sounds like the truffle is too sticky, so freezing should help! Or chilling in the refrigerator for longer.
Do you mean a semi sweet bakers chocolate bar in the baking section or an actual hershey’s type chocolate bar? What about using something like Candi Quick or Candy Disks?
Yep, bakers chocolate bar. Any pure chocolate works. Candy quick or melts work too of course– but you lose that quality flavor since they are not pure chocolate.
I made these for a Bar Mitzvah, and they were a huge hit. The addition of mini-M&M’s gives a delightful crunch. I made the truffles and put them in the freezer two weeks ahead of time. I dipped them the day before the party. They freeze really well.
Hi Sally! I made these today with my new dipping tool! Living in Ohio, this is not my first time making Buckeyes, but it was my first time making them upgraded with m&m’s!! Question: how do you recommend getting them off the dipping tool without messing up the tops? In referring to the ones not totally covered that is- they buckeye style ones! Thanks!
A toothpick helps slide the buckeye off the tool! So glad you tried them Megan, thanks!
Hi Sally! I’ve made these probably a dozen times for my parents and my friends. They are OBSESSED with them. I do have one question for my own knowledge purpose, why do you not recommend using melted chocolate chips for the coating? I’ve been using solid chocolate all of the other times I’ve made them, but I’m out and I need to make these for another function.
Chocolate chips don’t melt down properly for best taste, texture, and ease of dipping. When melted, though, the chocolate is quite thick and coating neatly is nearly impossible. You can thin it out with a little oil, but then the chocolate isn’t as tasty.
I made these today and turned out WONDERFUL! First time I’d made anything but cupcakes or lemon bars. One question, however. How did you dip them without marks left by the dipping tool? Which tool did you use? I used the spear and had holes in them, of course. How do you lay them on the silicone mats nicely? Any tips about dipping you feel like sharing? Thanks in advance, and thank you for all of your wonderful recipes. I’ve made several and I can’t think of any that weren’t delicious!
Christi, I’m so glad you loved them! As far as dipping goes– I’ve had a lot of practice in the past 10 years. And my truffles haven’t always been so pretty. For round candies, like truffles, I use the spiral dipping tool. I dunk the candy the entire way into the chocolate, then lift out with the tool. I tap the tool against the edge of the chocolate bowl to release excess chocolate. Then I hold the dipping tool (with the truffle) over the silicone mat and I, very quickly, twist my hand/wrist so the truffle is now on the mat. And I lift the tool away very quickly. Hopefully you understood that?! Again, it just takes practice.
Hi! This recipe looks absolutely incredible and I cannot wait to try it! I can’t seem to find M&M Baking bits at any store near me, would just regular size M&M’s work? Thanks!!
Allie, M&M baking bits are the same as mini M&Ms. You can use regular size, but the mini size is best because you get more in each truffle!