Sometimes it takes just a few simple ingredients to win my heart. That’s what fellow Southerner Ben Mims recently did.
And he did it with candy.
The truth is that I’m generally not the sort of person who makes candy at home. It can be a bit fussy and time-consuming, and I don’t find the process nearly as satisfying as landing a slab of something meaty over an open fire.
But I’m still a sucker for a good sweet, and as I paged through Mims’ recent cookbook, “Sweet and Southern: Traditional Southern Desserts,” I was smitten with one of his simplest recipes.
It was his Aunt Barbara Jane’s pretzel-peanut chocolate candies. Crunchy, salty and sweet, these chocolates are similar to bark, but easier. You simply mix everything together, then spoon it onto waxed paper to set up.