Three days before Christmas, Joanna Gaines shared the candies she and her children make to give as gifts. She revealed a recipe for Peanut Butter Balls — and if you’re a peanut butter fan like me, you’ll want to try these. I’ll be making them and writing about the results here on my blog.
Before the candy making began, Joanna admitted she was having a slow start to the day, preferring to stay in bed with Crew rather than jump into the work. Her sister arrived to help, offering the nudge and emotional support needed to get going.
She demonstrated spreading peanut butter on Ritz crackers, which are then dipped in white and milk candy coating. It’s a family activity — everyone pitches in for the dipping and decorating.
From her stories we get three great ideas: the classic peanut butter balls, simple chocolate-dipped peanut butter Ritz, and a no-waste peanut cluster made from leftover coating.
She walked through the peanut butter ball recipe step by step, and shared a clever tip to avoid waste: after dipping the peanut butter balls, pour any remaining melted chocolate into a bowl with some salted peanuts, mix, and drop spoonfuls onto wax paper to make peanut clusters.
She also shared the messy, real moments that come with holiday baking. Seeing her candidly handle the stress and small mishaps was reassuring — these things happen to everyone, even when you’re used to presenting a polished result.
At one point her white chocolate scorched and a bowl cracked — authentic, everyday kitchen troubles. It’s a reminder that even small disasters are part of the process, and they don’t ruin the end result.
In the end, everything came together beautifully. Her finished candies were wrapped and ready to gift — and she seemed genuinely relieved that the project was done for the year. A little recovery time was definitely deserved.
Thanks for keeping it real, Joanna — those honest moments make her even more likable.