Peanut Butter Bourbon Buckeyes with Crispy Millet

I’ve done it. I’ve combined the two great loves of my life: bourbon and dessert. And I threw in some millet too, just for good measure.

I have a friend who is a millet farmer (true story!) and he was kind enough to share some of his latest harvest with me. Very farm to table, and thankfully it turned out much better than my previous farm-fresh adventures, which is to say, much more delicious and I didn’t break a single law in the process.  

All this farm talk reminds me that, in an alternate universe, I totally live on a farm. Not a farm farm, where I’d be covered in cow poop and lose my fingers in a horrific combine accident, but like a hobby farm. You know… The kind where I’d have a fantastic garden and at least twelve dogs plus rescued chickens and goats and little pigs running around all over. I’d have barn cats, but they’d be vegan and would just sit the mice down for a little chat about how they need to stop making so many damn babies, rather than eating them. I’d wear a red checked shirt tied up around my midriff and my hair would be in pigtails and I’d do fabulous things like bake apple pie for dessert every single day and also I’d have a horse that I’d ride into town when I needed supplies, but only if the horse felt like it because obviously I would respect her feelings. I’d also bake a lot of bread, and then eat it all myself, because everyone knows that farmers need to eat carbs to keep their strength up. Right? Right. 

Okay, sorry, my mind wandered there a little bit.

I can’t take total credit for these Peanut Butter Bourbon Buckeyes with Crispy Millet. The original recipe comes from Thug Kitchen which I borrowed from my girlfriend Denise and kept for a year, without ever making a single thing. But then the magical millet came into my life and I was all like “these would be amazing if only there was some bourbon in there…”

And so this happened.

I spent quite a while on Sunday in the kitchen, dancing  like no one was watching (Sally was), sipping bourbon, and rolling up balls of peanut butter, sugar, butter, and toasted millet. The lesson I learned is that if you’re going to make so many buckeyes, you need to invite a friend over to help you. Or have kids. If I had planned this out better, I would have had kids who could’ve helped me make these. Oh well. And yes, this recipe does make quite a few buckeyes, but with all the labor involved (rolling balls, dipping in chocolate), you might as well make a bunch at once. Keep them in your freezer for when you’re craving that amazing peanut butter-chocolate colabo. Or be sweet like me, and take them to the office to share with your co-workers!

But whatever you do, don’t skip the millet. The little crispy bits mixed in with the sweetened, creamy peanut butter are crazy good. And healthy!

If you’re not familiar with millet, it’s one of the healthiest grains out there. Tons of fiber, B-6, iron and magnesium, and did you know that one cup of millet has 22 grams of protein? I like to use it instead of rice when I stir-fry. It has a toasty flavor and is very versatile. It’s also alkaline and very easy for your body to digest. And did I mention it’s cheap? A big bag of Bob’s Red Mill brand at my local grocery is less than $3, much cheaper than quinoa!  

Looking for more ways to use it? Stay tuned… because I happen to have my very own supply and will be cooking with it a lot this fall…

Peanut Butter Bourbon Buckeyes with Crispy Millet

2015-10-27 09:46:46

Yields 70

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Ingredients

1. 1 teaspoon coconut oil
2. 2/3 cup millet, rinsed
3. 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
4. 1 cup vegan butter (room temperature)
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6. 5 cups powdered sugar
7. 1/4 cup bourbon
8. 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips
9. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

1. Heat a pan over medium heat, and melt the coconut oil. Add the millet and stir until it turns golden and smells all wonderfully toasty- 4-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and beat on low with a hand mixer, until completely mixed. Add the bourbon and the powdered sugar (slowly!), continuing to mix until combined. Fold in the millet.
3. Cover a baking sheet with wax paper. Scoop the peanut butter mixture into 1-1.5" balls and place on the sheet. Put the whole shebang into the freezer for 30-40 minutes.
4. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler. When the balls are pretty solid, dip them into the chocolate using toothpicks and return to the baking sheet. Keep frozen (or at least refrigerated) until you're ready to serve. They actually don't freeze solid, so it's okay to serve directly from the freezer.

Notes

1. For toasting the millet, any oil will do- I just like coconut since you're also using it in the chocolate!
2. These cooking times are for store-bought millet. If you have a super awesome millet hookup like I do, cooking times will very. Not sure why, it just seems to take longer, so make sure you toast until you can eat it without breaking a tooth, haha!
3. Yes, I know these have a lot of sugar. I needed it to soak up the bourbon. #sorrynotsorry

By Barb@ThatWasVegan

Adapted from Thug Kitchen

Adapted from Thug Kitchen

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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