Peanut Butter Bon Bons

This is a big recipe...makes 12 dozen or more. Peanut butter bon bons are a favorite with my family and friends, and are even remembered by some of the faculty at work and friends from church from our annual Christmas parties...so I end up making more than one batch, even of this big recipe, throughout the holidays. You might cut it in 1/2 the first time...all the rolling and dipping does take TIME.

Ingredients:
1 C butter, softened
1 18oz jar peanut butter
(creamy or crunchy)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
4-5 C powdered sugar
24 oz chocolate chips
2 Tbls parafin

Directions: Mix butter and peanut butter until creamy; stir in vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until mixture is still soft (not crumbly) but managable -- you'll need to roll it into balls. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Note: Every brand of peanut butter is different -- moister/creamier or dryer. You can simply add more powdered sugar, for a firmer consistency, and even skip the refrigeration. But I like soft, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth centers to my bon-bons...which means slightly less powdered sugar and it really needs to be refrigerated or it melts-in-your-hands when you try to roll it into balls!

Roll into bite sized balls. Return to refrigerator for 1 hour.

Melt chocolate chips and parafin in a double boiler. Using one or two forks, dip peanut butter balls in chocolate and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper or aluminum foil to cool and harden (in the frig). Store in covered container(s) in the refrigerator. Remove from frig an hour before serving for softer bon-bons.

Variation: I have sometimes used creamy peanut butter and added a cup or two of crisped rice cereal for a lighter crunch. It's delicious, but after a day or two the crisped rice absorbs some of the moisture from the peanut butter mixture and gets a little chewy instead of light and crispy. It's usually not a problem (these go fast around my family!), but something to keep in mind.