Combine Mashed Potatoes And Peanut Butter For An Unconventional Sweet Treat

Between spreading it into grilled cheese and eating it with pickles, we've heard of some pretty unconventional ways to use peanut butter over the years. And yet, there's one recipe that takes the cake. Potato candy (also known as peanut butter pinwheels), which is a combination of mashed potatoes and peanut butter, is thought to have come from Germany, and been introduced in the U.S. during the Great Depression. (Irish potato candy, on the other hand, is a Philadelphia-based dessert that doesn't actually use potatoes, but that's not what we're talking about here.) The original European recipe simply used potatoes and sugar, but once it made its way to the States, Americans gave it the peanut butter treatment.

Potato candy uses humble ingredients, and it's a deliciously simple dessert to whip up. You can make it any time of year, although its aesthetically-pleasing pinwheels look particularly festive over the holidays. Spuds in your dessert may sound off-putting, but their flavor takes a backseat, and they bring a creamy texture and soft structure for the peanut butter instead. Plus, aside from the potatoes, you likely have all the ingredients you need to whip up potato candy in your pantry already.

To make German potato candy, you only need a few ingredients: spuds, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Make sure to use russet potatoes, since they have a mild flavor and are easy to mash, and avoid the temptation to make instant mashed potatoes, since they're too watery to form a sufficiently thick base for this dessert. To keep everything nice and smooth (and to make the classic version of potato candy), opt for a creamy peanut butter. However, you can also branch out and experiment with crunchy peanut butter, Nutella, cookie butter, or another sweet and thick spread.

Once you've made and cooled your mashed potatoes, slowly beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. At this point, some recipes call for the addition of a little milk or butter, which you can do for added creaminess. When you have a dough-like consistency, roll it out on a powdered sugar-dusted surface, sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top, and spread your peanut butter on the potato mixture. You may want to warm up your filling first so that it goes on easily and doesn't stick to the dough. Then all that's left is to roll everything into a log, refrigerate the result, and slice it into pinwheels. The mashed potato-peanut butter combo may be unconventional, but you'll understand the appeal as soon as you sink your teeth into your first bite.