My Favorite Dessert:
Mrs. Sherer's Black-eye Susans Cookie Recipe
This post might be a tad controversial because I am telling you my number one favorite dessert—and it is not made by my mother. She is known for her pound cake, red velvet cake, rum cake, and sweet-potato pies. But my favorite dessert was made by my former mother-in-law, Sara Sherer: Black-Eyed Susans.
She knew how much I loved them. So much so that even after the divorce, she sent me a batch every Christmas. She died two years ago. It was a severe loss for us all—especially for her children and her grandchildren.
She was a wonderful homemaker and a true Southern cook. I often describe her as the white version of my mother when it came to both of those roles. Women of a certain generation who upheld family in structured but deeply nurturing ways. When you were in their homes, you felt cared for—fed in more than just the physical sense.
She taught me most of what I know about making desserts. I am not a cake baker—that was my mother’s realm and Mrs. Sherer’s too—but I love replicating her other desserts such as Haystacks, Chocolate Oreo Freeze, Orange Muffins, and NY-Style Cheesecake.
Still, my very favorite was her Black-Eyed Susan: a savory-sweet morsel—a date filled with a pecan, wrapped in a cheese cracker, dusted with sugar. Last Christmas, I attempted to make the recipe. I did not get it perfect, but I came close. I will be working on it again this year.
Sara Sherer’s Black-Eyed Susans
This is my former mother-in-law’s recipe that she made every Christmas.
Yields: Approximately 6 dozen
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10–15 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 lb (about 4 cups shredded) sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature and grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 lbs pitted dates
1 lb pecan halves
Instructions
Cream: Mix the softened butter/margarine and the grated cheese together until well combined and soft.
Combine: In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add this dry mixture to the cheese mixture, blending until a stiff dough forms.
Assemble: Put dough in a cookie press. Place a pecan-stuffed date in the center. Wrap the dough around the date, sealing the edges completely.
Dust: Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Bake: Arrange the cookies on a prepared baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for 10–15 minutes, or until the dough is lightly browned.
Cool: Let cool completely before storing.
I am waxing nostalgic during this season. One way I manage grief is by making the foods of the people who fed me so generously. I have not perfected the Black-Eyed Susan recipe, but I will be trying again over the Christmas holidays.
I have also found a shortcut—a deconstructed version—by buying all the ingredients such as cheese straws, dates, and pecans. I stack them and eat them in one bite. It is almost as good, but not as good as Mrs. Sherer’s.
It is by far my favorite dessert, and I think my mother will forgive me as she makes so many of my favorite foods. I believe she’ll look the other way at this one transgression. After all, they became a favorite of hers too because I shared them with her every year.
What is your favorite dessert? Please share
.