chocolate covered cherries and buckeyes

I wanted to make some chocolate covered cherries and buckeyes for Christmas gifts this year and so I used a filling for making potato candy,which I got from a foodie group I am on and the one that submitted the recipe is Leila Rockwell.

Ingredients

1 sm	mashed potato
1-6 c	powdered sugar
1-2 tsp	vanilla extract or your choice
1/2 tsp	salt
	chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, etc
1 lb	semisweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips. more if needed
1 + Tbsp	shortening to thin. when chocolate begins to thicken add a little more shortening. be careful and not add to much.

Directions

1

The main ingredients for this old fashioned candy are mashed potato and confectioners sugar. You can use any flavor you want and even add peanuts, coconut, chocolate, maraschino cherries and wrap dough around them.

2

In a mixing bowl combine the potato, salt and vanilla. Sift the confectioners sugar over potato, stirring and adding about 1 cup at a time. Mixture will liquefy when first sugar is added then gradually begin to thicken.

 

 

3

When it becomes the consistency of stiff dough, knead it even though not all the sugar has been added. After kneading, cover with a damp cloth and chill until a small spoonful can be rolled into a ball. Shape in the size of balls you want.

 

3, For the cherry filling I flattened each ball of filling and placed a cherry in the middle and brought up the filling to cover the cherry. 

4.  To make the buckeyes I mixed peanut butter into the filling and rolled into balls.

5. I used melting chocolate and about 1 Tbsp shortening and placed in a micro safe bowl and microwaved until chocolate had melted and gave it a good stir.

6. Take the bowl of melted chocolate over to a table to work on and dip the cherry balls and peanut butter balls in the chocolate and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet and place in the freezer till chocolate has hardened..3-5 minutes.

Place in air tight container.  You can add all kinds of stuff in this filling, coconut, chopped nuts etc.