Peanut Butter Chocolate Cherrios Balls

These are a fun snack to make with the kids. Mine love rolling the mix into balls. I will warn you, they are slightly addictive. We made a batch and they were gone within 3 days. Unfortunately, I think I ate at least half of them. (I'm a sucker for chocolate and peanut butter!)

For this snack you will need:

• 1 cup peanut butter (Creamy or Chunky)
• 2 cups Cherrios cereal (Plain or Honey Nut)
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup milk chocolate and 1/2 cup dark chocolate on the ones shown above.)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Wax paper
• Double Broiler

Directions:

Spooning on chocolate

1. Cover a baking sheet or cookie sheet with wax paper.
2. In a double broiler, heat chocolate chips. Stir constantly until smooth. Take off heat. (If you do not have a double broiler, Noric Ware has a double broiler insert for a saucepan that works really well. I have one and love it!)
3. In a bowl, mix together powdered sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter until well blended. (I used a hand mixer, which worked really well.)
4. Add in cereal and stir until it is evenly coated. (I used a spoon to stir in the cereal so it wouldn't be broken by the mixer.)
5. To help the mix not stick to your hands, lightly spray with cooking spray. Roll 1 Tablespoon of mixture into a 1 1/2 inch ball.
6. Press the balls lightly onto the cookie sheet to flatten the bottom (so they don't roll off).
7. Using a spoon, place about 1 teaspoon of the melted chocolate onto the top of each ball.                      
8. Set in refrigerator to cool and firm (about 30 minutes). Store in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Other ideas: These would be great for a party or as an add-on for your Christmas cookie tray. Try using Candy Melts instead of chocolate to make them fit your needs. For example:

• 4th of July: Red, White, and Blue Candy Melts
• Easter: Pastel Candy Melts (Yellow, Pink, Green)
• Spring: Pastel Candy Melts
• Halloween: Orange and Black Candy Melts (or melted chocolate would work too).
• Christmas: Red and Green Melts
• Hanukkah: Blue and White Candy Melts
• Baby Showers: Pale Pink or Blue Candy Melts. If they don't know the gender, Pale Yellow and Green Candy Melts.

The links are for ones available on Amazon. Many cake and candy supply stores, as well as craft stores, carry the Wilton Candy Melts as well. I linked to Wilton because I use their Candy Melts the most. There is another brand called Merckens, but I have not used them before. Local cake and candy supply stores may have their own packaging, so make sure to ask for directions on how to melt if you are not sure!

If you cannot find the color you want, you can make your own! Buy white Candy Melts and the color of Candy Gel Coloring you want. Melt the Candy Melts and stir in coloring until you achieve the color you want. Wilton sells individual colors or in sets (Primary Candy Color Set, Garden Candy Color Set).