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I’ve told you about my friend Leona many times before. She has figured large in my life and is one of those lifelong friends that we all love and cherish. She is the same age as Todd, which makes her about 80, so a fair bit older than myself, but as in love, age is only a number. We hit it off from the start and still do.
I have had many women in my life who have influenced me culinarily speaking and Leona was one of them. She may not know it, but she taught me a lot through the years and shared a lot of really delicious recipes with me that were old family favourites in her family. (She is from New Brunswick, and I am from Nova Scotia.) Wee are both maritimers, which is probably a huge part of the reason we gravitated towards each other in the first place.
There is always a special kinship which is shared amongst Maritimers. The Maritime provinces have traditionally been some of the poorest provinces in Canada, as well as (in my opinion) being some of the prettiest places.
The people are humble and friendly and kind. They are some of the nicest people on the planet, and upon meeting a Maritimer, I would be most surprised if you did not get an invite to supper before your conversation was done! When you go to a Maritimer’s home, no matter their situation, you will always be invited into the kitchen and offered a hot drink and a bit of cake or a cookie. That’s just the way we roll!
My friend Leona shared this lovely Peanut Butter Ball recipe with me many, many years ago and it is something which has been a huge part of my Christmas fixings ever since!
Like fudge or taffy, they figure big in the area of sweets and candies that we Maritimers love, especially at this time of year. They are almost a cross between a cookie and a candy. (I have always counted them as being more candy than cookie at any rate) They are simple to make, quick to make and oh-so-delicious!
Especially if you are a fan of peanut butter!!! I adore peanut butter. Smooth peanut butter is simply creamed together with some icing (Confectioner’s) sugar until well combined and smooth.
You then stir in crisp rice cereal and a quantity of toasted nuts. I like walnuts myself. And I always toast my nuts when I use them for things like this or in my baking. It just really helps to enhance the natural flavours of nuts. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes in a moderate oven. Just spread them on a baking tray in a single layer. (Do let them cool before using them.)
Once that’s all mixed together, you roll the mixture into 1-inch sized balls, pop them onto a baking tray, and then pop the tray into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill.
While they are chilling, melt some semi sweet chocolate and butter together. You then dip/roll the chilled peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate and place back on the baking tray, popping them back into the refrigerator to set them up. (I actually like to store them in the fridge in a covered container once set.) These are crisp, nutty, creamy and delicious!
Yield: 30Author: Marie Rayner
Leona’s Peanut Butter Balls
prep time: 15 minscook time: 15 minstotal time: 30 mins
A holiday tradition in my home for the past 40 years! Where I come from you won’t find too many houses without a plate of these on offer at Christmas time! Easy and quick to make, and delicious too!!
ingredients:
1 cup smooth peanut butter (180g) 1 cup icing sugar (130g) ½ cup chopped toasted nuts (I prefer walnuts) (60g) ½ cup rice crispies cereal (11g) 2/3 cup (4 ounces) semi sweet chocolate (115g) 1 TBS butter
instructions:
Cream together the peanut butter and icing sugar. Stir in the nuts and cereal. Shape into small balls and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Melt together the chocolate and butter, mixing until smooth. Dip the chilled balls into the chocolate and set aside on a parchment paper lined plate. Set in the fridge to harden. These also freeze really well so they are an excellent make ahead!!
For the holidays I sprinkle them with a few candy cake sprinkles to dress them up a bit. Not necessary, but very pretty. If you can eat just one of these, you are a much better person than I am! They are incredibly moreish. They also make great gifts! Happy Holy-Days!
Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time. The English Kitchen http://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/
