In two days it will be President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, which makes him part of the 0.03% of U.S. citizens who reach centenarian status. My connection to the Carter Family goes beyond visiting his hometown of Plains, Georgia this past year. Over 40 years ago, Mom, Pop and I lived on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. President Carter and his family were on a two-week long vacay after he lost the 1981 Presidential election to Ronald Reagan. Carter reported to The Daily News reporters on nearby St. Thomas that it was his first vacation in more than 20 years. (Reporters back then asked him about the Iran hostage situation. Not much has changed since the media is still asking the current Biden administration about terrorist groups in Iran today.) The Carters, including First Lady Rosalynn, daughter Amy, and son Chip, spent two weeks on St. John in a “rustic” cabin owned by the U.S. Park Service near Little Cinnamon Bay. The Carters were “off-the-grid” according to 1980’s standards…no television and radios, but surrounded with Secret Service agents wearing radios. Coincidentally, their accommodations sat adjacent to Rockefeller’s 170-acre Caneel Bay Plantation resort where elite guests paid $255/night. (FYI…In today’s 2024 dollars, that’s $906/ night.)
During the visit, Mom and Pop spent some time with the Carters. President Carter wanted to go fishing, so Pop offered to take him out on a John boat on Leinster Bay. Secret Service agents objected loudly, but Carter didn’t listen. Pop loaded President Carter and one of his agents on the boat and away they went. The water was slightly choppy, and Pop remembers the agent turning green pretty quick. The President, who was an avid fisherman in his day, however, thought it was great. Mom, Sammie Pachta (the U.S. Virgin Islands Park Superintendent’s wife), and I ate lunch with Mrs. Carter and daughter Amy at Caneel Bay. Over sandwiches and small talk, Rosalynn candidly told Mom and Sammie how brutal the press could be to them. The photo below was taken after the fishing trip. Mom recalls that President Carter offered to hold me, but I wasn’t having any part of it, so Noel Pachta (Superintendent) took me. Both Mom and Pop remember the Carters are being warm, down-to-earth people
Fast forward around 40 years to Spring Break 2024. The Hubby, Son B and I wound our way southwest on Georgia backroads to Carter’s hometown of Plains. Population 557 in 2022. President Carter was born here on October 1, 1924. His family farmed the area since the Civil War, raising cotton and most notably peanuts. The town’s bustling business district centers on all things Jimmy Carter. The Plains Peanuts and General Store specializes in peanut delights, especially a delightful soft-serve goober ice cream. Over-the-top fiberglass peanuts jump out along the main thoroughfare and scream out for a selfie with, as well as Carter’s brother Billy’s service station and his ill-fated Billy beer line. A butterfly trail also runs throughout the collective area to honor Mrs. Carter.
The first stop, after getting brittle and ice cream, is Plains High School. Closed in 1979, PHS is now home to the Visitor Center. In its halls, you can imagine walking from class to class, or watching a drama club production in the school’s auditorium like a teenage Jimmy and Rosalynn did back in 1941. (FYI…PHS only went through the 11th grade.)
Throughout the museum, President Carter’s life is chronicled and prominently displayed. Carter’s own artwork is on display, as well as commemorative hammers from Habitat for Humanity work projects, a replica Presidential desk to pose at, peanut shellers and family seed sacks, and a treasured sculpture titled “The Last Supper” given by Palestinian President Yassir Arafat to President Carter in 1997. Carter’s 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing human rights and democracy is prominently on display. The 2018 Grammy Award for a “Best Spoken Word” album for “Faith–A Journey for All” can also be seen. Carter’s lifetime achievements were clearly varied.
One PHS room to not miss is Principal Y.T. Sheffield and Julia Coleman’s office. Both were influential to the President and First Lady for their interests in art and literature, as well as discipline. The paddle was used by Sheffield when students, mainly boys, were in serious trouble. After 5 to 7 licks, the boys signed the paddle as a badge of honor. To avoid a trip to the office, Carter wrote: “when we were finally exhausted and stopped pummeling each other, the first thing we agreed was that we could clean up and do everything possible so that Mr. Sheffield wouldn’t know about the incident.”
On the way out, the Carter Family encouraged visitors to take remembrance cards with the National Historical Park brochure. At the time of our visit, only 4 months had passed since the First Lady’s death in November 2023.
Near Plains High School stands a 13-foot tall goober featuring a toothy grin…The Smiling Peanut. The Indiana Democratic Party commissioned “The Smiling Peanut” to promote Carter’s 1976 Presidential campaign across the Hoosier state. We couldn’t resist posing one of our favorite smiling goobers next to it!
Before leaving Plains city limits, the Plains Depot is an interesting stopping point. The Plains Express offers round-trip seats on vintage 1949 train cars from nearby Americus to Plains and back. Obviously, all-things Jimmy Carter are offered on their Presidential Flyer route. But the depot is worth stopping at for its working class platform (pun intended!).
Prior to his Presidential run in 1976, Carter served as a Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1966. He ran for Georgia governor in 1966, loosing to Lestor Maddox. But in 1971, he was elected as Governor. During his 1976 Presidential campaign, the Plains Depot became Carter’s Presidential campaign headquarters. Carter’s election platform was a grassroots effort and focused on his humble, hard-working background. Rocking chairs like his mother’s featured in the Visitor Center today sat on the porch decks of the Depot. Local citizens volunteered their time during the campaign, passing out buttons featuring all things peanut again. But the real reason, the Depot was chosen? It was the only available community building to house such an endeavor with a restroom at that time. (FYI…The restroom isn’t in service any more.)
President and First Lady Carter officially have never left Plains. Since 1961, the ranch house at 209 Woodland Drive has been the first and only home they have owned. The home is off-limits to visitors. A Secret Service guard shack eagerly greets anyone trying to say hello. First Lady Carter is buried on the property, as will be President Carter.
The last stop in the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park is Carter’s Boyhood Home site. Jimmy moved here in 1928 with his parents and younger sisters Gloria and Ruth. The house was a “kit home” from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. The original 360 acres of land is where Earl Carter raised cotton, corn, and later peanuts. Peanuts helped improve the soil, so Earl realized this would have greater economic and environmental benefits. The family was self-sufficient, with the majority of their food being grown or raised on the property. The yard around the house was full of white sand. The children’s chores included sweeping this sand to help deter bugs and snakes from the house. When the Carter family finally had an indoor bathroom put in, it was a big deal despite the cold shower water drawn from the nearby windmill. Note the hanging bucket with nail holes in its bottom that served as a shower head for the family.
When Jimmy was about 8 years old, these pecan trees were planted by Earl Carter. Lillian Carter collected the nuts to sell at nearby Americus to earn extra income for the family.
It seems fitting to celebrate President Carter’s 100th birthday with a fairly simple, yet celebrated, peanut-based goodie. Nabisco’s Nutter Butter cookies are one of my favorites, and I couldn’t resist reincarnating them in the kitchen. Todd Wilbur of Top Secret Recipes first concocted this knock-off, but I adapted it to work in my kitchen. And because it’s October, the start of all things spooky and Halloweeney, I figured I’d startle things up by mummifying a Nutty Butter Cookie!
The recipe for Nutty Butter Cookies is straightforward. But make sure you grind the old-fashioned oats into a flour-like powder. This ensures the taste and texture of the original Nutter Butter cookie. A blender makes this happen.
A #60 small cookie scoop is ideal for both portioning out the cookie dough and filling the sandwiches. Be sure to use a fork to flatten and create crosshatches on the dough. To be true to the original Nutter Butter, this filling recipe is quite thick. It won’t spread like cake icing, but is best scooped and spread out onto a baked cookie with an off-set spatula and pressed down with another cookie.
Mummifying Nutty Butter Cookies, or Nutter Butters, is optional. Simply put 3/4 to 1 cup of white chocolate into a gallon-size, zip-top bag. Microwave for 1 minute and squeeze bag to combine. If needed, you can nuke the bag for another 30 seconds to ensure liquefaction. Candy eyes are readily found in most major grocery or craft stores in the cake/candy decorating aisles. I used the melted white chocolate to both glue the eyes in place, and then enrobe the cookies in chocolate mummy wrapping.
Hmm…the original Nutter Butter kinda looks like original The Smiling Peanut. Go forth and do good!
PrintNutty Butter Cookies
Grab a glass of milk! Two crispy peanut-buttery cookies sandwiched between a smooth nutty filling are perfect for dunking. Reminiscent of a popular Nabisco cookie, these knock-offs are easily made from pantry staples. If you’re feeling festive for the spooky season, use candy eyes and melted white chocolate to mummify your Nutty Butters.
- Prep Time: 15-20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15-19 Miniutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 24 Sandwich Cookies 1x
Ingredients
Cookies:
1 c. vegetable shortening
1–1/3 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt (table, kosher or sea)
6 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 c. old-fashioned oat, blended into a fine powder
2 c. all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1–1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. finely ground graham crackers crumbs
4–5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.
Using a standing or hand-held mixer, cream shortening and sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs, salt, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add finely ground oats and flour to egg mixture. Stir until evenly combined. Using a 1-inch cookie scooper, portion dough onto the prepared cookie sheets about 1-1/2 inches apart. Use a fork to press cookie dough down into about 2-inch disks with a crosshatch pattern.* Bake cookies for 15-19 minutes or until edges of the cookies are light brown. Remove from oven to wire racks to cool.
While cookies bake, make filling by combining peanut butter, powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, milk and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. Mix until smooth. Filling will be thick. Use the same 1-inch cookie scoop to portion filling onto one side of a cookie and spread with a knife or off-set spatula. Press second cookie onto filling and set aside. Repeat until all cookies are filled.**
Notes
*If you want a traditional peanut shape, form dough using your fingers and press down.
**To make mummy themed cookies, melt about 3/4 to 1 cup white melting chocolate in a gallon-sized zip-top bag in the microwave for 1 minute. Smoosh chocolate and melt for another 30 seconds (if necessary). Cut a small corner off a corner of the bag. Use a dab of melted white chocolate to fix two (or more) candy eyes onto each sandwich cookie. Then drizzle remaining white chocolate over the cookies to look like mummy wrapping. Candy eyes are found in most major grocery and decorating stores in the cake/candy aisles.
IMNPB
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