Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Cake Balls

These are like a Reese’s peanut butter cup in cake ball form. Yellow or white cake is combined with peanut butter for a moist, nutty interior. The ball gets dipped in milk chocolate, of course, just like the candy. Decorate the top with a squiggle of milk chocolate or a few crushed peanuts.

Makes about 65 golf ball–size balls

1 batch Yellow Buttermilk Cake for Cake Balls, baked, cooled, and crumbled

2 cups creamy peanut butter, such as Skippy, Jif, or Peter Pan (do not use natural peanut butter)

2 1/8 pounds milk chocolate, such as Callebaut or Ghirardelli, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped, lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts (optional)

65 miniature fluted paper cups (optional)

1. Combine the cake and 1 1/4 cups of the peanut butter. The mixture will be very sticky; if you have an electric mixer and paddle attachment, use them to help combine the cake and peanut butter. Otherwise, get in there with your hands. You might find a squeezing action is needed in order to uniformly incorporate the peanut butter. Test by compressing and tasting and add more peanut butter only if needed for flavor and moisture. Roll into golf ball–size cake balls. Refrigerate until firm. This can be done 1 day ahead; store in an airtight container once they are firm.

2. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Remove and reserve about 1/4 cup of melted chocolate. Dip the balls one at a time in the larger amount of chocolate, encouraging any excess chocolate to drip back into the container. Place, evenly spaced, on the prepared pans.

3. Place the reserved melted chocolate in a parchment cone, snip a small opening from the tip, and pipe a design of your choice on top of each ball, if desired. Alternatively, sprinkle the wet cake balls with a bit of chopped peanuts. Refrigerate briefly until the chocolate is set. Trim the bottoms, if needed. Place each cake ball in a paper cup, if desired. Place in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.