Mark Bittman’s Gift-Worthy Treat Recipes

Tie a bow around these homemade bonbons and peanut brittle that make easy, delicious presents

Mark Bittman,

AARP

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Published November 22, 2024

Chef Mark Bittman's Peanut Brittle, Fig Bittmans and Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bonbons.

AARP (Burcu Avsar and Zach DeSart; Aya Brackett; Burcu Avsar and Zach DeSart; Jim Henkens)

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Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bonbons • Peanut Brittle • Fig Bittmans

One of the great human joys — any time of year — is sharing the food we make. It doesn’t matter how frequently you cook or how fancy it is when you do. Gathering at the table, nibbling from a buffet, and gifting holiday candies or cookies are all generous ways to acknowledge that we care for and about one another.

The three recipes here are right at home for any holiday tradition — perfect for cookie swaps, potlucks and gift-giving. All you need is a festive container or some colored cellophane and a shiny bow. All keep well for at least a week.

Let’s start with Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bonbons, a 30-minute recipe that comes with several variations so you can adjust for people’s allergies or preferences. Next up is Peanut Brittle, with a variation for Popcorn Brittle. These are among the simplest and most foolproof candies I know, and everyone loves ’em. Fig Bittmans round out the group. They’re a fantastic homemade spin on the beloved cake-ish filled cookie that I always associate with winter comfort.

Whatever you pick, the recipe will be easy to multiply if you’d like to start a new tradition. Please consider these my special gift to you, in appreciation of your readership and our shared interest in healthy cooking. Happy holidays to you all!

Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bonbons

Dark chocolate and peanut butter make these Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bon Bons a decadent treat.

Jim Henkens

Makes: 36 balls

Time: 30 minutes

Based on one of my most popular recipes, now with more variations. Imagine what would happen if you rolled a peanut butter cup into a ball — one that you don’t care much about being perfectly round. If you have a few extra minutes, roll them in finely chopped peanuts or unsweetened shredded coconut (the finest stuff you can find) before freezing.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed
Salt (the flaky kind is best here)

Directions

1. Put the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Chop the chocolate, and add it to the bowl.

2. Cover loosely and microwave the mixture on high heat, checking and stirring occasionally, until the butter and chocolate melt, a minute or two. Remove the bowl from the oven and fold in 1 cup peanut butter with a soft spatula, stirring until it’s evenly incorporated. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and stir until the mixture is smooth.

3. Put a piece of wax or parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Use 2 teaspoons to drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt.

4. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze just until the balls firm up a bit, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve right away or store in an airtight container for up to a couple days in the refrigerator or several weeks in the freezer.

Variations

If you want to make Salted Chocolate Almond Butter Bonbons — a logical spin on the original recipe — use almond butter instead of peanut butter.

For Chocolate Coconut Bonbons, omit the salt. One quick extra step gets you a giant leap closer to a Mounds bar. Replace the peanut butter with unsweetened shredded coconut. Put it in a food processor with 1 tablespoon water and let the machine run for 30 seconds or so. Stop and scrape down the sides. You’re looking for the texture of nut butter, so if you’re not there yet, repeat, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time until you are. Then proceed with the recipe from Step 3, substituting the coconut paste for the peanut butter.

To make Chocolate Cherry Bonbons — or any dried fruit — omit the salt and peanut butter. Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan and add 1 cup dried sweet or tart cherries. Remove from the heat, cover and steep until the fruit is fully tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well, reserving the liquid. Use a food processor to puree the cherries into a paste, following the directions in the preceding variation. Use the reserved soaking liquid to reach the desired consistency. Proceed from Step 3.

Peanut Brittle

With just four ingredients you can make Peanut Brittle in 20 minutes.

Aya Brackett

Makes: about 1 pound

Time: 20 minutes, plus time to cool

If you’ve never made peanut brittle, you will not believe how simple it is. A pastry brush can be handy here, but that’s the only trick.

Ingredients

Butter for greasing
2 cups sugar
2 cups roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)
Pinch salt if you’re using unsalted peanuts

Directions

1. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter. Put it on the counter close to the stove.

2. Put the sugar and ⅓ cup water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and becomes a nutty caramel color but is not yet dark brown, 5 to 10 minutes; swirl the pan if the sugar is cooking unevenly. If there’s sugar clinging to the sides of the pan, use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash it back down. Watch carefully as sugar has a tendency to burn the second you turn your back on it.

3. Stir in the peanuts (and the salt if you’re using it) until they’re combined. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the candy onto the prepared baking sheet; tilt the pan if it’s not spreading fast enough to coat the bottom.

4. Let cool at room temperature. To make even squares, score the brittle with a sharp knife once it’s solidified slightly but before it has hardened, then cut when completely cooled. Otherwise, break the brittle into pieces when it’s cool. Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to several weeks.

Variation

To make Popcorn Brittle, omit the peanuts. Pop about ¼ cup popcorn kernels; you should have about 4 cups popcorn. Put the popcorn in a large heatproof bowl and get a greased piece of parchment paper ready, next to the prepared baking sheet. Once the caramel is ready after Step 2, pour it over the popcorn. Toss to coat, working quickly so the sugar doesn’t harden, and immediately spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet; use the greased paper to press it into a thin and even layer. Let cook, then cut or break as described in Step 4.

Fig Bittmans

Grated orange zest gives these Fig Bittmans a citrusy pop.

Burcu Avsar and Zach DeSart

Makes: About 2 dozen

Time: About 45 minutes, plus time to chill

This snack-time favorite is soft and chewy with a warm, subtle sweetness and a pop of citrus. The fig filling is so simple, but it has an irresistibly caramel-like texture. All of this from your oven instead of a package.

Ingredients

1½ sticks butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
3 tablespoons grated orange zest
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 ounces dried figs, chopped
1 cup orange juice

Directions

1. Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl, and beat them together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and the egg until well blended, then add the zest.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour, or until firm.

3. Make the filling while the dough chills. Combine the figs and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the figs are soft, then drain and purée with the remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla. Set aside to cool.

4. Heat the oven to 375° F. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into a long rectangle about 4 inches wide; square off the edges of the dough as needed to keep it relatively even. Spoon the fig filling evenly down the middle of each piece of dough and fold up the sides of the dough around it lengthwise; press gently to seal. Bake the whole logs on ungreased baking sheets, seam side down, until they’re evenly golden, about 15 minutes. Cut into squares while they are still warm and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

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Mark Bittman, a leading voice in global food culture and policy for more than three decades, is the author of the How to Cook Everything series, and Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food from Sustainable to Suicidal, which The New York Times called “epic and engrossing.” Bittman spent three decades at the Times, where he created The Minimalist, was the Sunday Magazine’s lead food writer and became the country’s first weekly opinion writer at a major publication to concentrate on food. Bittman is currently the editor-in-chief of The Bittman Project, which sponsors a newsletter, website and the podcast Food, with Mark Bittman. He is on the faculty of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and is the founder of Community Kitchen, which he describes as “the most important project I’ve ever tackled.”