The Peanut Butter Buckeye Ball That Wasn't

All The King's Horses and All the King's Men Plus Humpty Dumpty Present King Buck Eye His First Healthy Buckeye Ball.

After doing some research, all the King's Horses and All the King's Men Plus Humpty Dumpty came up with a plan for their first experiemental healthy buckeye ball. The chosen ingredients were as follows.

• Coconut Flour
• Maranatha Brand Smooth No-Stir Almond Butter
• Back Bay Natural Almond Flavoring
• Y.S. Bee Farms Raw Organic Honey
• Coconut Oil
• Sweetened Carob Chips

All the King's Horses, All the King's Men, and Humpty Dumpty put together a plan-of-action to determine how much of each ingredient should be in the recipe, and set off to make their first batch of healty buckeye balls. The decision was to use 1 cup of coconut flour, 1 1/2 cups of Maranatha Smooth No-Stir Almond Butter, 2 Tbsp Back Bay Natural Almond Flavoring, 1 1/2 cups of liquified Y.S. Bee Farms Raw Organic Honey.(the honey was placed in the open honey jar in a pot of water and heated on medium heat until the honey liquified) All the ingredients were added to a larege mixing bowl and mixed by hand by all the King's men and Humpty Dumpty (because all the king's horses had no hands), until a firm ball of dough was formed that could be rolled into balls and would stay together.

Then all the king's men and Humpty Dumpty rolled the mixture into balls about 2.54 cm in diameter (that's about 1" for those of you who aren't on the metric system), and placed them on an aluminum foil lined 9" X 12" cookie sheet. then they put a toothpick into each ball and put them in the king's freezer for about 45 minutes. While the balls were getting hard, 1/4 cup of coconut oil was added to a double boiler and melted over medium heat. The carob chips were added gradually and stirred until they were of a smooth consistency, adding a little more at a time until a total of about 14 oz of carob chips were added and the consistency of the melted carob was that similar to liquid honey.

The new buckeye balls were then taken out of the freezer and dipped into the carob mix enough so only the top of each ball wasn't covered. So, they would look like a buckeye nut. Then the coated balls were returned to the freezer for about 1/2 hour. When the coated balls were cooled enough, they were taken out of the freezer and all of the toothpicks were removed. The balls were than packaged in a nice container, and presented to King Buck Eye for the first (of what would be many) taste tests.

King Buck Eye tasted the first of the new batch of healthy buckeye balls, and noted that they tasted like Amoretto (that's a good thing), but that they had the constency of cookie dough. King Buck Eye then requested all the king's horses and all the king's men to bring him some French vanilla ice cream, which he said when mixed with the new healty buckeye balls might make them more tasty. That was good, but adding the ice cream, ultimately did not result in a healthier snack. So, all the king's horses, all the king's men, and Humpty Dumpty were charged with the task of improving the recipe to achieve the creamy texture of the peanut butter buckeye ball that the king so loved.

Once Upon a Time in a Land Faraway............

There lived a King named Buck Eye. As a matter of fact King Buck Eye got his name due to his insatiable love for peanut butter buckeye balls. He loved them so much that he ate them at every possible opportunity. Over time, King Buck Eye had eaten so many peanut butter buckeye balls that he had become incredibly fat and he was aware that his health was rapidly deteriorating.

King Buck Eye wanted to get healty though, so he summoned all the king's horses, all the king's men, and even Humpty Dumpty, and designated to them the task of creating a very healthy buckeye ball. A buckyeye ball that contained no confectioner's sugar, no butter, and no chocolate, but that was still smooth and creamy like the peanut butter buckeye balls that King Buck Eye had come to know and love. A very daunting task, indeed. This was a task so challenging, that it would probably take several experimental batches of buckeye balls before the king's horses and the king's men could possibly be sucessful.

All the King's Horses, All the King's Men, and Humpty Dumpty Were Frustrated............

and implored to King Buck Eye that maybe he should find a different tasty sweet treat that was easier to accomplish than making a smooth, creamy, sweet, but also healthier version of the old faithful peanut butter buckeye ball that was so loved by the king. But, King Buck Eye wouldn't hear of it. He was so determined to have his healtier buckeye balls, that he admonished all the king's horses, all the king's men, and Humpty Dumpty, that if the next version of the healty buckeye ball was not an improvement over the last version, that there surely would be a punishment dealt to this motley crew for their failure. He warned them that the punsihment was going to be so severe that he couldn't even speak of it (of course King Buck Eye was really an old softie, but his subjects didn't know that).

In an act of desperation, all the king's horses, all the king's men, and Humpty Dumpty rode off into the forest to find the one person who they thought might be able to help them. After two day's ride, they finally came to the village were the beautiful Princess Turfette lived. Princess Turfette was such a great cook that her reputation was known far and wide throughought the many kingdoms that King Buck Eye ruled. When all the king's horses, all the king's men and Humpty Dumpty informed Turfette of their dilema and asked her if she could help, she of course could not refuse, because secretly she was madly in love with King Buck Eye, and she knew that if she could solve the mystery of the smooth, creamy, yet healtier buckeye ball, she could win King Buck Eye's heart and he would marry her and they would live happily ever after in a kingdom full of creamy, smooth, sweet, and healthier buckeye balls.

So, all the king's horses, all the king's men, Humpty Dumpty, and Princess Turfette headed off to the princess's kitchen to make ready to prepare the tastiest, creamiest, smoothest, healthiest buckeye ball they could possibly create.

Princess Turfette, Being Both Beautiful AND Wise Does Her Research

To find the correct blend of ingredients, Princess Turfette immediately turned to the Internet to research various recipes for healthy buckeyes. Knowing that she needed an ORIGINAL recipe for healthier buckeye balls that would make King Buck Eye happy, she started making some notes about what ingredients might hold the magic key that she was searching for. She knew for sure that Y.S. Bees Raw Organic Honey was defintely the right replacement for the confectioner's sugar, but how to replace the butter for that creamy smoothness was going to be the biggest challenge.

After Much Research Princess Turfette Comes Up With a Plan for a New Buckeye Ball.........

Princess Turfette called a meeting with all the king's horses, all the king's men, and Humpty Dumpty and discussed with them her decisions about ingredients for a new, healthier buckeye ball that she thought would satisfy the cravings of King Buck Eye.

"I have decided that we will replace the peanut butter with cashew butter, because of all nut butters, cashew butter has the lowest amount of saturated fat." She asked if everyone was in agreement with her idea, and everyone shouted a resounding "aye." "Then instead of confectioner's sugar, we shall use Y.S. Bee Farms Raw Organic Honey, because sugar is 100% sucrose and really has hardly any nutrional value. Honey is a combination of sucrose, fructose, and glucose, and provides some small amounts of protein, vitamins, and trace amounts of certain minerals. In moderation, honey is much healthier than sugar." Then she asked again if everyone was in agreement. Everyone shoulted a resounding "aye!" "We shall also replace the butter with coconut butter, which although not perfect, is much healthier than regular butter." Again, she asked if everyone was agreement, and all shouted a resounding "aye!" We shall replace the chocolate coating with sweetened carob too." Turfette asked if everyone would agree, and all gave another resounding "aye!"

Princess Turfette the said "Let's get to work making this wonderful new cashew butter buckeye ball for King Buck Eye to test." So, together they worked to create this marvelous new buckeye ball for King Buck Eye and her is the final recipe that was used.

1 1/2 cups of smooth cashew butter

1/2 cup of Artisana coconut butter

2 tbsp of Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups of liquified Y.S. Bee Farms Raw Organic Honey (liquified)

Liquify honey in a pan of hot water. Take lid off of jar and sit jar in water far enough that water is at the level of the top of the honey. Heat to medium-high heat. Do not boil. Soften coconut butter in microwave. You want it soft, but not liquified, so microwave 15 seconds at a time. Combine all ingredients together and a large mixing bowl, cashew butter first, then liquified honey, then softened coconut butter, and last Vanilla extract. Knead mixture until you have a firm dough. Roll dough into 1" diameter balls, and place on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined 9" X 12" cookie sheet. Place a toothpick in each ball, and put cookie sheet if freezer for about 45 minutes to harden the balls.

When balls are ready to come out of freezer, to a double boiler, on medium heat, add 1/4 cup of coconut oil. Stir until totally melted, then start adding sweetened carob chips, a little bit at a time, and stir until disolved. Add a total of about 14 oz of carob chips, until you have the consistency of liquid honey. Take cold balls out of the freezer and dip balls into the carob mixture, holding by the toothpick, leaving the top of the ball uncovered by the mixture. Put balls back on the cookie sheet and return to freezer for another 45 minutes. When carob coating has solidified, take balls from freezer and remove toothpicks. Place in a nice presentation bowl and serve. Store extra balls in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Princess Turfette's Royal Cashew Butter Buckeye Balls Receive Overwhelming Approval by King Buck Eye.......

After Princess Turfette, all the king's horses, all the king's men, and Humpty Dumpty finished preparing the new experimental version of Princess Turfette's Cashew Butter Buckeye Balls, they all went to King Buck Eye to present him with their new creation. King Buck Eye reminded them all that there would be severe consequences if he was not satisfied that this new creation was better than the last attempt. He took one buckeye ball from the plate and examined it thoroughly, and he also gave these new buckeye balls the royal sniff test. For looks and smell, he gave his approval, and now was the time for the royal taste test. Princess Turfette, all the king's horses, all the king's men, and Humpty Dumpty were all hoding their breaths as King Buck Eye slowly put the first cashew butter buckeye ball into his royal mouth. A unanimous sigh of relief came from the hushed crowd, as they all heard King Buck Eye saying "mmmmmmmmm!, very excellent."

"Due to your diligence to creat for me a successful, healthier, creamy, sweet buckeye ball treat, I am bestowing up all of you the privledge of knighthood. Except for Princess Turfette, who I would know like to ask if she would do me the honor of becoming my wife and the royal chef to the kingdom." Princess Turfette joyously agreed to King Buck Eye's proposal, and all the king's horses, all the king's men, Humpty Dumpty, and Queen Turfette the Royal Chef all lived happily ever after and shared the fabulous Queen Turfette's royal cashew butter buckeye balls with all the subjects in the kingdom. They became so popular, that today Queen Turfette's royal cashew butter buckeye balls are known throughout the entire world, and millions of them are eaten every year in nearly every country on earth.

Coconut Butter: You Can Make Your Own for Less

Coconut Butter isn't that difficult to make, really! It isn't rocket science. All you need is some dried unsweetened coconut flakes and a food processor. Keep in mind that coconut butter is solid when cold, and it liquifies at about 86°F, so if you live in a very hot climate, this may not work well for you.

Fill your food processor with dried, unsweetened coconut flakes and process for a total of about 15 minutes. Break up the time into 5 minute increments, and inbetween take a spatula and push down the flakes that have accumulated on the side of our food processor back down to the bottom of the processor. If you are sucessful, your coconut butter should be about the same consistency as peanut butter or any other nut butter.