One pretty elf worked overtime to bring Christmas to our school. Upon our return from the long Thanksgiving weekend, the kids and staff were greeted by inflated decorations, strings of rainbow lights, and a giant arch welcoming bundled youngsters into Santa’s Workshop. Every morning since, the children have gathered in the foyer before the bell rings to marvel at the enormous whirring snow globe and to giggle as a reindeer plays peek-a-boo with them out of a huge, gift-wrapped box. As they file into their classrooms, they pass her office window adorned with snowflake stickers and garland and baubles and her smiling face behind the glass.

She used to work right beside me and was a generous, patient mentor and friend. Earlier this year, she accepted a role of greater responsibility in the front office, one she had been aspiring to for some time, and has, of course, excelled. She cares deeply about the children under our roof and their educational experience. She believes that a child’s first introduction to the community should be fun and positive and should teach them more than academics. She takes pride in our school and sets a wonderful example of citizenship for all of us to emulate. She has been a part of this community all her life, raised her three children here, and takes pride in ownership of this town as we all should.

I caught her in a rare free moment and leaned over the counter for a chat the other day. We got on the subject of holiday cookies, and I asked her what her favorite was. She told me with a sweet smile that she loved peanut butter balls — specifically the ones made with rice crispies — so I made a batch for her. I’ll leave some on her desk with a few words of praise to remind her that her efforts are appreciated, and that she means so much to me and everyone who gets to hear her voice make the last call for bussers. These chewy peanut butter balls are dense, rich, and positively addictive… I can see why they’re her favorites. Thank you, Ms. Autumn, for being such an inspiration.

Ingredients:

½ stick unsalted butter

½ cup white chocolate chips

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups rice crispy cereal

About 1 ½ cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Sprinkles for decorating

Directions:

In a large saucepan combine the butter, white chocolate chips, peanut butter, and mini marshmallows.

Heat over low heat, stirring often, until everything has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Turn the heat off and allow to cool slightly before stirring in the vanilla extract.

Pour into a large mixing bowl.

Fold in the rice crispies and stir until well mixed.

Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes while you prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Use gloved hands to roll the mixture into balls. I got 30 balls from this batch.

Chill on the tray for 30 minutes until solid.

Over a double boiler, or just in the microwave, melt the milk or semi-sweet chocolate in a large bowl.

Take the hardened balls a few at a time and roll them in the melted chocolate until completely coated.

Add the sprinkles immediately after coating in chocolate to be sure they stick.

Chill until the chocolate hardens and store in the refrigerator for as long as they last.