Meet the Midwestern Fall Treat That Blends Candy Corn and Peanuts

Everyone knows candy corn is the best part of the Halloween season. OK, maybe not everyone (the treat is famously controversial), but in my opinion, it's the best part of the season. I wait all year for the orange and yellow treats to hit shelves so I can make what we midwesterners call "fall mix." (I've also heard it called autumn mix or harvest mix, but no matter what you call it, it's delicious.)

If you haven't heard of it, it's a trail mix of sorts made with candy corn and peanuts—and I'm here to tell you it's the best combination on the planet. The salty, crunchy peanuts are a great contrast to the soft, sugary candy corn pieces. And if you throw in a few chocolatey bites, I swear it tastes like heaven.

There's no real recipe for fall mix, per se. I make mine with a 1:1 ratio of candy corn ($12 for a 4lb bag, Amazon) to peanuts, but you can mix it up however you like. I dump one cup of candy corn in with one cup of roasted and salted peanuts ($2, Target) so that you get 3-4 peanuts per piece of candy corn in every handful. Honestly, as long as you've got candy corn in there somewhere, there's no wrong way to make the mix. If you're feeling really wild, my favorite way to make it is by adding in peanut butter M&Ms ($4, Target) or chocolate chips. The more sugar the better, right?

The most classic way to make fall mix is with traditional candy corn, but you can switch things up even more by using flavored candy corn as your base. There are dozens of flavors of candy corn, so there's something everyone will like, even if you don't typically eat it.

If you love fall mix as much as I do, or if I've convinced you to try it out this year (you're welcome), I have good news—candy corn is already starting to appear on store shelves! So grab a bag (or three), open a jar of peanuts, and start snacking.