We Tried Joanna Gaines’ Peanut Butter Balls Recipe and It’s Getting Dog-Eared Immediately

Updated: Dec. 19, 2023

This fantastic peanut butter balls recipe hits all the right notes for a sweet-meets-salty treat.

Sometimes your sweet tooth is calling but the last thing you want is a sink full of dishes. No-bake recipes are the perfect answer! With only a handful of ingredients, they’re as easy as pie—in fact, much easier than pie.

There are plenty of no-bake recipes to keep in your back pocket, like No-Bake Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints, Coconut Joys and even Butterscotch No-Bake Cookies. But nothing can beat the classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate in this peanut butter balls recipe from Joanna Gaines. The perfect blend of salty and sweet, these are made even better with a crispy crunch in every bite.

Joanna Gaines’ Recipe for Peanut Butter Balls

When Joanna Gaines shared this recipe for peanut butter balls on her Instagram, people went wild! And with good reason—they’re delicious, quick to make and work for an afternoon snack or even dressed up in your holiday cookie tin.

This recipe makes about 2-½ dozen peanut butter balls.

Ingredients

1 stick butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 cups crunchy peanut butter
3-½ cups Rice Krispies cereal
2 packages chocolate almond bark
2 tablespoons oil

Psst: See what popular crunchy peanut butter won our taste test.

Directions

Step 1: Make the peanut butter filling

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the softened butter and peanut butter in a medium bowl. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until it forms almost a paste. Add in the Rice Krispies and mix until well incorporated.

Step 2: Form the balls

testing Joanna Gaines peanut butter balls recipe Jamie Thrower for Taste of Home

Form the mixture into balls about the size of a tablespoon. You can use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon for evenly sized balls. If they’re not sticking together enough, give them a bit of a squeeze before rolling them out.

Step 3: Dip in chocolate

Peanut Butter Balls Recipe Finished on Cooling Rack Jamie Thrower for Taste of Home

In a small metal bowl over a double boiler, heat the chocolate almond bark and oil until completely melted. Dip each ball into the chocolate, then set it on the parchment paper. You can add sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet (though that’s optional) and allow them to rest on the parchment until the coating is dry, about 15 minutes. If you’re looking for more, you must try these chocolate-covered dates.

Here’s What I Thought

joanna gaines finished peanut butter balls in bowl Jamie Thrower for Taste of Home

If you ask me, it’s hard to go wrong with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter! Especially when you add in a good crunch factor, and the Rice Krispies combined with the almond bark in this recipe give each peanut butter ball the perfect texture. What’s more, it’s a completely forgiving recipe, so even if you have a hard time following a recipe to a T, you’ll still walk away with a tasty treat.

Tips for This Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

Joanna Gaines Peanut Butter Balls Getty Images, Jamie Thrower for Taste of Home

Soften the butter

The most important thing is to make sure your butter has fully come to room temperature before starting. Butter is a crucial and persnickety ingredient in baking and if it’s too cold, it won’t be possible to incorporate it into the peanut butter. If you forgot to set your butter out, use one of these tips to soften butter quickly.

Wear food-safe gloves

I recommend having disposable, food-safe gloves available for all the mixing. I mixed this whole peanut butter balls recipe by hand from start to finish since the mixture is very thick, and incorporating all the ingredients with a spoon would be pretty difficult.

Use forks to help coat the balls in chocolate

When it comes time for the chocolate coating, I like to use two forks to toss the peanut butter balls into the warmed chocolate so they get thoroughly coated. This keeps my hands from getting covered in chocolate and helps the peanut butter balls keep their shape and get an even coating.

Finish cooling in the refrigerator

Once done, pop them in the fridge for a bit so the chocolate is fully hardened. When you take that first bite, you’ll crack through the outer chocolate and into the peanut butter for the perfect salty-sweet combo.

You’ll be happy this peanut butter balls recipe makes such a big batch, so there’s plenty to go around!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake CookiesThis chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookie recipe brings back fond memories of my mom. They were her favorite, and she always made a batch when she knew company was coming. —Jacquie McTaggart, Independence, Iowa