Sugared Bay Leaves

**By Chadwick Boyd for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution**
Photo by brooke slezak

Fresh Bay Leaves Add Festive Decoration to Holiday Sweets

These decorative bay leaves add sparkle and elegance to holiday desserts. Three ingredients, a wire rack and pastry brush are the only items needed to make them. With prep and active time combined, they are finished in 10 minutes. After an hour, they can be used for all kinds of holiday garnishes. Store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

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Chadwick’s Checklist

What you need to know before you cook.

Use a standard size wire rack
Wax paper or parchment paper keep the work surface clean
A room temperature egg works best

Serving Size: 8-10 bay leaves

Prep Time: 5 to 10 mins

Curing Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

8-10 fresh bay leaves
1 egg white
⅓ cup granulated sugar

INSTRUCtions

Place a wire rack on top of parchment paper and set the bay leaves facing up on the rack.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bay leaves with the egg white.
Sprinkle the sugar on top of the bay leaves until they are completely coated. Let dry for 1 hour.
Carefully shake off excess sugar.
Decorate the cheesecake or other desserts as desired.

Chadwick’s Changeups

Switch things up. Have some fun! Do more.

Larger granule sparkling sugar adds more dimension
Juniper berries on their branches are fun to mix in with the bay leaves
Clean holly leaves sans berries (the berries are poisonous) make beautiful decoration, too

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