My kids are huge fans of peanut butter truffles, or “buckeyes” as they’re sometimes referred to in the South. They want a batch prepared for every holiday. I’ve made these truffles into copycat Reeses’ Christmas trees, plain as peanut butter balls, and now, in the spirit of Halloween, as Bloody Eyeball Truffles. My son has taken a ridiculous advantage in claiming he is unable to help do chores after eating one of these because he is “covered in blood.” So far his ploys have not met with success, but he continues to try.
Bloody Eyeball Truffles
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, but with a little adaption, I can easily make it dairy-free and vegan. When I make this recipe for people who have a peanut allergy, I substitute almond butter or cashew butter for the peanut butter. It also works well with sunflower butter. If you need to make the recipe dairy-free and vegan, omit the butter used in the recipe and substitute vegan butter. You’ll also need to use nondairy white chocolate chips and a different candy for the “eyeball” in the bloody eyeball truffles.
Some of my favorite vegan products that I keep in my kitchen at all times are Earth Balance Soy Free Natural Buttery Spread, Enjoy Life nondairy chips, and Choco No-Nos, “milk-like chocolately candies.” These ingredients are more costly than traditional ingredients, but if you have someone with a dairy allergy in your family, it’s better than an ambulance ride to the ER. Or, later, listening to the toddler, scream “Don’t hurt me, big truck!” whenever she sees an ambulance.
I recommend melting the butter in the microwave for 30-45 seconds before you begin. It makes the entire process easier. You can mix this by hand, but it’s much smoother if you use a mixer.
Printable Recipe
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 package (16 ounces) Vanilla Almond Bark (find it in the baking section of most grocery stores)
- 24 individual Reeses’ Pieces or M&Ms
- 1 tube red decorating gel
- Melt butter in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.
- In a medium bowl, blend together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter until blended.
- Roll mixture into 1 inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm. This should take approximately 20 minutes.
- Melt almond bark in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds. Stir. If the mixture is not completely melted, return to the microwave for 30 more seconds. Stir until melted.
- Using a fork, dip the peanut butter truffles into the melted almond bark, rolling to coat.
- Place truffles on a cookie or baking sheet. Immediately add one M&M or Reeses’ pieces to the center of each truffle.
- Place truffles in the freezer until the almond bark is firm, about 20 minutes.
- Draw squiggly lines from each M&M with the red decorating gel to give a bloodshot appearance.
Cooking Tips to Make This Recipe Dairy Free/Vegan
Step 1: Omit butter, melt vegan butter and mix into peanut butter and confectioners sugar.
Step 2: When dipping the truffles, you’ll need to melt the 10-ounce bag of white nondairy chips with a little (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) vegetable shortening so that the “chocolate” will harden.
Have you used the buckeye recipe before? Do you have a great substitution for one of the ingredients? Have you tried bloody eyeball truffles?
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Those truffles look so fun!!! I am sure my kids would love to try this recipe, a great activity for kids this halloween.
These look creepy and also tasty. I will be making some for the party at school this year.
Those look like some really fun treats to make! The truffles look amazing!
These truffles will be just perfect for our upcoming Halloween party! I love the bloody eyeball idea to scare the kids with!
Ohh, this would be a great addition for out Halloween treats for the kids. Just in time to see and read this. I need to add this up on my what to buy list this weekend.
I love how easy these truffles are to make! This is the perfect Halloween treat to make with my kid.
The Bloody Eyeball Truffles seem so apt for Halloween. They look great and must taste awesome too. A very innovative recipe to suit the occasion.
I love Halloween! All these fun treats are making me eager for the real day!
How creative and fun. I love to try out new themed recipes and what better theme than Halloween. I look forward to it every year.
Now this is such a fun idea for Halloween! I would never have thought of using truffles as an idea to make something spooky but now I think it will be a Halloween hit!
What perfect Halloween treats! I think some creepy desserts like these would go great with an equally creepy drink!
I love how these came out. They’d be so fun to make with my kids. We’ll have to be sure to make these soon!
What a novel idea for Halloween. I love truffles but never thought of giving them a Halloween makeover. Yummy!
The name is so gross. Perfect for Halloween. Wonderful to make and enjoy