Candy Bar Salad Might Sound Wild, But Midwesterners Swear By It

Salads are often perceived as nutritious dishes of fresh vegetables, mixed greens, lean proteins, and vinaigrette. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines salad as "small pieces of food (such as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables) usually mixed with a dressing (such as mayonnaise) or set in gelatin," meaning that candy salad is absolutely legitimate. While not all sweetened Midwest salads include actual candy bars, among the most famous recipes is one called Snickers salad, which is a delightful mix of chopped pieces of the eponymous candy bar, diced Granny Smith apples, instant vanilla pudding, and non-dairy whipped topping. All of this together gives the feel of a caramel apple without the struggle of eating one on a stick.

Many Midwestern salads take inspiration from tried and true dessert flavors, such as strawberry pretzel salad and classic Watergate salad, both of which are excellent ways to use up leftover Cool Whip. Predating the TikTok trend by generations, the candy bar salad can be traced back to Minnesota and its large population of immigrants hailing from the Scandinavian region of Europe. Though it goes by different names depending on the area, a Norwegian comfort food called "Rømmegrøt" and adjacent variations are thought to have inspired Midwestern dessert salads. The creamy pudding dish is a celebratory food consumed all year long, and those new to America found ways of adapting the traditional recipe to include more readily available ingredients.

With items like Cool Whip and canned fruit cocktail within reach at the local grocery store, these celebratory salads have gotten sweeter, and their popularity has spread across the Midwest and beyond, becoming a staple of church potlucks, picnics, and more. Candy salads are often set out alongside savory dishes, seen not as a dessert, per se, but rather a dish akin to an entree. Though today's social media-worthy candy salads take on a more literal meaning as far as dumping different candies into a large bowl and mixing it all together, you can still take inspiration from Midwestern candy salad dishes to make your own version.

Starting with a base of non-dairy whipped topping, gelatin or pudding, and marshmallow fluff, you can combine canned fruits, chopped up candy pieces, and crunchy ingredients to find your favorite mix. For a protein-packed twist on tradition, try an orange fluff salad recipe, which includes a tub of cottage cheese mixed with mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, whipped topping, and orange gelatin. An old-fashioned ambrosia salad recipe leaves out the candy bars altogether in favor of canned mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple mixed with sour cream, marshmallows, shredded coconut, and maraschino cherries. It's also worth noting that any of these epically sweet dishes are best when shared among larger groups.