Humidity doomed snack
If anyone lives South of Montgomery Alabama and can make this recipe work, I’ll give you a full beauty pageant curtsey and a rousing round of applause.
It’s late October, and temperatures here in Fairhope keep bopping around in the 80’s with humidity completely ruining my football season hair-do. It’s supposed to be time for sweaters, hot chocolate and bonfires, but the bonfire we had drove everyone inside to seek relief in the AC.
I saw this recipe for easy “Monster Munchies” and decided it was so cute, I had to make it to take on our vacation. I completely knew what I was up against, but thought if I cranked the air-conditioner down to a cool 70°, the candy would surely set hard and crunchy.
Ha. When will I learn not to poke the monster named Humidity?
First, I piled all the crunchy, salty, sweet and tangy things together in a big bowl, never minding that I can’t stand the waxiness of candy corn, but because my son loves it so much and wants me to find it on-the-cobb for him to eat with his meals, I decided to throw it in. I drew the line at the waxy-chalky pumpkins, but actually, they would have looked adorable.
I mixed the ingredients, and cooked the candy part to the hard candy stage. And it made a huge bowl of yummy treats . . . coated with sticky, gooey mess. It never got hard and crackly like it was supposed to do, but it tasted pretty good – in a sticky sort of way.
The silver lining to this oppressive fall heat is I can still wear shorts outside and not freeze to death. That’s a good thing, right?
Here’s how I’ll adapt it next time for humid climates . . . just combine all the goodies, sweet and salty, add cute holiday waxed corn and pumpkins, omit the popcorn that ends up being a soggy sponge, then add CRACKER JACKS that already have the crunchy caramel goodness on them that everyone loves. It isn’t really a recipe this way, just a pretty combination of snacks. And what’s wrong with that?
No need to pour goop all over it. Just eat it like it is. And like it.
Because after all, you know my (and your) main goal is to just find another cute thing to put in a cellophane bag, right? Stick a leaf shaped note on it, and the teacher/mailman/neighbor likes it just as much. Without the dripping, sticky, humid mess.
Here’s the original recipe for all of you who are bragging about being able to snuggle by the fire while wearing  your cute boots:
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, mix all your munchies together.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the honey, sugar, salt, peanut butter and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for five minutes. Remove from heat, and drizzle caramel over popcorn mixture. Stir to coat.
- Spread the popcorn mixture on two baking sheets covered in parchment.
- When cool, break apart and serve.
Simple.
*
Eerily familiar, I checked, and sure enough, I’ve had a big failure with other “simple” recipes as well. (HERE).
Sigh.
Oh, Little Bitty Pretty One! This is adorable and it’s okay if it gets a little sticky! Shoot, roll it up in a ball and you’ll have Halloween popcorn balls! 🙂 Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
Now why didn’t I think of that? I love popcorn balls and remember making them with my great-grandmother!
You are a clever one, indeed!
Yes to just putting all the goodies together in little cellophane bags and forgetting the sticky syrup! And YES to wearing shorts in October!!!!!!!!!!
Glad we can all agree on this important issue!
Yum! Adding Cracker Jacks is such a great idea…..and makes this recipe (I think it qualifies as a recipe) so quick and simple. The grand~darlings and I will have fun with this one. Thanks for sharing!
I enjoy your blog….it makes me laugh!
Tammy
Thanks Tammy. I think anything you assemble in the kitchen qualifies as a recipe. Ice in a glass, crackers on a plate . . . moon pie in the microwave!
Leslie Anne,
You may have seen this already, but if not, in the Search box on Pinterest type in “candy corn on the cob” and you can serve your son his vegetable for supper! They are so cute ….and hilarious!!!
Get out of here! So adorable. He’s going to flip out! Thanks so much!!!
My husband grew up in Savannah Ga and we laugh that he never had a crisp cracker until he moved to Atlanta!! I know what you are talking about. I just mix candy corn, peanuts and fall M&Ms together to put in my cute cellophane bags!! And you know southern girls like anything they can put in a cello bag and tie a ribbon on it as a happy for a sweet friend.
I love your line about the cracker! So true!
Yep, roll up in balls and there ya go. Looks yummy too! Thanks for popping over to visit me too. Made my day. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Thanks Cindy. It’s definitely popcorn ball material now!
You are I have so much in common. There is one difference I can think of tho. MOST of my cooking attempts turn out a sticky, gooey mess! But my hair looks cute and I found my Phillips-Head screwdrivers! (Little inside joke there!)
Now, I didn’t know you were also losing phillips-head screw drivers. It’s an epidemic! But your hair does look fabulous, if I say so myself!
It all sounds good to me: sticky, soggy,gooey, etc. If it is salty-sweet I will eat it. The bags are darling, so pretty, I know your friends will appreciate being remembered.
I didn’t give much of it away because it really was sticky, at least that’s my excuse for keeping so much of it for myself!
I’ve never tried a snack mix with peanut butter in it! Why that makes it a health food, right?
Bingo!