Mud Balls

Mud Balls

by Julie
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Growing up, Mud Balls were the Christmas treat I looked forward to the most.  Something about the combination of peanut butter, coconut, and graham crackers in that filling just knocked my socks off!  And even though I mostly make them at Christmas, I can’t be selfish and hold back this delicious treat until Christmas 2020 gets here.  You should try these now!

Don’t let the paraffin wax ingredient scare you.  It’s totally safe and edible!  And it gives these Mud Balls an impressive shine.  It also helps them not be so messy to the touch!  You can read more about edible paraffin wax here.

Semisweet chocolate is my chocolate of choice for most recipes–we’re just not a milk chocolate family, for the most part.  But you can experiment with different chocolates if you want.  I find that with all the sweetness of the ball, the semisweet is a good choice and is not too sweet.

If you’re a coconut lover, you’ll enjoy the addition of coconut to the ball.  But some people don’t like the “chew” of traditional sweetened coconut.  In that case you could always buy fine shredded coconut or coconut powder.  Some of my kids like the flavor of certain foods but don’t like textures, so if that’s you (or your family members) try those finer options out instead.  (And hey, if you really love coconut, try this cake.)

Mud Balls in the making

There always seems to be a good amount of chocolate leftover in the double boiler.  If you have anything dip worthy (cut up fruit, cookies, pound cake, pretzels, etc.) use the leftover Mud Balls chocolate for that.  I mean, there’s no such thing as too much chocolate dipped stuff, right?

One last tip….if you don’t have candy making utensils, like dipping forks, just make your own like I did!  I took two inexpensive dinner forks (4 tongs) and bent back the middle two tongs with a pair of needle-nose pliers.  These DIY dipping forks work just right, and having tools like this allows you to let the excess chocolate drip off easily.  Mud Balls look better and are easier to handle when they don’t have a huge chocolate platform under them.

So, just for kicks…what’s your favorite Christmas sweet treat?

Mud Balls

Delicious little dipped balls of heavenly delight!
By:
Ingredients
  • 2 sticks butter, melted (16 Tbsp)
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 to 1/2 bar household wax (I use Gulf brand)
  • 8-10 ounces semisweet chocolate (I use chips)
Directions
Step 1
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the wax and chocolate. Shape into balls. (I use a small cookie scoop for this to portion the balls, then I roll them in my hands to smooth the shape.)
Step 2
In a double boiler, melt the wax and chocolate chips completely. Keep on very low heat remove from heat (but keep the double boiler sitting over the hot water).
Step 3
Dip balls one at a time, allowing the excess chocolate to drip off before setting each ball on waxed paper to set.

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