In our house, we have this huge glass pumpkin jar. We get it out each October and fill it with a magical combination: candy corn and peanuts.

Which. Is. Awesome. Period.

This truly is a matter of the whole being greater than the parts: when candy corn meets peanuts (dry roasted for us), something magical happens and you are transported to a land of salty-sweet goodness from which you will not want to return.

This year, as I was filling our pumpkin, I occurred to me that this simple treat would be just the perfect thing to place in little bowls around the room at an autumn party. And then it further occurred to me that a baby shower would be just the perfect autumn party to host (really, with Big Dot’s Little Pumpkin theme, an autumn baby shower – in OCTOBER, no less – practically plans itself!)

And the beautiful thing about including this yummy mix in your shower menu (besides the fact that there is basically no prep time), is that it would also work wonderfully as party favors for your guests. While you’re stirring up a big batch of candy corn and peanuts, you could quickly package little scoops of the stuff in cellophane bags, tie them with a sweet ribbon, and adorn them with a personalized Little Pumpkin tag or sticker from Big Dot – beautiful, delicious, homemade favors in no time!

If you find yourself one of the lucky ones who have the honor of hosting an autumn baby shower, do yourself a favor and grab your to-do list and mark this sweet seasonal treat at the very top. You will never look back.

(If you’re feeling fancy, you can explore using those yummy gourmet candy corn flavors (caramel apple, chocolate, etc.) and pairing them with salted roasted almonds. Same salty/sweet concept, just gussied up a bit.)

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla blogger