RECIPES

Taste: Get the taste of the fair all year long

Katherine Grandstrand
Local columnist
With a few simple ingredients and very little mess, it's really easy to create an air-fried version of one of the best fair foods.

Next week is the Brown County Fair, and everyone’s favorite part of the fair is the food. Sure, the rides are a blast and some of the best musical acts play the Larry Gerlach Grandstand, but there’s something special about fair food.

While only a handful of artists get to take the stage and not everyone likes being jerked about on rides, everyone can find something delicious at the fair. From ethnic cuisines that aren’t represented in town year-round to deep-fried delicacies, fair food is both exotic and nostalgic.

There are several reasons to want to make traditional fair foods at home. Maybe parking is a pain or after a corn dog and a lemonade, there’s just no room for sweets.

But a common fair dessert — deep fried candy bars and cookies — can be mimicked at home with the help of a handy dandy air fried and a can of crescent roll dough.

Katherine Grandstrand, Taste columnist

As much as I love making things from scratch, I also love a quick and easy recipe, especially one that brings back delightful memories of fun times at the fair.

Using crescent dough doesn’t quite taste the same as the batter used on deep-fried candy bars, but it’s definitely worth the compromise for these desserts. In the time it takes to stand in line for a deep fried candy bar on a busy day at the fair, the air-fryer version can be prepped, cooked and devoured.

Use the regular sized crescent dough and fun sized candy bars. (This is a really great use of leftover Halloween candy).

Make sure to leave enough space between the wrapped candy bars and work in batches if the air fryer basket isn’t big enough to allow space. I had to do two batches of four.

Finish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and eat while they’re hot. The candy or cookies will be melty and the dough will puff up nicely.

This can be a really fun dessert to beat the lines at the fair, or a reminder of warmer days in the middle of winter.

Next week provides the perfect opportunity to have a near back-to-back taste test of the home version. Which version is the best? What’s the best candy to fry? Do different candies air fry or deep fry better?

There are so many questions to be answered, and the only way that can happen is to try both versions. Happy fair week!

Air fried candy bars or cookies

Ingredients

  • 8 fun-sized candy bars or sandwich cookies.
  • 1 can of regular-sized crescent roll dough.
  • Cooking spray (optional).
  • Powdered sugar.

Instructions

  • Open candy bars, set aside. Open can of crescent roll dough, separate using perforations.
  • Wrap the candy bars or cookies with crescent roll dough, making sure to pinch any seems shut.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 320 degrees. Coat basket of the air fryer with cooking spray if necessary.
  • Cook wrapped candy bars and cookies for five to six minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from the air fryer and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  • Let them cool slightly, but eat while they’re still hot.
  • Recipe adapted from Taste of Home (https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/air-fryer-oreos/).