St. Patrick’s Day Peanut Butter Truffles

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As any leprechaun knows, the journey to the end of the rainbow can be pretty long and arduous. And while the treasure at the end of the line is totally sweet in the figurative sense, the fact is, gold does little to satisfy the physical appetite. These truffles, however, comprised of a sweet filling with crispy cereal and creamy, rich peanut butter and generously coated with festive green candy coating, are worth their weight in gold when it comes to a satisfying St. Patrick’s Day snack–delicious for humans and leprechauns alike.

Prep time: 1 hour and 20 min (includes 1 hour chilling time)
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Yield: About 30 truffles

Ingredients

2 cups Smooth Operator peanut butter
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 cups crispy rice cereal
3 cups green candy melts, such as Mercken’s or Wilton (make sure they are vanilla flavored, not mint)

Procedure

1. Melt Smooth Operator peanut butter and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally with wooden spoon until mixture is fully combined, smooth, and warm.

2. In large separate bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and cereal. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture. Using hands or a wooden spoon, blend well, until it is easy to clump together and form balls. Form into roughly 30 balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (the rim helps in case one or two of them roll a little bit while you’re handling the sheet!). Chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least one hour.

3. Melt candy melts in a bowl set over simmering water, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until melted and smooth (alternatively, heat in microwave-safe bowl at 15 second intervals, stirring with rubber spatula, until melted and smooth).

4. Remove chilled truffle centers from the refrigerator or freezer, and using a toothpick, dip each one in the candy coating, turning until covered on all sides. Remove toothpicks and place on waxed paper to set. Repeat with the remaining truffles. (Note: You can also dip truffles using a spoon, but you may have more dripping once you place it on the sheet to set).

5. If you’re garnishing with sprinkles, apply the sprinkles while the candy coating is still slightly warm to ensure that they stick. If using icing, wait until the truffles have set completely (about an hour).