Chocolate Covered Crunchy Speculoos Balls

Hello all! Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. It was my first one as a vegan so instead of "turkey day" it was "lentil loaf day" for me, and it was delicious! That being said, I am done with Thanksgiving food and ready to move on to all the amazing sweet treats of Christmas! Finally, what I wait for all year long, chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter ball season. Ever since I was a little, I can remember rolling them with my mom. We only ever make these at Christmas, and I look forward to it all year long. This time, though, I was walking down the aisles at Trader Joe's getting the ingredients I needed (practically jumping with excitement) and there it was, speculoos (cookie butter), and I had the greatest idea. What is better than one batch of chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter balls? TWO batches, and one make with speculoos instead! Oh my, what a great experiment. These turned out amazing. If you do not know what speculoos is, it is basically a cookie in spreadable form. I know it sounds wacky, but it's true - you just have to try it! Below is my chocolate covered crunchy speculoos balls' recipe, and I added our family peanut butter one as well! Happy treat making.

Crunchy Speculoos Balls

Ingredients
11 ounces speculoos cookie butter spread (one 11oz. jar from Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
1 cup organic powder sugar
2 cups crispy rice cereal
17 ounces dark chocolate, melted for dipping


Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
2 cups organic powder sugar
3 cups crispy rice cereal
17 ounces dark chocolate, melted for dipping

*I got all of the above ingredients at Trader Joe's (except for the Earth Balance vegan butter sticks I purchased at Whole Foods). One jar of TJ's speculoos cookie butter, or 1 jar of their creamy peanut butter are both perfect measurements for the above recipes! Also, their organic powder sugar and crispy rice cereal are amazing. I have rolled these in their huge Belgium dark chocolate bar, melted, since I was a little girl. These are all just my own opinions and recommendations though, not sponsored in any way!

Begin by combining the speculoos (or peanut butter) and the softened butter in a large mixing bowl, stirring well to incorporate. Next, add in the powder sugar and give it a few stirs. Now add in the crispy rice, and using your hands mix everything together. Roll balls using about two tablespoons of the mixture for each ball, and place them on a few large plates, or one large cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. Freeze the balls for at least 20 minutes. Then melt your chocolate in a glass bowl, either in the microwave or in the stove top using the double boiler method. Roll each frozen ball in the melted chocolate, and place on a plate or cookie sheet lined with foil. I usually use two spoons to twirl the balls in the chocolate to get them fully coated. You could always stick toothpicks in the top of the balls before freezing to make it easier to dunk them in the chocolate. Once you have coated all the balls, place them in the freezer to set for at least another 20 minutes. Then store in an airtight container in either the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.