Gobbler Goodies

Late January in Tulsa. The cold snap is in. Three nights this week the apartment thermostat dropped to sixty-four overnight despite the heaters running on full and I made the executive decision Tuesday morning to put Brayden in his fleece footie pajamas plus a fleece blanket plus a wool cap for sleep. He slept through all three cold nights without waking. He is sixteen weeks old and is a more resilient creature than I had expected him to be at this age.

Gobbler Goodies is the family name for Carol Bryant’s hot turkey panini — sliced deli turkey, sliced provolone, cranberry sauce, stuffing-style bread crumbs, and a thin spread of mayonnaise on sourdough, all pressed in a panini grill until the cheese melts and the bread browns. Carol developed the sandwich during the years when Dustin’s grandfather was on a soft-foods diet and she needed to make Thanksgiving leftovers palatable for him. The sandwich migrated from Thanksgiving-leftover use to general-purpose lunch use.

I had bought a half-pound of deli turkey at the Reasor’s on Wednesday and Carol’s recipe was the one I had been wanting to try since the Memphis visit. Sunday I made it. Dustin had two sandwiches for dinner standing at the kitchen counter the way he ate the frozen cherry salad three weeks ago. The Bryant-family-recipe rotation is becoming its own small tradition in our apartment.

The technique is in the assembly. The cranberry sauce goes on the inside-bottom slice of sourdough so it does not soak through the top crust. The mayo goes on the inside-top so it acts as a moisture barrier between the cheese and the top crust. The provolone goes both above and below the turkey so the cheese pulls the sandwich together when it melts. The breadcrumbs go in a thin layer on top of the turkey for a textural-grit element that elevates the sandwich above ordinary panini.

Gobbler Goodies

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 24 treats

Ingredients

• 24 Oreo cookies (regular, not Double Stuf)
• 24 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped
• 1 bag candy corn (you’ll need about 120 pieces, 5 per turkey)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate melting wafers
• 48 small candy eyes (or use chocolate chip “eyes” with a dab of frosting)
• 24 small orange or yellow candy-coated sunflower seeds or Sixlets (for beaks)
• 24 small red hots or red heart sprinkles (for wattles)
• 1 tube white decorating icing (optional, for detail work)

Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate. Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly but keep it fluid.
2. Make the tail feathers. For each Oreo, arrange 5 candy corns in a fan shape on one side of the cookie, pointed ends facing inward, pressing the wide ends gently into a small dab of melted chocolate to secure. Let set for 2–3 minutes.
3. Attach the Reese’s cup body. Use a generous dab of melted chocolate to adhere one mini Reese’s peanut butter cup (flat side down) to the center of the Oreo, in front of the candy corn fan. Press gently and hold for a few seconds until it holds.
4. Add the face details. Using melted chocolate or a small dot of white icing as “glue,” press two candy eyes onto the front of each Reese’s cup near the top. Add one orange or yellow candy for the beak, and one red hot or red sprinkle just below the beak for the wattle.
5. Set and serve. Place finished gobblers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them set at room temperature for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 5–10 minutes to firm up the chocolate. Arrange on a platter and watch them disappear before the pie does.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 145 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 75mg