National Peanut Cluster Day

National Peanut Cluster Day is on March 8th in the United States.

The traditional peanut cluster is simply a cluster of peanuts that have been covered in chocolate.

This makes them a comparatively easy treat to make at home, as all you need are some peanuts and some melted chocolate. Simply melt the chocolate, dip the shelled peanuts into the chocolate, then put them in piles - "clusters" on a suitable non-stick surface to harden, rather than individually. Individual small cake papers, such as for fairy cakes, are suitable for this. Alternatively, you could fill one of these cake liners with peanuts, and pour the chocolate over them.

Whilst this is the simplest type of peanut cluster, other ingredients could also be added, such as raisins. There are a number of different commercial varieties of peanut cluster available too.

National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day

February 25th is National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day in the United States.

Yet another day featuring chocolate, and another food that's been covered in chocolate. This time its peanuts.

Peanuts, despite the name, aren't a type of nut but are instead a type of legume (a bean). There are a variety of different candies that could qualify as chocolate covered peanuts. There are candy bars, such as the Snickers, which have peanuts in them, and are chocolate.

There are individual chocolate covered peanuts, rather than clusters - M&M's are possibly the most well known branded type, but you can just have ones similar to chocolate covered raisins, without the colourful candy shell of M&M's.

You can also have chocolate covered peanut clusters. These are similar to the individual chocolate covered peanuts, but each is made from a cluster of several peanuts that have been covered in chocolate, not just one.