These simple nearly no-cook candies have been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. And probably yours too, if you're a fan of peanut butter and chocolate.

Known in some circles as buckeyes for their resemblance to the seed (nut) produced by the Ohio Buckeye tree, I've always called them peanut butter balls.

I hadn't made them in years, maybe even decades, if you don't count a cookie butter version I wrote about a few years ago, which I don't.

But when a craving struck just before Thanksgiving, I couldn't resist. I made the balls on Thanksgiving eve to take to our small gathering. The balls were a nostalgic hit for all of us.

After mixing and tasting the candy, I was shocked at how sweet they were. To cut the sweetness I decided to dip them in unsweetened chocolate rather than the traditional semisweet. I didn't have the patience for perfect dipping and I couldn't bear the thought of discarding any remaining chocolate (it wasn't enough to save) so I drizzled the tops of the balls with the chocolate I had leftover after dipping in a splatter-like frenzy.

If you plan on serving these to children, I don't recommend unsweetened chocolate but adults, especially dark chocolate lovers, will likely find the combination of intense chocolate and sweet peanut butter as appealing as we did.

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer cream the peanut butter and softened butter. Add one cup of the confectioners' sugar in ½ cup increments, beating well between additions. If mixture is too thin to shape into balls, add enough of the remaining confectioners' sugar to create desired texture. (The amount of sugar needed will depend on the texture of the peanut butter.)

Divide and shape dough into about 30 balls. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate according to package directions. (I like to use a double boiler.)

Using a spoon, or toothpick, dip the balls in chocolate, letting the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Place on parchment or wax paper. If desired, drizzle any remaining chocolate over the "naked" parts of the dipped balls. Refrigerate until set.

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