By Week 397. Year 8. Tommy is 41. Deer season. The stand at dawn. The coffee in the thermos. The waiting that is not waiting but praying — the silent prayer of a man in a tree, asking the woods for what the woods are willing to give. boudin balls for dinner from what the season provides.
Made boudin balls this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The spoon doesn't stop.
The boudin balls were the meal — savory and grounding, the kind of thing you make when the season has asked a lot of you and you want the house to smell like home when everyone walks in. But after dinner, when the quiet settled back in and the dishes were done, I wanted something sweet and simple to close the night — nothing fussy, nothing that needed the stove again. These crispy peanut butter balls are exactly that: a little reward for a long, still, good day of waiting in the woods and coming back with something to show for it, even if that something is just the certainty that the spoon doesn’t stop.
Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min (plus chilling) | Total Time: 1 hr 20 min | Servings: 24 balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or shortening (for melting chocolate)
Instructions
- Mix the base. In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter and softened butter until smooth and fully combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt, mixing to incorporate.
- Add sugar and cereal. Stir in the sifted powdered sugar gradually until a thick dough forms. Fold in the crispy rice cereal gently so the cereal stays intact and the mixture holds together.
- Shape the balls. Scoop roughly 1 tablespoon of dough and roll between your palms into a smooth ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Chill. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill for at least 45 minutes, until the balls are firm.
- Melt the chocolate. Combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth.
- Dip and coat. Using a fork or toothpick, dip each chilled peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate, letting any excess drip off. Return to the parchment-lined sheet.
- Set and serve. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for 15–20 minutes, or refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up quickly. Serve once the coating is fully set.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 195 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 75mg