Peanut Butter Bon Bons

by Joanne December 14, 2022

These Peanut Butter Bon Bons are crispy chocolate peanut butter heaven! A homemade candy bar of sorts, they’re made with crunchy rice cereal mixed with sweet peanut butter, and dipped in chocolate. It’s an easy recipe that everyone loves.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons - Dipped in Chocolate and Served On Platter

Say hello to one of my favorite Christmas treats ever. I had no idea these existed until a couple years ago, when I had dinner at my friend Mariana’s mom’s house. She had a batch of these leftover from a Christmas party.

When she put them on the table after dinner, I went absolutely bananas for them. They had a crispy crunchy texture, and that classic Peanut Butter + Chocolate combo that I always fall for. Whether it’s the Best Rice Pudding or the puffed crunchy stuff here, rice is always a great base for so many desserts.

I begged her to tell me how she made them, and I was shocked at how simple they sounded. There are only 5 ingredients involved, so they’re really easy to make!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bon Bons - On a Rectangle Dotted White Platter

As soon as I got home from dinner, I googled Peanut Butter Bon Bons and started testing out different variations. I shared a version of them on my Youtube channel a few years ago (that’s made slightly differently than these), but this is the most fuss-free and delicious version that I’ve arrived at.

Tips for Best Results

Dip in a quality chocolate – Chocolate brands vary HUGELY in quality and taste experience. I highly recommend Guittard, which to me is the best combination of quality and affordability. If you can’t find that, Ghirardelli is also decent. Callebaut, Vahlrona, and Scharffen Berger are also great, but tend to be expensive and hard to find.

Use creamy peanut butter – This isn’t the best recipe for using natural peanut butter, because it’s more crumbly and dry, with an inferior texture. Use the creamy and spreadable types made by Skippy, Jif, or other brands. Crunchy peanut butter is okay so long as its base is mostly creamy.

Be choosy about the rice cereal – Though cheaper, there have been times when I’ve bought the “no name store brand” crisped rice cereal and the puffed grains are tiny and poor quality. Rice Krispies rice cereal is a good bet, but make sure you pick a premium brand with big puffed pieces.

Step by Step Overview

First, start by combining melted butter (or coconut oil for dairy-free), and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. I chose coconut oil today, and it’s hard to see since it’s so clear, but it’s there:

Melted Trader Joe's Coconut Oil And Chunky Peanut Butter In Duralex Glass Bowl

Mix that together until the two ingredients are combined:

Smooth Peanut Butter And Coconut Oil In Glass Duralex bowl

Add confectioner’s sugar to the mix:

Adding Confectioner's Sugar to Peanut Butter and Coconut Oil Mixture

Stir that together until smooth:

Whipped Coconut Oil, Peanut Butter, and Confectioner's Sugar for Peanut Butter Bon Bons

And a quick tip: If it gets difficult to stir, simply microwave the mixture for 30-60 seconds and it will soften up again.

Now add crisp rice cereal to the bowl:

Adding Crisp Rice Cereal from Trader Joe's into Peanut Butter Bon Bon Mixture

Stir that in, then use a small cookie scoop to portion out little bites of the cereal mixture:

Scooping Peanut Butter Bon Bons With OXO Small Cookie Scoop

Set them out on a wax paper or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet:

Sheet Tray Of Scooped Peanut Butter Bon Bons On Wax Paper

If desired, you can roll them into a ball shape, but I’ve started skipping that since it’s much more time consuming.

Chill the peanut butter bonbons for two hours, until firm. This chill time is essential for being able to handle the bon bons.

Then, dip the bottoms into melted chocolate:

Dipping A Chilled Peanut Butter Bon Bon Into Melted Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate

You can decide what kind of chocolate to use here, but I think dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate is best. Milk chocolate and white chocolate can be too sweet because the peanut butter mixture is already fairly sweetened.

How to Melt Chocolate

The easiest way to melt chocolate is to microwave it in 20 second intervals, about 3-4 times, stirring after each interval, until melted. Make sure to use a microwave-safe bowl. However, to absolutely ensure the safest melting, the best way is to melt in a double boiler set over low heat. This takes much longer though, and so long as you watch closely in the microwave, I’ve never had an issue.

Note: Do not overheat while melting. If you overheat the chocolate, it may seize and be unrecoverable clumpy. When there are only little bits of unmelted chips or chunks left, I stop microwaving and stir for a few seconds, as usually there’s enough residual heat to melt the rest.

Lay the dipped bon bons back onto the baking sheet, and chill for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set.

Sheet Tray Of Freshly Dipped Chocolate Peanut Butter Bon Bons

Then it’s ready to enjoy!

As an alternate way, here’s how I used to make these:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bon Bons on Cutting Board With Peanut Butter Jar

I would roll each scoop into a ball, then dip the entire thing in chocolate. I like the new way I shared in this post because it’s much less time consuming, and I find it to be a better amount of chocolate for my personal preferences. I also like that you have a very clear view of what’s inside. But the choice is yours, my friend.

My other favorite yearly Christmas treats are Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, Butter Swirl Shortbread Cookies, Pistachio Snowball Cookies, and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

Similar to this recipe are also my Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls, Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, and No Bake Oreo Truffles. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips and FAQ

How do you store Peanut Butter Bon Bons?

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the fridge for 3 weeks.

How do you freeze this recipe?

Keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How do you ship Peanut Butter Bon Bons?

Store in an airtight tin or container and choose a shipping method that takes less than one week for arrival.

Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!