Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bonbons
Food traditions are one of my favorite ways to honor the winter holidays. Nothing says "Christmas time" to me quite like peanut butter bonbons! My grandmother started making a bonbon recipe in the 1980s and since then, the women in my family have all adapted their own versions of the recipe.
The original recipe called for shredded coconut, maraschino cherries, and over a pound of margarine. The dipping chocolate was made with semi sweet chocolate chips and paraffin wax, which is a shocking ingredient you've probably eaten more times than you've realized!
This isn't the original, but rather a handwritten copy of the original that my mom uses- still very loved and used.
Paraffin wax is made from a mix of vegetable oils and palm oil and guaranteed to be irritating to most people's bodies. Honestly, I'm not sure which is worse, the margarine or the paraffin wax?I've managed a fix for both- butter for margarine, and coconut oil for paraffin wax. The coconut oil also lends a slight coconut flavor, allowing me to omit the shredded coconut (I've never liked its texture!) .
Because I prefer more of a truffle texture to my bonbons, I blitz the oats and toasted walnuts before mixing in. It's also important to use room temperature butter- click here to check out how to soften butter quickly.
For prime chocolate dipping you can use a double boiler and a dipping tool like any of these. We've also just used toothpicks in the past! I tend to use a microwave for melting and dinner fork for dipping. Regardless of your tool, shake off the extra chocolate before setting the bonbon on the sheet. For a full recipe tutorial check out the "Holiday" story highlights on my instagram page!
These treats need to be kept chilled- I prefer mine straight out of the freezer! Let me know how yours turn out - Merry Christmas!
Peanut Butter BonBons
A holiday treat with flavors of chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut
16 oz Creamy unsalted peanut butter
2 cups Rolled oats
1/2 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups Powdered sugar (made with tapioca flour, not corn starch)
2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
1/2 cup Raw walnuts
1/4 cup Virgin coconut oil (divided into 2 tbsps)
1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate pieces
Dough Prep:
With the large frying pan, toast 1/2 cup raw walnuts on medium low heat for 6-9 minutes, until nuts are softening and and starting to brown. Remove from heat.
Measure 2 cups rolled oats into the blender/food processor and pulse on high until oats have turned into a course flour. Don’t over grind. Pour oat flour into large mixing bowl.
Transfer the toasted walnuts into the blender. Pulse walnuts on high until they are finely chopped, but be careful not to over grind! Add walnuts to large mixing bowl.
Add softened butter to the mixing bowl and with a large spoon, gently stir to combine.
Open the jar of peanut butter and stir well to combine oils before adding contents of the jar into the large mixing bowl.
Use the hand mixer or KitchenAid to combine peanut butter, oats, walnuts, and butter.
Add vanilla and salt, mix again.
With a sifter, slowly add powdered sugar to the dough, stopping to mix occasionally. When sugar is integrated, stop the mixer and finish the last few stirs with a silicone spatula, scraping the edges of the bowl.
Cover your bowl with a clean dishtowel or plate and chill for 1 hour or more.
Making BonBons:
With a spoon, scoop about a tablespoon of dough and roll between clean hands to form a ball. I prefer large gumball sized bonbons but you can make them as large as golf balls. Set bonbon on lined baking sheet.
Keep forming bonbons to fill the baking sheet. Unused dough can be covered and refrigerated for later use.
In a microwave safe liquid measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup chocolate pieces with 1 tbsp coconut oil.
Microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Do not overheat! When the last pieces are starting to melt, stop microwaving and continue to stir until chocolate is liquid and smooth.
One at a time, drop a bonbon into the melted chocolate and use a spoon to coat the bonbon with chocolate, as needed.
Using a fork, scoop out the bonbon and allow chocolate to drip off the bonbon, before returning the newly chocolate covered bonbon to your baking tray.
Repeat with all formed bonbons.
When necessary, add remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate to your dipping cup, and the additional tablespoon of coconut oil. Melt with 15 second microwave intervals.
Chill bonbons in the freezer for 30 minutes before consuming. For best results, keep bonbons in an airtight container in the freezer and eat chilled.
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