#39 | candy salad

Another day, another TikTok salad recipe

You might be thinking to yourself, “Didn’t she just post another TikTok salad recipe?” and the answer is YES but this one is DIFFERENT because it is CANDY!!!

I found this “recipe” last summer & immediately made it for my Chicago to Kentucky roadtrip for my cousin’s wedding. It was an instant favorite among my entire family & it did not last through the drive home.

Since then, candy salad recipes have proliferated across the internet! (They could absolutely have been proliferating before then but I was unaware.)

The “trauma dump” candy salad riff is trending on TikTok right now and it’s equal parts delicious & horrifying as people take turns adding their candy of choice to the salad while sharing something terrible that happened to them.

Over the past 12+ months, I’ve made this salad a dozen or so times & have stuck pretty true to the original recipe due to its nearly perfect nature. You can watch the original video here or you can watch me awkwardly make it in my kitchen, your choice!

Here’s why I think this recipe works so well:

• it’s a balanced mix of sour, sugary, and gummy options

• there’s a wide variety of textures and flavors

• no “hero” ingredient — it’s totally fine if someone picks out their favorites to eat because there are lots of other great candy options (unlike trail mix where the m&ms are the best part while the raisins are terrible)

• you can easily sub ingredients in & out based on what’s available¹ or personal preferences for more or less sour ingredients

• Gushers add a certain je ne sais quoi to the mix with their gooey filling & you should double the amount you put in

My mother always likes to point out that HOW DARE THERE BE NO CHOCOLATE to which I say… that is a different recipe entirely that she is free to make but this one is for gummy candy lovers! I can’t stomach the idea of mixing the two but I won’t stop you if you must!

And if this sounds delicious to you but you’re overwhelmed at the thought of DIY, check out Sour Streak — they emerged from the quagmire of the Foxtrot Market demise & specialize in Swedish gummies. They’re currently only shipping to Illinois but plan to change that soon!²

1. My hottest tip is to source as much candy as possible from your local Dollar Tree. Mine typically has most items, although they seem to be undergoing a renaissance because last week they had EVERYTHING I needed & more!

2. If you’re outside of Illinois but simply MUST order some, message me & I’ll help ya out :)