If you love chocolate and peanut butter you will definitely love Lucille’s Bonbons!

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Consider this; a slightly crunchy peanut butter ball covered in rich chocolate. Sound dreamy? It is! Try some for your next holiday, party, or craving; whichever comes first!

This special recipe is from a friend of my mother’s, her name, as you might guess, is Lucille. Her “to die for” bonbon recipe was given to my mom over 35 years ago, and we still call it Lucille’s Bonbons.

I make Lucille’s bonbons faithfully every year for Christmas. My husband helps me do the dipping; in fact, he has pretty much taken over that job completely.

We Make These Chocolate Covered Bonbons For Any Holiday Or Special Occasion:

Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Valentine’s Day
Easter
We’ve taken Lucille’s Bonbons to parties with the recipe in hand because we know someone is going to ask for a copy.

To Make Lucille’s Bonbons, You Will Need the following:

Butter or a dairy-free substitute like Earth Balance
Crunchy or creamy peanut butter ~ SunButter and cashew butter are also options.
Powdered sugar
Rice Krispies cereal or gluten-free crispy brown rice if needed, like Erewhon Organic Crispy Brown Rice Cereal which is gluten, dairy, soy, and nut-free.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate, or white chocolate ~ allergy-friendly chocolate chips if needed, like Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips or Mega Chips.
Paraffin wax is odd, I know. I researched this, and this is safe to use in an eatable product and is used in most chocolate candy to prevent melting. The paraffin wax also helps them set faster.
Coconut oil ~ As a substitute for paraffin.

*NOTE – If You Choose Not To Use Paraffin Wax:

If you choose NOT to use the paraffin wax, it will require more chocolate. It is a little harder to work with because the melted chocolate is thick. The bonbons will also need more time to set up while the chocolate firms up.
Coconut oil can be substituted for paraffin wax. The flavor will have a hint of coconut, and some folks even like the bonbons better this way. Melt 2 cups chocolate chips with 1/4-1/3 cups coconut oil. Add more oil until the consistency you want for dipping is reached. The more coconut oil you add, the easier it is to dip the balls, but it’s a personal preference. This makes a great drizzle for cookies and brownies too.

Eat one right away!! Then try one in the freezer; that is our favorite way to eat Lucille’s Bonbons!

*Note -We dip nuts and caramels in our leftover chocolate!! That’s a bonus, right?!

How Should I Store Lucille’s Bonbons?

I suggest storing the bonbons in the refrigerator or freezer in a container with a tight seal. Layer in a container separating each layer with wax paper to prevent sticking.
Good quality freezer bags work well too. If you decide to use freezer bags, I suggest not stacking them.

These are such wonderful treats! I hope you love them as much as we do.

crunchy peanut butter balls covered in chocolate

Print Recipe

Lucille's Bonbons:

Chocolate covered peanut butter crunch balls with a gluten, nut, and dairy-free option.

Prep Time40

Cook Time20

Total Time1

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate bonbons, dairy-free, dessert, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut butter balls, soy-free

Servings: Bonbons

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Mary Krick

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter softened, or dairy-free substitute like Earth Balance.
2 cups crunchy or creamy peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter) for best results, not the natural kind. I've started adding 2-3 Tbsp more peanut butter because it makes it a little easier to form the balls. I'll leave that up to you.
1 lb powdered sugar
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal or gluten-free crispy brown rice if needed like Erewhon Organic Cereals.
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips Allergy-friendly, milk chocolate, or white chocolate.
1/2 cube paraffin wax
1/4 cup Coconut oil ~ see in notes if subbing for paraffin wax

Instructions

In a very large bowl combine softened butter or Earth Balance and peanut butter.
Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Add powdered sugar and Rice Krispies, or crispy brown rice and mix well. I find the easiest way is to eventually use my hands. Make sure you mix everything all the way down to the bottom of the bowl.
Form into balls about the size of walnuts, or whatever size you like.
I usually end up with between 40-45 balls.
At first, the mixture won't seem like it's going to stick together but don't worry it will. Just keep working it back and forth in your hands. Kind of squeezing it together.
Place balls on 2 large baking sheets lined with wax paper.
Melt chocolate and paraffin in a double boiler. Stirring occasionally until melted. Or substitute with coconut oil. See notes**
I turn the heat down to low to keep the chocolate warm and easy to use. Carefully dip each ball in the melted chocolate. Let the dipped bonbons cool on wax paper. You might want to purchase a dipping tool if you make these often, but I've used spoons for years.

Notes

**I researched this and this is safe to use in an eatable product and is used in most chocolate candy to prevent melting. The paraffin wax also helps them set faster.

*NOTE - with all that said about the paraffin wax...you could certainly make them without. If you choose to NOT use the paraffin wax it will require more chocolate. It is a little harder to work with because the melted chocolate will be very thick. The bonbons will also need more time to set while the chocolate firms up.

If you choose to NOT use the paraffin wax it will require more chocolate. It is a little harder to work with because the melted chocolate will be very thick. The bonbons will also need more time to set while the chocolate firms up.
Coconut oil can be substituted for paraffin wax. The flavor will have a hint of coconut and some folks even like the bonbons better this way. Melt 2 cups of chocolate chips with 1/4-1/3 cups of coconut oil. Add more oil if needed until the consistency you want for dipping is reached. The more coconut oil you add the easier it is to dip the balls, but it’s a personal preference. This makes a great drizzle for cookies and brownies too.

** Erewhon Organic crispy brown rice cereal is gluten, dairy, soy, and nut-free.

**Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Chips, Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips or Mega Chips.

Nutrition

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Lucille’s Bonbons- Peanut butter & chocolate