6.02.2012

I'm A Nut


Being a proud denizen of the great state of Ohio, there are a few things all Ohioans indelibly know, whether we learned it in school or were inundated by the trivial ramblings of a fellow Buckeye:

1) Ohio was the 17th state admitted into the Union in 1803
2) Eight presidents hailed from Ohio (William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding)
3) Ohio is the only state in the nation to have a pennant shaped flag
4) A Buckeye is both a poisonous nut and a delicious candy treat
**This is just a sampling of my trivial Ohio knowledge**

You see in Ohio we all seem to know WAY TOO MUCH about our state, and we take pride in our excessive Buckeye bantering. We inevitably end up being the annoying person at our friends' house parties. If there is a group of people genially discussing the presidential campaign you might hear a Buckeye say: "Did you know that there have only been six Presidents in the history of America who did not 'win' Ohio? [Blank looks from the partygoers, prompting the Buckeye to keep rambling.] Also, did you know Ohio is called the "Mother of Presidents" because eight of our sons were elected to that most esteemed position of power?" Yeah, were that guy/gal.

Also, if the song "Hang on Sloopy" ever randomly comes on at the same house party and there's one person jumping up and down all by his or her self, singing all the words, they're probably a Buckeye; it's our state fight song. But what - you may be asking yourself - exactly is a Buckeye.

When the state was first settled by pioneers in the late 18th century the rolling hills of Ohio were dotted with a multitude of trees, to include a brushy looking fellow named Aesclus glabra (aka - the Ohio Buckeye).


This Ohio Buckeye produces a "fruit" (a cousin of the chestnut) which is poisonous if eaten by cattle, and possibly humans - although I've never known a person to eat an actual Buckeye (the nut inside the spiny fruit hanging from the tree). Most commonly the Buckeye - which resembles the eye of a male deer - was used by Native Americans in the region who blanched the nut to extract tannic acid, which allowed them to create leather. Meaning that the ol' Buckeye was deadly to the cattle of the region in more ways than one!


In 1840, William Henry Harrison's campaign for the presidency sealed the deal for Ohio becoming the Buckeye state. Though "Old Tippecanoe" was born in Virginia, when he was elected to the presidency he resided in Ohio. During his run for office he used a log cabin made of buckeye timbers, and advertisements showing men carrying walking sticks made of buckeye wood, to be the emblem of his campaign. While I'm sure it wasn't the buckeye emblems alone that helped him deftly defeat Martin van Buren, his attachment to his home-state and pride in Ohio made the residents of the state die-hard "Buckeyes" from that point on.

Today I would wager that not many Buckeyes are Whig supporters who remember the days when William Henry Harrison defeated Tecumseh at Tippecanoe. However, I would bet that most of them could tell you where the Ohio State University stood in the NCAA BCS rankings.

Regardless of why we're proud to call ourselves Buckeyes these days, there's one thing we Ohioans all know and love - buckeye candies!

If you're from Ohio and you do not know how to make the delicious peanut butter and chocolate concoctions which looks just like the nut, well...shame on you! I think it's mandatory in 8th grade home economics to learn the recipe. As such, when Matt came home a week or two ago and told me a guy from his class had brought in buckeyes, I was intrigued. I proceeded to barrage him with a slew of questions about the origin of the candies:

Me: "Craig brought in buckeyes?! Is he from Ohio?!"
Matt: "Yeah."
Me: "What part?"
Matt: "I don't know."
Me: "Did he make them himself?
Matt: "No. His Mom made them and sent them to him."
Me: "That was nice. We're they yummy?"
Matt: "What's not to like about peanut butter and chocolate?"
Me: "True. [Pause] Have you ever had MY buckeyes?"
Matt: "No. I didn't know you made them."
Me: [Affronted] "Matt, I'm from Ohio!"
Matt: "Well excuse me, I didn't know it was mandatory to have a buckeye recipe."
Me: [Looking at him like he has two heads] "I'm from Ohio...of course it is...."

So, when Matt mentioned he was invited to a party this weekend and kindly asked [probably just to make the crazy Ohioan in me jump for joy] if I would make buckeyes so he could bring them, I was happy to oblige.

While there is nothing healthy about the little confections, they are sinfully delicious. It doesn't matter whose recipe you follow - Craig's mom or mine - the bottom line is: "What's not to like about peanut butter and chocolate?!"

So, if you're not from Ohio or you are but just don't have a good buckeye recipe yet, here's mine! Make sure if you ever make these you're taking them to a party, they are meant to be consumed by many people. Believe me, 36 buckeyes between two people will only amount to a serious sugar high and morning-after stomach aches!

Erica's Buckeyes
Ingredients:
2 cups creamy peanut butter (that's pretty much one whole 18oz jar of JIF)
3 tbsp softened butter
1 oz white chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
12 oz semisweet choc chips

Directions:
In a double boiler (use a glass Pyrex bowl over a medium pot with boiling water) gently stir the white chocolate until it has melted and all lumps have smoothed out.


Remove bowl from heat and let the chocolate cool for a minute or two.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer begin combining the peanut butter, sugar, softened butter, salt and - finally - white chocolate. Using the paddle attachment on a medium speed, stir until all ingredients are combined. (If you don't have a stand mixer a large bowl and hand-held mixer work just as well!)


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and clear out some space in your freezer for the tray. Begin rolling the dough into small 1 inch balls with your hands. You will need to rinse and dry your hands about every 6th or 7th ball, as your hands will start to get mealy from the peanut butter and the balls roll best with clean, dry hands. Once you have lined your tray with the peanut butter balls, place in the freezer for about a half an hour, or until the dough has firmed up and does not fall off a toothpick when pricked.



Once the balls have firmed up, leave them in the freezer while you begin melting the semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler.



Once melted, remove the balls from the freezer and set up a dipping station by placing the melted chocolate directly next to the parchment lined tray. Using a toothpick, spear an individual buckeye, dip in the chocolate, spin to coat the bottom and sides of the buckeye - leaving just the peanut butter "eye" exposed - and return to the parchment. Once all buckeyes are dipped and back on the tray, place the buckeyes in the refrigerator for about an hour, until the chocolate has set. Serve immediately, or place in an airtight container and leave in the refrigerator for up to a week, or the freezer for up to a month.


Obviously you will need to do a taste test before serving to ensure that the buckeye candies are safe for consumption. This recipe will produce 36 buckeyes, but I find that 30 is a nice number to bring to a party! ;-)

References:
Aesclus glabra - Ohio Buckeye
Why Buckeye?
Erica's Brain: A Buckeye Compendium

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