Buckeyes (peanut butter balls)

I, too, chill my peanut butter balls before dipping and take only as many out of the fridge/freezer as I can dip in a reasonable amount of time before they warm. Instead of paraffin, I use a slight bit of veg oil in the chocolate....

Make sure you pop the buckeyes into the freezer for about an hour before dipping them. It helps the chocolate grab the surface and harden faster. If you don't have a Silpat already, invest in one -- they're a candymaking godsend.

If you don't know how to temper chocolate (it is tricky), you can try a couple of things.

1) look for Candy Melts or CandyQwik. You microwave it, dip, set the candy aside, and it hardens.

2) microwave a chopped, tempered chocolate bar on half power for about 1min. Stir and continue to microwave at half for 30sec intervals. If you're careful, the chocolate will not lost its temper and will reharden appropriately.

3) buy dipping tools. Many craft stores have them -- usually a 2-pronged fork an a circular dipper packaged together. Failing that, using a chopstick to stab into your buckeye for dipping may be an option

Make sure you temper the chocolate just right. You say the chocolate melts in your hands....We always freeze the peanut butter balls and then use a toothpick to dip them in a pot of gently melted chocolate. What do you do?

ice water in a bowl to dip hands?