Ants on a Log with Whipped Maple Peanut Butter & Plumped Raisins

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The lunchbox classic, treated like a real snack recipe: celery shocked in ice water until it snaps, peanut butter whipped with maple and warm water until it's light as frosting, and raisins plumped in hot orange juice so they taste like fruit again instead of gravel. Toasted sesame and flaky salt on top. Fifteen minutes, no cooking skill required, and it disappears faster than chips.

Ingredients

• 6 stalks celery, from the inner heart if possible
• 4 cups cold water
• 2 cups ice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/3 cup raisins (or a mix of golden and black)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 strip orange zest, wide peeled strip
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

• 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter, well stirred
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 3 tbsp very warm water
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp unsweetened flaked coconut (optional)
• to taste flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Trim the celery stalks and cut them into 4-inch batons. Run a vegetable peeler once or twice down the rounded back of each baton to strip off the tough strings — this is the difference between celery that snaps and celery that shreds.
2. Combine the cold water, ice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a bowl and submerge the celery. Refrigerate 15 minutes (up to 2 hours). The salted ice bath firms the cells and makes even week-old celery audibly crisp.
3. Meanwhile, put the raisins, orange juice, orange zest strip and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a bare simmer, about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the raisins sit and swell for 10 minutes. Drain off any remaining liquid, discard the zest, and spread the raisins on a plate to cool.
4. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking constantly, until they smell nutty and turn one shade darker, 2 to 3 minutes. If using coconut, add it for the last 60 seconds. Tip immediately onto a cool plate — they scorch in the pan.
5. Put the peanut butter, maple syrup, sea salt and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the warm water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking hard with a fork or a hand mixer on medium after each addition. It will look broken and grainy at first, then suddenly turn pale, smooth and fluffy — about 90 seconds of whisking total. If it's still stiff, add warm water 1 teaspoon at a time.
6. Drain the celery and dry it thoroughly with a towel; wet celery makes the peanut butter slide out. Fill the groove of each baton with a generous ribbon of whipped peanut butter, using a small spoon or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off.
7. Press the plumped raisins into the peanut butter in a line, spacing them so each bite gets one. Shower with the toasted sesame and coconut and finish with a pinch of flaky salt. Serve within an hour, cold.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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