What is a Buckeye?

What on earth is a buckeye?

Because we have several friends with ties to Ohio, who are big Ohio State Football fans, we have become acquainted somewhat and are aware that of course, they ARE the Ohio State Buckeyes.

But what on earth is a buckeye?

Last Christmas, my Ohio State friends gave us a plate of homemade buckeyes for a Christmas Treat . . . they were soooo yummy. Kind of peanut buttery and creamy with chocolate . . . hmmmmmm - yummy!

But I still don't know what the heck a buckeye is!

My daughter, Karianne, is marrying a fine young man from Columbus, Ohio. Karianne and Greg came by the other night for an evening with family, food, games and visiting. Surprisingly, I asked Greg what a buckeye is, he doesn't know.

So we got online and here is what we found out:

A small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch that comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the buckeye tree.

Oh!  You MEAN a HORSE CHESTNUT?  That's what we call 'em here in UTAH.  

Interestingly enough, I'm quite fond of horse chestnuts, my grandparents had two beautiful trees at their home that I remember with so many fond memories as I was growing up.  I love playing in the shade of those beautiful trees.  Also, my favorite place in the world; Paris, France has an abundance of beautiful horse chestnut trees, and I always bring home a pocket full of chestnuts whenever I have the opportunity to visit there.

(my pocket full of horse chestnuts directly from Paris)

Now that we officially know what on earth a buckeye is,

Karianne and Greg set out to make us a batch.  

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Buckeyes
makes about 13 dozen

2 lbs. powdered sugar
3 cups peanut butter (smooth and not the all-natural kind)
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 lb. chocolate chips, semi-sweet (24 oz.)
1/2 bar edible paraffin wax*

Whip the first three ingredients with an electric mixer and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. After it's chilled, settle down in front of a good movie or with some friends to roll it into small, 1-inch balls. Put these back into the fridge or freezer on parchment-covered baking sheets.

Melt the chocolate and wax in a double boiler, over, not in, boiling water, stirring mixture until smooth. Keep warm.

Dip balls using toothpick, leaving uncovered spot on top. You may fill in toothpick marks with little bits of peanut butter mixture. Dry on waxed paper. Chill covered in refrigerator or freezer. When completely hard, store in the refrigerator or freezer. If well-wrapped they can stay in the freezer for months, if you can stay away from them. Like I said, really good right out of the freezer!

*The wax makes these a little more stable and less prone to melt. But if you don't want to ingest wax and leave it out, that's fine. You'll just have to be more careful about not letting them get too warm.

Well, I know the original nut from the horse chestnut tree is supposedly poisonous.  But these homemade treats are really delicious.   If you're looking for a fun treat that's easy to make, something the kids can really get their hands into - look no further than the infamous Ohio State Buckeye.  

And who knows, with a daughter marrying someone from Ohio, I just may find myself one of these days at an Ohio State Football game.  At least I'll be well prepared.

(ha ha - just for the record Greg is a Michigan fan!)