Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

Preparation:

You will need a large mixing bowl, a slotted spoon or fork, a double boiler or a medium bowl and sauce pan, wax paper, cookie sheets, and an air tight container.

Place the wax paper on the cookie sheet and set aside

Gather Your Ingredients:

Make sure you have everything before you begin.

• 1-1/2 cups natural peanut butter (make sure it is made from peanuts only or that it has no sugar added so that they aren't to oily)
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups gluten-free icing sugar (available at health food and bulk food stores)
• 5 oz semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tsp shortening
• 1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Creating Your Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls Masterpiece:

1. In a double boiler or bowl over a pan of hot but not boiling water, melt peanut butter* with butter. Once it is melted, stir in the vanilla.
2. Then slowly add icing sugar, and stir until smooth and well blended. Let it sit until cool enough to form into balls, about 5 minutes. You can always put it in the fridge to cool it faster.
   
3. Roll dough in your hands into about 1 inch balls and place them on prepared cookie sheet. Refrigerate them until dough is firm, about an hour or so.
4. Meanwhile, in a double boiler or bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt semisweet chocolate with the shortening.
5. Stick a toothpick in each peanut butter ball and dip them into chocolate mixture and place on prepared cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about an hour or so.
6. In microwaveable dish or saucepan, melt peanut butter chips and drizzle it over the balls. Place in the fridge until they are set.

*Make sure you stir the peanut butter before using to mix the oil and peanut butter together as the oil tends to float to the top.