Snug as a Peep in a jello nest, Swedish Peepballs are the Prairie Oyster of Europe.

A delicacy in northern Europe and quickly becoming the rage in Seattle, Swedish Peepballs are the traditional way to say buh-bye to winter and hello spring. After going insane from the dark days and gloomy weather, Nordic types find their center and remember that life is worth living by making Peepballs. They are difficult to make (Peepballs, not the Norse) and require special equipment, which makes them a perfectly suited Zen exercise for the hardy human coming out of a winter funk. No need to sit in the sauna until you’re sweating like a Peep and then throwing yourself into the snow tempting cardiac arrest just to feel like you’re alive. Personally I think that people who do that (or run marathons) are insane — and don’t get me started on the crazies who jump into the North Sea in February for a little swim. I mean, c’mon! How is that fun? I prefer to keep my breath thank you. Making Swedish Peepballs provides a far more frustrating, yet safer alternative to curing the winter blues.

Excellent fare for toboggan races and quilting bees. Serve as you would a chocolate truffle or other delicacy.

Special equipment:

• Cake-pop pan
• Flavor injector (A syringe-type dealie for squirting stuff into hunks of meat. I got mine for about $1.50 at Target. This was a relief because I didn’t want to go to Sweden at this time of year.)

Ingredients:

• Jello®
• Water
• Peeps®

Recipe:

1. Make the Jello according to the recipe on the box for “quick set.” Leave the ice in for a bit longer than the recipe calls for so it’s thickened, but still a liquid.
2. Cut off the heads of your Peeps. I’m sad to say the whole Peep body won’t fit in the divots in the pan. You are free to use the French decapitation method shown in the picture my cousin sent me, but don’t apply the ketchup. You are also welcome to use the Medieval Peeps on a Pike recipe. Or be creative and come up with your own way to sever a Peep head. See why this recipe is so cheery to the Europeans?
3. Place the Peep heads in the compartments in the half of the cake-pop pan that does not have holes. Put on the top and lock down the cake-pop pan.
4. Fill your syringe with the thickened jello. Stick the “needle” in the hole and squirt in the jello. After you’ve filled each compartment, place in the fridge or freezer to solidify.
5. Unlock, open the pan, and gently lift your Swedish Peepballs from their nesting place.