Food & Cooking:

Food That Looks Real - Buckeye Cookies

 

 

 

 

Supplies:

                        1½ sticks butter or margarine, softened

            One 1-lb. box (half of a 2-lb. sack) powdered sugar

            1 T. vanilla

            12 oz. peanut butter

            12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

            1-2 T. shortening

            Double boiler | stand mixer | toothpicks

                        Pan or cookie sheet that will fit in a freezer

                        Waxed paper

 

 

Kids love to make and eat food that looks like something else. It nourishes their imaginations! So have fun making these tasty cookies that look exactly like buckeyes. Those are the nuts that are the symbol of Ohio State University . . . but the cookies are softer and sweeter!

 

This recipe makes about four dozen and takes about 2½ hours, since you have to freeze the dough. If you're in an after-school program and can't wait two hours, you can make the dough in advance and just involve the students in the dipping process, which is the most fun anyway.

 

Mix the first four ingredients in a stand mixer. Line a pan or cookie sheet with waxed paper. Form the peanut butter dough into small balls. Freeze for two hours.

 

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Add the shortening; it will help the chocolate set on the peanut butter dough.

 

Keep the chocolate on low heat while you are dipping balls, one at a time. The chocolate needs to be slightly warm, and the peanut butter balls need to be very cold.

 

Grasp a ball by the toothpick and dip into the chocolate. You might need to twirl it, or tip the pan to and fro. Leave a small space at the top with no chocolate coating. That's what looks like a real buckeye nut!

 

Set each dipped cookie back on waxed paper to set. It takes a few minutes. Once it's set, you can pull out the toothpicks and, with a clean finger, smudge the toothpick hole so that the surface is smooth. Throw away the toothpicks.

 

Best kept cool, in the refrigerator. Freezes well.