The spring obsession with strawberries continues. As the season settles in, I look for other ways to enjoy the little red jewels, as I have almost eaten my fill of them plain from the bowl I keep in the fridge, filled every week at the famers market. And so I turn to baking to find as many ways to enjoy then as possible.

My first and best experience with fresh strawberries and cream was in England, where it is a tradition in many venues. I had them at the interval during a cricket match, a game I do not understand at all, but could really get into because they stop for snacks. Scones, tea and cucumber sandwiches were passed around at this picnic, then bowls of fresh berries, with a whisper of sugar and blanketed in cold, thick cream, tinged palest yellow it was so rich. I have never found the equal to English cream here. I think that is why so many rich, sweet desserts or fruits in England are preferred doused with plain cream – not whipped cream or ice cream, just a pour of fresh “double cream” as they call it.

That was my inspiration for these cookies. I wanted to create a cookie creamy and rich to envelope bursting bits of berry. Cream cheese gives that fluffy texture with a little bit of tang. Watch these cookies carefully and take them out of the oven just as they set on the top, then you will have a soft, moist cookie speckled with delicious bites of strawberry.

Strawberries and Cream Cookies

2 cups hulled fresh strawberries

1 cup (2 sticks butter), at room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the strawberries into a small dice, roughly the size of a chocolate chip.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until combined. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and the baking powder and salt. Beat until smooth and combined. Using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the diced strawberries, distributing them evenly in the batter. The mixer will bash them up, so do this by hand.

Using a spoon or cookie scoop, scoop the batter by Tablespoons about a ½ inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets until the bottoms are lightly browned and the centers are just firmed up but not brown, about 10 – 12 minutes. If you have the patience, bake one sheet at a time on an upper rack in the oven. Cool the cookies for two minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool the cookie sheets and repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes about 3 dozen

In the last few years, I have truly become a seasonal eater.  The rise in popularity of farmers markets has encouraged me in this, because the array of beautiful farm fresh fruits and vegetables is so tempting. And after years of being desensitized by perennially available produce, I have rediscovered just how amazing produce is in season, not treated by gasses and flown and trucked in from miles and miles away.  I had forgotten what a strawberry is supposed to taste like.  And I have accustomed myself to the wonder of eating in season and the anticipation for the next season to gorge myself.  April and May are all about strawberries, replaced by blueberries, and so on and so on.  I freeze, can and dry the bounty, but otherwise, I don’t eat tomatoes in winter or strawberries in fall.  And enjoy them all the more for it.

And strawberries are the beginning of it all.  By mid-April when they come in here, I am over winter.  Asparagus, artichokes and lettuces are in, but I am desperate for fruit.  My frozen stock has run low, and clementines have run their course!  Then come the strawberries.  I buy them by the quart, and snack on them constantly.  And of course I can cook and bake with them. It’s the herald of summer and the good meals to come.

With my first haul of strawberries this year, I returned to this old-fashioned classic, cooked in an old black skillet.  The presentation is impressive and highlights the beautiful berries perfectly.

Skillet Strawberry Upside Down Cake

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Choose a platter that is larger than the circumference of your skillet.

Spray a 9-inch cast iron skillet generously with non-stick cooking spray. Mix the brown sugar and melted butter in the skillet and spread it evenly over the bottom.

Cut the strawberries in half and arrange them, cut side up, over the brown sugar in the skillet, filling the space as much as possible without overlapping the berries.  Remember, this is the side that will be presented, so make it look good.

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs for about a minute at high speed, then slowly add the sugar.  Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the mixture while it beats. Lower the speed and gradually add the flour mixture until everything is smooth and combined.

Dollop the batter over the berries in the skillet, then carefully spread it out to cover the berries, without disturbing them too much.  Spread the batter to the edges of the pan.  Bake the cake until the top is firm and golden brown, about 35 – 40 minutes. There will be some bubbling juices around the sides.  Check the cake with a tester; it’s ready when there are just a few crumbs clinging to it.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and run a thin knife around the edges to help pull it away.  Quickly and carefully invert the skillet onto your chosen platter.  Leave it to sit for about 5 minutes so the fruit and sugar slide out.  Remove the skillet by lifting it straight up.

Serve the cake immediately or at room temperature.  This is good on its own, or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Serves 6 – 8

Simple, delicious spring vegetables really just need the simplest of bright accompaniments, and this dip really hits the bill.  It is tangy with lemon and perfectly creamy and even has a sunshine-y yellow hue.

I love this at room temperature as a dip for lightly steamed asparagus spears or artichoke leaves.  Put it can also be spooned over as a sauce.  And its uses go far beyond that.  Spoon it over grilled chicken or steamed fish.  I love the use of meyer lemons with their sweet-tart flavor.  This sauce, with the citrus and the wine, is puckeringly tangy.  If you use regular lemons, reduce the amount of juice by a couple of Tablespoons.

Meyer Lemon Chiffon Dip for Spring Vegetables

1 large shallot, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

Leaves from 2 rosemary stems

½ cup freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice

1 cup white wine

1/3 cup heavy cream

6 Tablespoons butter

Place the shallot, garlic and rosemary leaves in a saucepan and add the lemon juice and wine.  Give to a good stir, then bring to the boil over medium-high heat.  Boil gently until the liquid is reduced to ½ cup.  Stir in the heavy cream and cook until the liquid is reduced a bit more and the sauce is thickened.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or measuring jug and pour the sauce through, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.  Wipe out the pan and return the sauce to it.  Place over low heat and whisk in the butter ½ Tablespoon at a time, letting each piece melt before adding more.

Transfer to a small bowl and let it come to room temperature.  You can serve this hot as a sauce.

Makes about ½ cup dip

Tender, tangy and subtly sweet. These delicious little pillows are perfect for Spring.  The ricotta makes the cookies tender and adds a little tang, and the gentle hint of citrus in these cakey cookies is enhanced by the sweet citrus glaze.  With a little work, I think you could shape the dough into an egg shape for Easter, and can of course tint the glaze.

Citrus Ricotta Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

15 ounces ricotta cheese

Zest and juice of one medium orange

Zest and juice of one lemon

Zest and juice of one lime

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the ricotta cheese and beat until smooth.  Add the citrus zest and ¼ cup of the combined citrus juices.  Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda and beat into the ricotta mixture. Drop by rounded spoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving a little space between each cookie. You’ll need to cool the cookie sheets and repeat for four batches.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes until puffed and browned around the edges.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze:

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and slowly whisk in enough of the remaining mixed citrus juice (about ¼ cup) to make a glaze, or frosting.  These cookies are delicious with a thick layer of frosting or a thin, sweet glaze.

Makes 48 cookies

Bananas Foster is a classic New Orleans dessert with a storied history, and is one of the many dishes from the Crescent City’s famed restaurants that have made its way around the world.  And Bananas Foster is an impressive dish to order at a restaurant, when done the old-school way.  An expert server, rolls out a cart, heats the sugar for the caramel sauce, sautés the bananas, and flames the alcohol.  All tableside, to oohs and aahs, and nowadays, snapping cameras and flashing phones.

But who does that at home?  That experience is best left to the experts, in my opinion.  It is one of those dishes you go to restaurants for.  But rich, rummy caramel and bananas are a great combination.  Though I will admit here that I prefer cakes or cookies made with bananas to actual bananas.  We all have our quirks.  And so I love this cake.  I mean love this cake.  It has a very pronounced fresh banana flavor, and the addition of the mashed fruit makes it incredibly moist.  The rum is just a background note, enhancing the flavor.  The caramel glaze is a boozed-up version of my classic cheat for caramel icing, but the pairing with banana and rum takes it to a whole new level.

This cake makes an amazing dessert for any meal, but for some reason really shouts brunch to me.  Maybe because that’s when I’ve enjoyed the real Bananas Foster at those New Orleans restaurants.  Trust me, whatever the occasion; you want to make this cake.

Bananas Foster Pound Cake

For the Cake:

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

4 Tablespoons dark rum, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

¼ cup butter

½ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons dark rum

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Grease a 10 – inch tube or Bundt pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for a few minutes, then add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 – 7 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir 3 Tablespoons of the rum and vanilla extract into the mashed bananas, then beat the mix into the butter until combined.  Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together, then gradually beat into the batter until completely incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the pan.  Bake for 45- 50 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  If the cake starts to get too brown, cover it loosely with foil.

Leave the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack set over a piece of foil or waxed paper (to catch drips from the glaze). Poke holes on top of the cake with a skewer, then dribble the remaining 1 Tablespoon rum over it, distributing it evenly.  The rum will soak right in.  Leave the cake to cool completely.

For the Glaze:

The cake must be completely cool, or the glaze will slide right off.

Cut the butter into cubes and place in a saucepan with the brown sugar, cream, rum and salt. After everything melts together, bring to a full, rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it reaches that boil, count to 60 Mississippi, then pull it off the heat. Leave the pan to cool for about 5 minutes, then vigorously beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.

Immediately pour the glaze over the cake, but do so slowly and evenly to cover as much surface as possible. Leave the glaze to set, then slice and enjoy. Covered tightly, this cake will last a few days.

Serves 10

I have never set myself the task of making a real King Cake, as I figure there are enough people who do that already.  My brother used to send me delicious King Cakes from a bakery in New Orleans when I was in college.  Those cakes were moist and tender with a cream cheese filling, with a brightly colored, but simple frosting.  The cake was packaged with beads and doubloons and made for a fun party all around. I was always very popular during Mardi Gras season. That is really my idea of what a King Cake should be, though I know there are many different versions.  Those were the first, and still the best, King Cakes I have ever had.  But now, I often find the bakeries in my local grocery stores offer wildly decorated King Cakes leading up to Mardi Gras.  I have bought them, but they are generally dry and tasteless and a real disappointment (and often stale).  I once ordered a fancy, artfully decorated King Cake from a New Orleans bakery at great expense, but even it was dry.

These bars meet all my King Cake Flavor requirements, but are simpler to make and to serve.  They make a great dessert for a Mardi Gras party, and would pack up beautifully to carry to a parade-viewing.  I sprinkle colored sanding sugar in the traditional purple, green and gold color scheme over the top for a sparkly Mardi Gras feel, but you could easily tint the glaze, use sprinkles or the fancier luster dust.

And a word about the baby.  Traditionally, King Cake has a small plastic baby figure backed inside.  The person whose piece of cake contains the baby is then responsible for hosting the next King Cake party.  Many bakeries now include the baby in the box, but don’t bake it into the cake.  I assume this is for liability reasons, as a small plastic baby is a choking hazard.  If you do happen to have a plastic baby, feel free to bake it into the King Cake Bars, though it is likely to show through the filling and be less of a surprise.

King Cake Bars

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter

6 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

For the Filling:

2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 Tablespoon milk

Colored sanding sugar or sprinkles (purple, green and gold)

For the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour and sugar.  Drop in the butter cubes and beat on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and looks a bit like wet sand.  Add the milk and beat until it starts to stick together.  Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press it in to form an even layer, making sure there are no holes or gaps.

For the Filling:

Wipe out the mixer bowl and rinse and dry the paddle.  Beat the filling ingredients together until completely smooth.  Spread the filling evenly over the prepared crust. Bake the bars for 20 – 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set.

For the Glaze:

While the bars are cooking, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk until completely smooth.  As soon as you remove the bars from the oven, spread the glaze in an even layer across the top.  Immediately decorate with sanding sugar.  Leave the bars to cool completely, then slice.

Makes about 15 bars

I love biscuits in all forms, and have myself developed many permutations, from fresh corn, to blueberry, to pimento cheese.  But with the sweetheart holiday coming up, I thought I’d try my hand at a rich, chocolate version. Bake up a batch of these babies for someone special and you’ll make your way onto their heart.

These biscuits don’t rise as high a standard buttermilk biscuit, but are sturdy enough to hold your favorite toppings. I love these spread with a little raspberry jam, and maybe topped with a little clotted cream or whipped cream.  These would also make an excellent base for strawberry shortcake. The crackly sugar topping is a lovely touch, but feel free to replace it with a chocolate drizzle or a sweet glaze.

Chocolate Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped

1/3 cup cold butter, diced

¾ cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°.  Grease a baking sheet.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt baking soda and sugar. Mix in the finely chopped chocolate.  Cut the butter into pieces and drop in the mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment until the flour and shortening are blended together and look grainy.

Measure out the milk and crack in the egg.  Beat lightly to blend, then stir in the vanilla. With mixer running, add the milk to the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together.  It will be a soft, floppy dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and sprinkle a little flour over the top.  With well-floured hands, lightly knead the dough.  If the dough is too wet to work with, you can work in a little more flour, but this is meant to be a sticky dough.  With floured hands, gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 4 by 8 inches. Place a little bowl of flour on the work surface and dip a biscuit cutter into it before cutting each biscuit.  I use a 2- inch cutter, but make them the size you prefer, even using a heart-shaped cutter if you’d like.  Carefully transfer the biscuits to the greased baking sheet.  Carefully re-roll the scraps and cut a few more biscuits.

Bake the biscuits until risen and firm on the edges, 8 – 12 minutes, watching closely.

While the biscuits are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan or the microwave.  Stir in the sugar until you have a thick paste.  The sugar will not dissolve completely.

When the biscuits are done, remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops with the butter and sugar mixture.  Coat the biscuits well, but you may not use all the topping.  Leave to cool on the pan.

Because of the sweet buttery, sugary topping, these biscuits do not keep well, so it’s best to make them the day you plan to serve.

Makes 14 – 16 biscuits

January 8^th is Elvis’s birthday.  If you grew up in Memphis, you know that.  For my 25^th birthday (quite a few years ago, and not in January), I had a big party.  At Graceland.  The party was in the large lobby of the ticket pavilion, decorated (by Graceland) in pink, black and turquoise balloons.  We ate barbecue and danced to an amazing retro band called The Bouffants.  It was one of my favorite birthdays.  But the real bonus of a party at Graceland was a private, nighttime tour of the house.  Back then, they had just introduced the audio headset guide.  That was a real disappointment to me, because the personality of the Graceland guides had always been such a big part of the tour.  But that disappointment was very much balanced, because we toured the kitchen, which was opening to the public the following week.

The kitchen at Graceland, like most rooms at Graceland, is an absolute model of everything new and chic in the 70s.  It’s not a huge room, very much a standard family house kitchen.  It has dark wood cabinets and harvest gold appliances, with burgundy and avocado green accents.  But Elvis was a modern man, and there is on display one of the earliest microwaves.  It is bigger than the wall oven.  Elvis had a cook for many years who prepared him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, as Elvis kept irregular hours.  He was a country boy and liked county food, and a lot of it, biscuits and gravy, greens, and pork chops and mashed potatoes.  He liked each element of his meal on a separate plate.  These are the things you learn at Graceland.

Elvis did enjoy a peanut butter and banana sandwich occasionally, but was a real fan of banana pudding.  I think the peanut butter and banana connection is a sort of urban myth that has grown and grown in the years since his death.  It is held out as an example of his “peculiar” eating habits, which weren’t all that peculiar, just old-fashioned, Southern and copious. The eating habits of man who didn’t have enough to eat when he was a child. People laugh about the PB&B, but actually enjoy the flavor – and choose to eat the sandwiches on their own.  And man, is it a good combo for a cookie! It is not peculiar, it’s just part of the legend of Elvis.

Cookies for the King (Banana Cookies with a Peanut Butter Glaze)

These are a soft, cakey cookie with a light peanut butter glaze.

For the Cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

2 – 4 Tablespoons milk

¾ cup powdered sugar

For the Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and mashed banana and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.  Add the vanilla and blend thoroughly.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add to the wet ingredients, scraping the bowl occasionally, until everything is well incorporated.  Refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons (I use a cookie scoop), 2 inches apart onto the lined sheets. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until puffed golden and firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For the Glaze:

Place some waxed paper under the cooling racks to catch drips from the glaze.

In a small bowl, using a sturdy whisk or hand mixer, beat together the peanut butter and one Tablespoon of milk until smooth.  Sift in the powdered sugar and mix well.  Drizzle in more milk, ½ Tablespoon at a time until you reach a consistency that will drizzle from a spoon over the cookies.  I consider this medium-thick.

Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and leave to set.

I like a light glaze on these cookies, so the banana flavor shines with just a little hint of peanut butter.  If you prefer a completely frosted cookie, double the glaze recipe and use just enough milk to make it spreadable.

Makes 12 – 16 cookies

Milk Punch has roots in New Orleans, with a history as a hair-of-the-dog remedy.   In fact, my best milk punch memory is enjoying a bit too much at a wonderful wedding brunch in New Orleans.  And now, that bride makes milk punch for a Christmas party every year.  I have to admit though, I make it differently from my friend.  I’ve had milk punch that is just milk and bourbon with a sprinkling of nutmeg and I have seen many recipes that use melted vanilla ice cream as the milky base.  I split the difference, mixing up a sweet, creamy syrup lightly spiced with holiday flavors to stir in cold milk.  Then I dose it with good bourbon, serve it over ice and grate a dash of nutmeg. And to reinforce that Crescent City connection, I like to listen to one of my favorite seasonal songs, Louis Armstrong singing ‘Zat You, Santa Claus while whipping up a batch.

I love the idea of serving fudgy cookies with milk punch.  Sure, you can fill a punch bowl with a big batch of punch and arrange a plate of cookies beside it.  But I think a glass of milk punch and a little stack of cookies would make an amusing dessert for a grown-up dinner party, adding a touch of whimsy to a sophisticated event.  These gently spiced cookies are rich with chocolate, soft and sweet, just perfect for dipping in milk punch.  Plus, they can be made ahead, stored in the fridge or frozen, and baked fresh.

Milk Punch and Cookies

Milk Punch

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup sugar

½ vanilla bean

2 sticks cinnamon

4 cardamom pods

1 quart whole milk

Bourbon

Nutmeg

In a small saucepan with a tight fitting lid, stir together the cream and sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.  The mixture may turn buttery yellow.  Just when it hits the boil, remove the pan from the heat.  Split the vanilla been and scrape out the seeds and drop them in the cream.  Add the cinnamon sticks and the lightly crushed cardamom pods.   Cover the pot and leave to cool completely.

When the creamy syrup is cool, strain it into a pitcher, add the milk and stir well to combine.  Fill a punch glass or highball with ice, add 1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons bourbon and fill with milk mixture.  Sprinkle nutmeg over the top of each glass.

Makes about 5 ½ cups punch, can be doubled or more

Chocolate Spice Cookies

2 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 Tablespoons butter

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate, butter and condensed milk in a large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave at medium power for 45 seconds, remove the bowl and stir vigorously until the chocolate is melted and everything is combined.  If needed, microwave in 15 second bursts until everything melts.  The mixture will be thick. Alternately, you can carefully melt everything together in a large pan.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices with a fork.  Dump into the chocolate mixture and stir beginning to come together. Add the egg and vanilla and stir until the dough it all combined.  It’s a thick batter and will take a little elbow grease.  Chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes, then divide into three equal portions.  Cut three lengths of waxed paper and use each to roll a portion for dough into a log.  Wrap tightly and keep in the fridge until ready to bake, up to three days.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the cookie logs out of the fridge and allow to soften for a few minutes, then use a sturdy serrated knife to slice the logs into ¼ inch slices.  Place on the prepared sheets and bake 8 minutes, until the cookies are puffed in the center.  Remove from the oven and cool on the pans.

Makes about 60 cookies

These nuts are another cocktail party recipe.  Yes, they are perfect for nibbling at a cocktail party, but I really say this because I picked up the idea at a cocktail party.  Some ladies and I were standing around with our drinks, nibbling on a bowl of glazed pecans and chatting about various flavored nut recipes.  One of the ladies remarked that her grandmother always made “these peanuts that she boiled in sugar syrup.” As is my wont, I asked for details.  She didn’t know anything more, just that her grandmother used to fix up a huge kettle of peanuts boiling in sugar and
water.

These ideas stick with me, long after the party is over. I experimented occasionally over the years, overthinking the idea as it turns out, until I got it right.  Raw peanuts simply boiled in sugar syrup.  These little gems are not as sweet as you might think, and the salt adds a nice balance to each bite.  The peanut flavor really shines through.  They will keep in an airtight container for quite a while, so they make a great little gift.  But put a bowl on the bar, and your guests will gobble them up.  I’ll admit, I made a batch on a Thursday to photograph over the weekend, and they were all gone before the camera came out.

Sugared Peanuts

Raw peanuts are the key.  Ready-roasted ones will not soak up the syrup.  Look for them in the bulk section of a health food store or market. 

2 cups water

2 cups granulated sugar

4 cups raw peanuts

Salt

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets completely with non-stick foil, or foil greased with a light coat of oil.

Stir the water and sugar together is a large, high-sided saucepan.  You want plenty of room for the peanuts, so you can stir them around and avoid the pot boiling over. Bring the syrup to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Stir in the peanuts and cook in the syrup, stirring frequently, until the peanuts absorb the syrup.  This may take 20 – 30 minutes.  As the process comes to the end, and almost all the syrup is absorbed, stir constantly to prevent scorching.  When there is only a little syrup left in the pan, put the prepared baking sheets by the stove and very quickly transfer the peanuts to the pans using a slotted spoon.  Shake the spoon to let any remaining syrup drip off. Keep the pot on the heat, being carefully of the really hot syrup.  If you take it off the heat, and the peanut syrup will immediately seize up and granulate. Spread the peanuts out in one layer on the first pan, trying to prevent many from clumping up. You largely want individual nuts, not peanut brittle.  Sprinkle a little table salt over the peanuts and place in the oven.  Repeat with the remaining baking sheet.  Bake the nuts for 10 – 12 minutes, until they are lightly golden.  Rotate the trays between racks at 5 minutes so the bottom pan doesn’t burn.

Cool the nuts on the baking pans.  You can break up any clumps with your fingers.

Makes 4 cups