Southern sweet pickle deviled eggs are a great choice for any occasion, whether you’re in need of a quick snack, a side dish, or perhaps an appetizer to start off a meal. The combination of mayonnaise, pickle juice, and dry mustard creates a tangy and savory flavor that is perfectly balanced with a touch of sweetness. And, the garnish of diced sweet pickle, paprika, and flaky sea salt adds just the right hint of flavorful salty sweetness to make these deviled eggs absolutely irresistible.
Recently, a friend and I had a discussion about why many food recipe bloggers might hesitate to participate in a National Cookbook Month event. Apparently, many of them don’t want to admit that they actually use cookbooks or other recipes to develop their own recipes. Y’all, I call BULL HOCKEY. Sure, there are many times you don’t need a previously published recipe to help you come up with your own, however, I would venture to say that at least 9 times out of 10, every food blogger researches other recipes before even beginning to cook or bake something. It’s a great way to help you figure out approximate baking or cooking times, inspire you to use unconventional ingredients, or just see how other cooks have approached the same recipe. Is it a bad thing to admit that you did some actual research? I don’t think so. As long as you’re not trying to pass someone else’s recipe off as your own.
This recipe is the perfect example. To celebrate National Cookbook Month, I’m sharing a recipe inspired by one of my favorite authors, Mary Kay Andrews, who just so happens to be a New York Times bestselling author. Her books often feature southern beach towns and her characters never fail to amuse. She’s also an author I was privileged enough to hear speak several years ago, and since then, I have followed her many adventures on social media. She is an avid antique collector, enjoys nothing better than an estate sale, and rents out several homes on Tybee Island that she has renovated and decorated herself through the years with her found treasures. So, obviously, when she came out with “The Beach House Cookbook” in 2017, you better believe I rushed straight online and ordered her cookbook right away.
Like most recipes in this cookbook, “Edna’s Deviled Eggs” recipe is a simple straightforward Southern recipe. It’s not fussy or over-complicated. Mary Kay Andrews is even quick to point out that, “The following recipe is just a suggestion.” It has simple ingredients that you would find in most Southern kitchens. The use of dry mustard in this recipe instead of prepared yellow mustard was what really struck me as different. Now, here’s where making a recipe your own comes into play. The only part of this recipe that I kept the same was the amount of celery seed used. Everything else I changed. Why? Not because the original recipe couldn’t stand on its own but because I know what I like and how to make something that suits my tastes best. Little changes, like adding more mayonnaise than pickle juice and then adding diced sweet pickles as garnish make a huge difference in both taste and texture. Adding a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top instead of adding salt to the filling gives a bright pop of saltiness that really shines.
Long story short, never be afraid to admit that you look at other recipes to help develop your own, never be ashamed of doing your research when it comes to developing your own recipe, and never be afraid to make a recipe that inspires you uniquely your own by switching things up. When it comes to finding a cookbook that won’t just take up space on your bookshelf, look for one that has recipes you would actually want to eat. If more than eighty percent of the recipes look delicious to you, chances are that it’s a cookbook that you will actually find yourself using frequently. I, personally, really have to force myself to stick to this rule, otherwise, I find myself with a crowded bookshelf whose cookbooks I rarely look at. Also, don’t be afraid to make a recipe your own. If you don’t like any ingredient, leave it out. If you think adding another ingredient will make the recipe more to your liking, go for it. What have you got to lose?
Ingredients:
- 6 Extra-Large Hard-Boiled Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Sweet Pickle Juice
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon Celery Seed
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 2 to 4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- Paprika
- 2 to 4 Sweet Pickles or Sweet Gherkins, Finely Diced
- Fleur de Sel or Flaky Sea Salt
Directions:
- Halve the deviled eggs lengthwise, placing the yolks into a small bowl.
- Mash the egg yolks with the tines of a fork.
- Add the pickle juice, dry mustard, celery seed, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Stir well to combine. Add more mayo as needed until you get the perfect desired deviled egg consistency.
- Spoon the filling into each egg well, or fill a resealable bag with the filling, snip off the end, and then pipe the mixture into the well of each egg.
- Garnish each deviled egg with a sprinkle of paprika, some of the finely diced sweet pickle, and a tiny bit of flaky sea salt.
Suggestions:
- CLICK HERE to see the best way to hard-boil eggs.
- I always use extra-large eggs when making deviled eggs. If you are using smaller eggs, you may need to adjust the amount of mayonnaise used in this recipe, to prevent the filling from turning runny. Start with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and then keep adding a tablespoon at a time as needed to create a creamy egg filling. This will help you to reach the perfect deviled egg consistency.
- If your filling does become too runny, try adding extra hard-boiled egg yolks. It’s never a bad idea to boil a few extra eggs when you’re making deviled eggs. If you mess up one or two eggs while peeling them, you’ll have a couple to use as replacements. And, if you’re filling is too runny, you can use the extra yolks to solve that dilemma.
- For this recipe, I used Mt. Olive Petite Snack Crunchers Sweet Petite pickles and their juice. Sweet Petite pickles are a little smaller than average Sweet Gherkins. You may need more or less diced sweet pickles for this recipe depending on their size. When it comes to sweet pickles, Mt. Olive is definitely my preferred brand because they are never mushy and have the perfect amount of sweetness.
Improvements:
- Replace the sweet pickle juice and sweet pickles in this recipe with dill pickle juice and dill pickles.
- If you don’t have celery seed, you can add a little bit of very finely diced celery to the egg filling.
- Add a 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder to the egg filling.
- CLICK HERE to see our many other mouth-watering deviled egg recipes.
Ingredients:
- 6 Extra-Large Hard-Boiled Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Sweet Pickle Juice
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon Celery Seed
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 2 to 4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- Paprika
- 2 to 4 Sweet Pickles or Sweet Gherkins, Finely Diced
- Fleur de Sel or Flaky Sea Salt
Directions:
- Halve the deviled eggs lengthwise, placing the yolks into a small bowl.
- Mash the egg yolks with the tines of a fork.
- Add the pickle juice, dry mustard, celery seed, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Stir well to combine. Add more mayo as needed until you get the perfect desired deviled egg consistency.
- Spoon the filling into each egg well, or fill a resealable bag with the filling, snip off the end, and then pipe the mixture into the well of each egg.
- Garnish each deviled egg with a sprinkle of paprika, some of the finely diced sweet pickle, and a tiny bit of flaky sea salt.
PIN THIS RECIPE
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Make sure to check out all of the other great #NationalCookbookMonth recipes below. A huge thanks to Jolene’s Recipe Journal for hosting this National Cookbook Month event.
- Pig Skin Potatoes by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
- Southern Sweet Pickle Deviled Eggs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Maple Squash Gems by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Sourdough Poppyseed Rolls by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Pumpkin Sweet Batter Bread by Our Good Life
- Ruby Negroni by Palatable Pastime
- Rice Pilaf (Rice, Milanaise Style) by That Recipe
