Crunchy peanut butter centers are dipped in tempered vegan chocolate and topped with chopped peanuts to make a delicious candy!
Start by toasting the crispy brown rice cereal in the oven for five minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the pan aside to cool.
Mostly melt your vegan butter (I use Earth Balance), then add the vanilla and mix them together.
Add the peanut butter (at room temperature) and the butter mixture to the salt and powdered sugar. Start mixing with a sturdy spatula, then knead by hand until you have a smooth dough.
Add the toasted and cooled crispy brown rice cereal. Gently mix it in by hand.
Scoop balls of the mixture and place them on a cookie sheet that is lined with waxed or parchment paper. You can pinch off pieces of dough and shape them by hand if you do not have a size 60 cookie scoop. Make balls that are about an inch in diameter. You should have about seventy balls. Chill the peanut butter dough balls for at least an hour. You want them to be cold when you dip them so they hold their shape.
To dip each peanut butter crunch ball, place it upside down in the tempered chocolate, turn it over with a fork, lift it out of the chocolate, scrape the excess chocolate off the fork on the side of the bowl, and carefully transfer the dipped candy to waxed or parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of the wet chocolate with some chopped peanuts. Add the peanuts right after dipping in the chocolate, because it will harden quickly. Repeat until all of the first half of the peanut butter balls are dipped.
Have some additional peanuts ready to add to the leftover chocolate. Mix them in, then drop the mixture onto waxed or parchment paper in little clusters.
Wait until the chocolate is completely dry and hardened before packaging your candies. I like to place each candy in a mini cupcake liner to make them fancier. (See my post on how to package treats for detailed boxing instructions.) Enjoy!