If you’re anything like me your sweet tooth can make staying healthy a bit challenging. It always creeps up on me especially around the holidays. Making treats always ends up with me eating a ton of unhealthy things and wishing I didn’t. Instead of beating myself up I decided why not make a healthy treat for my friends and family and then I can enjoy some too! With that in mind I started my journey on substituting ingredients in recipes I already love. Now I always try to make recipes healthy by substituting ingredients like sugar, powdered sugar, butter and flour with healthier options so I can still indulge without compromising my health.
This amazingly delicious recipe for Dark Chocolate Pretzel Buckeyes was inspired by the original Buckeyes that have over 3.5 cups of powdered sugar in them. Yikes!! That’s a lot! I make it HEALTHYISH by substituting powdered sugar for powdered milk and honey to sweeten them instead of sugar. My favorite part is swapping dark chocolate for milk chocolate which in my opinion is the only chocolate you should eat! Here is directions with some pictures to show the process of making them. They are so easy!
First gather your ingredients, wax or parchment paper, a large mixing bowl, a sauce pan, and several baking sheets or platters.
Mix the powdered milk, peanut butter and honey together in the large bowl. I found a large wooden spoon made the stirring easy. Mix completely and set aside.
Next place the wax or parchment paper on the baking sheets. Take the peanut butter mixture and roll it into small 1 inch balls. They don’t have to be perfect as they will be smashed between 2 pretzels in a bit.
While you are waiting for those to chill get 2 more sheet pans or platters ready with parchment paper for setting your chocolate dipped buckeye. Also get your sauce pan for the chocolate and add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the sauce pan and set aside for melting your dark chocolate.
Move some of the balls over on one side of the sheet pan and place pretzels in rows in there place, then take the peanut butter balls and place on top of the pretzels. Now take another pretzel and squish the peanut butter ball between the two pretzels just enough that the peanut butter is close to the edge of the pretzel but not overflowing. Place them in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden the peanut butter mixture. After the 10 minutes are up take them out of the freezer and get ready to start dipping!
Now for the fun part! On medium heat melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in the saucpan stirring constantly. Keep a close eye on it, if it gets to warm it will burn. When the mixture is melted and creamy turn the heat to the lowest setting.
Now its time to dip! Pick up the pretzels with one corner and dip into the chocolate being careful leave the corner you are holding out of the chocolate. Place the pretzel on the parchment papered sheet pans in rows. Repeat till they are all dipped. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes and Voila! You have a healthy version of mouthwatering Dark Chocolate Pretzel Buckeyes!
Now if you love this recipe and want to see more recipes that I take and make Healthyish subscribe to my blog Healthyishyou.com and follow me on Pinterest! For the complete recipe see below.
Dark Chocolate Pretzel Buckeyes
1. Combine peanut butter, honey and milk in a bowl and mix well.2. Roll teaspoon size portion into a ball and place on a sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Take the pretzels and place them on the parchment paper and place one peanut butter ball on top of the pretzel. Then take another pretzel and place on top of the peanut butter ball and squish them together.
4. Chill until firm approximately 10 minutes.
4. Take the chilled pretzel with peanut butter out and dip each pretzel into melted chocolate (cover approximately 2/3 of the ball).
5. Place on wax paper and chill until firm.