Peanut Butter Candy

June 9, 2020

My mother used to make this treat for us, my three sisters and I, on the nights when my father was off doing "something marvelous" as she used to put it. When we were little, on these nights, she would allow us to dress up in her clothes and jewelry, put on her lipstick or eyeshadow, and listen to the one pop record my father allowed in the house: the Beatles' Help!

My mother would put this on for us on my father's otherwise forbidden stereo, in the otherwise forbidden living room. Those nights were moments of great joy, liberation, and fun – we would dance and laugh in our borrowed clothes and shoes until we couldn't breathe. It was all the more wonderful a time because we had our mother to ourselves.

I'm sure all the sugar in the honey spurred our euphoria, but the peanut butter candy seemed—like so many things my mother produced but that I neglected to learn—magical because of how swiftly she brought them into being (unlike her chocolate cake or her hot cross buns, which, while amazing, took more time).

These peanut butter balls were so delicious. I still make them to this day! I cherish them, given that this is the only recipe I have from my mother. I now have some friends who are thrilled when I produce them as holiday treats or birthday presents. The only drawback is how hard it is to resist eating them myself as I make them for others!

This recipe is something I’ve returned to a few times a year ever since leaving my mother’s house 32 years ago. And, at peak stress times, more often! I tell myself that it is a boost of protein as well as sugar. In our present moment of self-isolation and for me, spending far more time at home and in the kitchen, I find myself thinking of my mother a great deal. I marvel now as I did then at her many abilities—not just culinary, but also hand arts of all kinds. In addition to sewing entire wardrobes for herself and us, she painted intricate scenes and decorations on the walls of our house, knitted sweaters of great complexity, and one Christmas produced over 200 stuffed toys for children in hospitals and different kinds of residences. How humbling it is to only have this one recipe to enact something of her great creative spirit and force. But much as my sisters and I were able to find joy and escape within the home on those peanut butter candy nights, so too can our homes today be sources of comfort and fun with simple means. Enjoy! And don't forget the Beatles…

Peanut butter candy only has three ingredients: equal parts peanut butter, honey, and non-instant skim milk powder*—three tablespoons each. Mix all this together, and work the mixture with the hands after it becomes too hard to stir. Then roll the mixture into little balls; the size is up to you. Place each ball on a plate, or try to. If you have managed to resist the urge to pop each little ball into your mouth after rolling, chill the plate of candy in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes (or 5 minutes in the freezer if you are desperate).

*Non-instant milk powder used to be a staple ingredient in a lot of mid-century cooking (see Adele Davis for example). But is quite difficult to find these days, and I have yet to find a substitute that really works; instant skim milk powder is the wrong texture. I did eventually track it down in a store that sell items in bulk, but it’s worth calling before you go, as not all such stores stock this old-fashioned ingredient.

Cynthia Hammond researches and makes art about women and the built environment. She teaches art and architectural history at Concordia University. Originally from Hamilton, she has called Montreal home for 25 years. She now lives in Verdun with her husband and very round cat.