Peanut Butter Balls

I can tell you for sure that these bites are perfect for any time desert and also as gift. It’s like tasting a “Snickers”(chocolate) bite, but you don’t have the peanut pieces inside…This was my first time to taste the peanut butter! To some off you this may come as a shock, but it’s true! In Albania we barely use it and just last summer we could find it for the first time in supermarkets (not it any of them though). This recipe is super simple and what I love more about it is that you don’t need to bake anything (I love deserts that don’t need to bake)…

I found out some days ago that famous cooking sites, I mean the cooker of them make several time the same desert until they have the perfect product to show in their sites. Why am I telling that to you? Well these peanut butter balls weren’t perfect and I’ll tell you why, but I didn’t care of that fact and I’ll show them to you anyway; this way you can see that I’m not perfect(if you think I am) and that even famous cookers do mistakes and not always have the PERFECT product.

Since this was my first time to do this recipe and use peanut butter I did some things differently. First of all I used only 430 gram of peanut butter (that was the weight of the jar I bought) and by that I mean that you’ll have more peanut butter balls than me. And make sure to make them smaller than mine because peanut butter balls are really rich bites and try to make them small so you won’t feel bad for eating that much (if you have big balls like mine). I had a family dinner the day I cooked this recipe and I didn’t have time to let the balls cool completely in the fridge at the right moments, you try to respect those steps which are important and make these bites more delicious. The fact that I had a family dinner and had only 1 hour and a half to finish them will be enough I guess to justify my mistakes (kidding). But anyway this recipe is super simple (just remember to make the balls small) and you can let these cooked delicious peanut butter balls in the fridge for over 1 week(nothing will happen to them, they will be even more delicious :D) or you can let them in the freezer (without coating with melted chocolate) and use them when you’ll need them for over one 1 month! Hope you like them and as always let me know If you try them, you won’t be disappointed!

Mund t’ju them me siguri se keto “kafshata” jane perfekte per embelsire te cdo vakti dhe gjithashtu si dhurate. Eshte sikur te shijosh nje kafshate te cokollates “Snickers”, vetem se nuk ka copa kikiriku brenda…Kjo ishte hera e pare e imja qe provoja gjalp kikiriku! Per disa prej jush kjo mund t’ju vije si nje e papritur, por eshte e vertete! Ne Shiperi ne as qe nuk e perdorim dhe vetem veren e shkuar u fut neper supermarket (dhe pse jo ne te gjithe) Kjo recete eshte shume e lehte dhe ajo cka mua me pelqen se tepermi eshte se nuk ka nevoje per pjekje (i adhuroj embelsirat qe nuk duhen pjekur)…

Disa dite me pare zbulova se faqet e famshme te gatimit, domethene guzhinjeret e ketyre faqeve provojne disa here te njejten embelsire derisa kane produktin perfekt per te ekspozuar ne faqet e tyre. Pse po jua tregoj kete? Epo keto topa gjalpi kikiriku nuk ishin perfekt dhe do t’ju them pse, por nuk me interesoi ky fakt dhe do t’jua tregoj juve gjithsesi; ne kete menyre do te shihni qe nuk jam perfekte(nese mendoni se jam) dhe se edhe guzhinjeret e famshem bejne gabime dhe nuk kane gjithmone ate produktin PERFEKT.

Meqenese kjo ishte hera ime e pare qe gatuaja kete recete dhe perdorja gjalp kikiriku bera disa gjera ndryshe. Fillimisht perdora vetem 430 gram gjalp kikiriku (kjo ishte masa e kavanozit qe bleva) dhe me kete dua te them se do te keni me shume topa gjalpi kikiriku se c’bera une. Dhe sigurohuni qe t’I beni me te vegjel topat se sa te mire sepse gjalpi i kikirikut dhe keto embelsira jane shume te pasura me kalori dhe bejini me te vogla ne menyre qe te mos ndjeheni keq qe hengret teper(nese i beni te medha si te mite). Une kisha nje darke familjare diten qe gatova kete recete dhe nuk kisha kohe t’i lija topat te mpiheshin totalisht ne frigorifer ne momentet e duhura, mundohuni t’i respektoni keto hapa qe jane shume te rendesishme dhe i bejne keto kafshata akoma me te shijshme. Fakti qe kisha nje darke familjare dhe vetem nje ore e gjysme kohe per t’i gatuar besoj se m’i justifikon gabimet e bera (shaka). Por gjithsesi kjo recete eshte shume e thjeshte (vetem kujtohuni t’I beni topat me te vegjel) dhe mund t’i lini keto topa gjalpi kikiriku te gatuar ne frigorifer per me teper se nje jave (nuk do te ndodhe asgje, madje do te behen dhe me te shijshme) ose mund t’i lini ne akull (te palyera me cokollate) dhe t’i perdorni kur te keni nevoje per me teper se nje muaj! Shpresoj t’ju pelqejne dhe si gjithmone nese i provoni me lajmeroni si ju duken, nuk do te zhgenjeheni!

Ingredients for peanut butter balls:

•  480 gram smooth peanut butter (don't use chunky, just the smooth one)
• 55 gram unsalted butter at room temperature (or salted if you don't have unsalted in hand)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I'm using vanilla crystals, use 1/2 coffee spoon of it)
• 230-300 gram icing sugar

Perberesit per topat prej gjalp kikiriku:

• 480 gram gjalp kikiriku i bute (jo me copa)
• 55 gram gjalp jo i kripur
• 1/4 luge caji kripe
• 1/2 luge caji ekstrakt vaniljeje (une po perdor kristal vaniljeje, perdor 1/2 luge kafeje)
• 230-300 gram sheqer pluhur 

Ingredients for coating:

•  200 gram bitter chocolate (have some extra in hand)

Perberesit per lyerjen:

• 200 gram cokollate e zeze (ki me teper ne rast se te duhet) 

In a heatproof bowl put the peanut butter, butter and salt. Now put salt only if you're using  the unsalted butter. Give a stir together and melt in microwave until creamy. You mustn't liquid the ingredients. That will take few seconds up to one minute, make sure to check it out time after time

Ne nje tas qe duron nxehtesi vendos gjalpin e kikirikut, gjalpin jo te kripur dhe kripen. Perzieji pak se bashku dhe lerini ne mikrovale derisa masa te jete homogjene, por kremoze. Nuk duhet ta tresni te teren ne menyre qe te jete e lenget. Do te duhen disa sekonda deri ne nje minute, sigurohu qe ta kontrollosh here pas here

Add vanilla extract or crystals and stir the measure with a spatula or a wooden spoon

Shto ekstraktin e vaniljes ose kristalet dhe perzieje masen me nje spatul ose nje luge druri

Now add the icing/powdered sugar. Add 100 gram at a time and stir, than do the same. You can work it with hands(as I did) making sure to have a soft and not sticking batter. Than you will now that Its enough 

Tani shto sheqerin pluhur. Shto fillimisht 100 gram perziej dhe bej te njejtin veprim serish. Mund ta punosh me duar(sic bera une) duke u siguruar qe te kesh nje brum te bute dhe jo te ngjithshem. Atehere do ta kuptosh qe eshte boll

Put aluminum or parchment paper in a large plate and roll the peanut butter balls in your hand. Size - as you wish; my advice - make them small

Vendos leter alumini ose leter gatimi ne nje plate te madhe ose pjatance dhe rrotullo ne duar topat e gjalpit te kikirikut. Madhesia - si te deshirosh; keshilla ime - beji te vogla

Let them chill completely in fridge for at least one hour, but you let them over night and next day deep them in the chocolate. If you don't want to use them all than let them chill and than put them in a bowl with a lid and put them in the freezer. 

Leri te ftohen/mpiksen plotesisht ne frigorifer per te pakten nje ore, por mund t'i lesh dhe gjate nates dhe diten tjeter t'i lyesh me cokollate. Nese nuk do t'i perdoresh te gjitha leri te mphihen dhe me pa vendosi ne nje tas me kapak dhe veri ne akull

Melt the chocolate in simmering water, low heat 

 Shkri cokollaten ne uje te nxehte, ne vale te buta

Transfer the melted chocolate in a smaller bowl so it'll be easier for you to deep the peanut butter balls in it, but I suggest you keep the bowl in hot water so it won't become stronger with time

Vere cokollaten e shkrire ne nje tas me te vogel qe ta kesh me te lehte te lyesh topat e gjalpit te kikirikut, por te sugjeroj ta lesh tasin nje uje te nxehte qe cokollata te mos ngrije

Now to deep the peanut butter balls in chocolate you can use toothpick(as I am doing in this picture) any sweets tool or you can use a coffee spoon and your fingers (as I did later). All the techniques will be fine

Tani per te lyer topat e gjalpit te kikirikut ne cokollate mund te perdoresh kunja dhembesh (sic bera une ne kete foto), cdo mjet gatimi te posacem embelsirash per kete pune ose mund te perdoresh nje luge kafeje dhe gishtat e tu (sic bera une me vone) Cdo teknike do te jene ne rregull

Refrigerate them until they are set and firm

Leri perseri ne frigorifer derisa te jene ngurtesuar dhe mpiksur

Bon Appetit

♥ Kiki ♥