Circus peanuts are a bright orange candy shaped and textured to resemble a peanut but with the mouthfeel of a marshmallow. Contrary to expectation and logic, they are not peanut flavored.
Rather, when you open a bag of them, the first thing you’ll notice is the banana scent rising up to your nostrils — artificial banana to be precise.
Widely available in grocery stores, circus peanuts are wildly sweet with a texture akin to stale marshmallows.
But unlike marshmallows which have a nice chew to them, circus peanuts are not bouncy. They’re more spongy and chalky, with a bit of a crust on the outside.
So what would you do with a circus peanut? Make it into a “salad” of course!
Now when I say “salad” I’m obviously not talking about a bowl full of greens with freshly sliced tomatoes. I’m talking about those old-timey “salads” that take up space at a local church dinner or potluck.
Invariably made with gelatin, these salads are really just a side dish, often sweet, or some strange combination of savory and sweet.
I’m thinking of the classic mid-western Cookie Salad, made by whipping together buttermilk and instant vanilla pudding mix with Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, mandarin oranges and crushed Fudge Stripes cookies.
Or the Crisco Salad which is a kind of three layer Jell-O cake with a graham cracker crust and a layer of cherry Jell-O topped with Dream Whip.
So, similar to the Crisco Salad, this Circus Peanut Salad will be more cake than salad, definitely sweet and jiggly. The color is fun, and the addition of the circus peanuts on top will make this salad instantly recognizable.
I got my recipe from the Southern Living website which you can find here.
Circus Peanut Salad
Equipment
- greased 13" X 9" baking pan
- 2 large mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 44 circus peanuts 32 for the salad, 12 for the top
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 6 oz orange gelatin I used 2 – 3 oz packets
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 container whipped topping 8 oz
- 16 oz crushed pineapple I used 2 – 8 oz cans
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 32 roughly chopped Circus Peanuts and 1/4 cup of hot water. Microwave for one minute and stir until melted and smooth.
- Dissolve orange gelatin into 3/4 cup of boiling water and then pour into melted candy mixture, stirring until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine crushed pineapple with whipped topping. Fold until evenly distributed.
- Fold the whipped pineapple mixture into the melted candy mixture.
- Pour into a greased 13" X 9" baking dish. Chill until firm. (~ 4 hours)
- Top with 12 extra Circus Peanuts, one for each square if cut.
Reminds me of my childhood. Delicious.
i am becoming a MBE addict!
i cannot WAIT to show up at thanksgiving with the CRISCO SALAD?!
thanks for this mind-blowing space!
sincerely,
JS
My mom loved these things, I wonder what she would have thought of this.
Love and miss you madre.
Oh boy! I absolutely LOVE circus peanuts – always have. I would eat this whole thing! My mom used to make orange or lime jello with pineapple, shredded carrots and finely chopped celery. I actually loved it and still sometimes make it. But one time she got a recipe out of cookbook using lemon jello, celery, and chopped up shrimp. Yes, shrimp. It was a savory type and she would serve it on lettuce, with a dollop of either Mayo or sour cream – not sure because I never tried it. Normally I’ll try anything once, but….. (By the way, Mayo is actually good on jello – any flavor. Not a huge dollop, just a small spoonful. I do it all the time.)
Do you drain the pineapple?