Happy April Fools Day for tomorrow Dear Readers! I know, I had you worried there for a moment didn’t I? And if I am to be honest with myself, I need to admit that a reader might find any sort of strange concoction when they visit here but most especially on April Fools Day.
I realise that I have an odd sense of humour and one that tends towards the strange and dark but when I first saw these they tickled my toes so hard that I couldn’t stop giggling. Yes I am also sadly the person that laughs at inopportune times. You know when you’re having a gravely serious discussion but your mind wanders off and before you know it you’ve made some strange connection in your head and you giggle or smile. But as it’s a serious or business-like discussion people look at you as though you’re entirely inappropriate. That’s me.
A couple of months ago I was travelling with a bunch of journalists in a rural area of Australia. They were all lovely and one was a particularly strong maternal type who missed her children. We drove past a country style church that had all sorts of bric a brac and household goods for sale out the front. She pointed out a pram and smiled and said what a gorgeous item it was. I too was excited and I sat up. You see I really love vintage prams.
“I wish we could stop for it!” I said wistfully, the pram now disappearing in the rear view mirror rapidly.
Surprised at my uncharacteristic maternal utterance she turned and looked at me “You want a pram?”
“Ooh yes! I really want a vintage one to put a wolf baby creature in for Halloween!!” I exclaimed excitedly clapping my hands.
There was silence in the van and mouths were agape not quite knowing what to say.
“Oops inside thoughts…” I thought to myself.
Anyway these candies I hope won’t leave people as speechless or label me crazy. In fact they’re not made of potato at all but cream cheese, pecans and icing sugar blended up and beaten together. They’re then rolled in cinnamon powder and studded with tiny pecan pieces to resemble potato “eyes”. I ask you with these ingredients, how could they go wrong? They are ridiculously easy to make and whilst very sweet are absolutely delicious with the toasted nuts and cinnamon. And I promise you, there’s no potato flavour to speak of, just looks! I saw these on Sue’s adorable site for St Patrick’s Day where they were called “Irish Potatoes” and she got them from Martha Stewart. Tomorrow I’ll pack Mr NQN off to work with this brown paper bag of “potato candy”. I wonder what sort of reception he will get? I dare you to take these into work tomorrow! 
So tell me Dear Reader, do you think you have a strange sense of humour?
Potato Candy
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes about 20 x 1 inch “potatoes”
- 30g /1oz room temperature softened butter
- 60g/2 ozs cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- 90g pecans, toasted (or walnuts)
- 250grams/half a pound of icing or confectioners sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for rolling
1. Beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract and salt with a paddle attachment until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.
Blitzed nuts
2. In a food processor blitz the icing sugar until you get rid of all of the lumps. Add this to the cream cheese mixture. Take out one pecan from the nuts and blitz the remaining nuts and add this too and then mix together until combined. Refrigerate for about 1 hour until firm. While it is in the fridge you can chop up the remaining pecan as this will make your potato “eyes”.
Chop up a pecan finely to make the “eyes”
The nutty mixture once beaten together and refrigerated
3. Remove from fridge and sprinkle the cinnamon powder onto a shallow plate or bowl. Take about a teaspoon of the mixture and roll it in your hands to make a rough potato shape and then roll it in the cinnamon and then place a couple of “eyes” on the potato. These need to be refrigerated and are best when chilled as they keep their shape then.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
83 Comments | Add your own
Those are amazing! They remind me of the marzipan potatoes I used to eat as a child…
cheers,
Rosa
What a hilarious story!!!
I can just see her face now when you told her why you wanted the pram!!
I also love that you have a mantra for not making that mistake. “Inside thoughts” I should try using this in the future
Thank you for posting this today because I will be using it on the kids lunch boxes tomorrow!!! I can’t wait to see there faces.
I WILL post a pic. You are the best!!!
They look exactly like tiny potatoes!!Ingenious!
Haha I love them, there great!
Haha, love them!
LOL – what a fab post! The potatoes are very convincing. Don’t worry, I have a sense of humour that is not shared by all as well. Sometimes I laugh at things that I think are hilarious, and suddenly feel the cold silence all around me …
I am so sad to find there is absolutely no trace of my fave vegetable in this! =( They do look ever so adorable though, and would definately fool anyone into thinking they are little mini potatoes!
Yum! At first I thought these must have been made with marzipan but this mix looks delicious.
I remember as a kid I used to buy a type of candy like this…!
Bwahahah I LOL’d at the wolf-baby story. That’s exactly the kind of thing I would do.
And the potato candies look so cool.
thats pretty wierd but they do look like potatoes
haha. Yes well I could imagine the reaction of your co-travellers but I wouldn’t batter an eyelid, you know I’d just laugh!!
Maybe I should serve these up to the frills? lol
Potato candy;D
In Finland we have a potato shaped pastry,with the same name,that is really yummy,,,
I do have a strange sense of humor. I find the strangest things funny and get those looks..you know the ones..
I have a friend who has an even stranger sense of humor. I like hanging out with her because when we do, I become the normal one…
Hah! She’s so getting some of these potato candies on Friday!
xxoo,
RMW
What a great idea! You had me fooled at the beginning
Oh wow they look good. Cinnamon is my all time favourite flavour!
I do that too unfortunately. My mind wanders on random tangents and I think of something funny at very very inappropriate times. I happens a lot when someone is telling me something very serious, I think it’s my brains way of lightening the situation.
Evil Genius! lol. Those are adorable, I wonder if I could get away with rolling them in powdered chocolate instead of cinnamon (My boys won’t touch cinnamon
). I wanna make these so bad!!
(And Hurray for inside thoughts
. I have wry, tickle your belly kind of a sense of humor)
How cheeky are these!
It reminded me of once playing a trick on my nanna where I put salt on a gummi bear and told her it was sugar.
What a horrible thing to do – little brat I was.. no doubt I’ll get my pay back from grandkids of my own one day!
We used to make something like this as kids. They were called Spudz, and were made of coconut, condensed milk and icing sugar, and then rolled in Cocoa powder. I was recently at Adelaide central markets and found the spudz sold at the candy store there.
laughing randomly in lectures because suddenly i realise the lecturers vocal ticks sound like skippy draws a lot of attention.
i could explain it to them but then they would think i was more crazy:S
Love the story, love the candies!
Oh, THANK YOU, Lorraine – with my ‘busyness’ and not being too bright in the morning at the best of times, I would probably not have realized the date tomorrow morning. And I hate to think of the number of people who will think this funny! Instead I shall think of a few ways to ‘get’ people tonight and perhaps try and be busy in the am! Ha? Or not really? The pram story is hilarious!
Pretty awesome post! They look delicious and I do love cinnamon!
I fell for it…I love potatoes so much that I’d eat them all day if I could, but even I was skeptical about potato candy! These look great, I’ll have to think up some occasion to make them
They turned out perfectly, Lorraine! What a GREAT idea to use them for April Fool’s Day! Throughout my life I’ve always gotten “the giggles” at inappropriate times, which of course makes me want to laugh even more!?! I love your pram story:)
Thanks so much for the link-love!
I recommend subscribing to “the bloggess” – she’s the craziest Texan around who will absolutely make you feel so normal!
They sure are lovely!
And, Im with you, totally wacky sense of humour, I find myself hilariously funny, I can at times be very uncouth. Need to tone it down me thinks. 
Love your pram story!
lol! those are soo cute. they look so real! i think they would look good as a cake decoration.. but i can’t think of why you would want to decorate a cake with potatoes..? maybe a farmer’s cake? lol..
wow – how very unique!
I’m always keeping an eye out for vintage prams for you since you revealed to me you love them… those poor ladies on the bus – I bet they were trying to be polite, haha! I see you gave the Braun a go – it’s brilliant isn’t it?
I was so excited when I saw the post name! Then got a bit disappointed when I realised it had nothing to do with potato lol. The thought of potato candy actually sounds very appealing to me!
But these cute little spiced potato look a likes are very convincing!
You’ve got an amazing imagination!
“As strange as strange can be!”
(Am hoping he will lol)But great surprise, TRUE!
WHOO HOO!
“Strangely E-X-U-B-E-R-A-N-T is my personality!
LOVE (like these potato candy) to strangely surprise and delight!
My VERY “over active, creative imagination” sometimes even me does fright! lol
“Always expect the unexpected with me!”
Am sure Mr NQN will laugh hilariously!
NOW I might have to try this on people too!
I say things like that all the time, Lorraine. I do not have a good edit function when it comes to statements about children.
I love your potato candy and am saving this for my dearly beloved for next Paddy’s day when his clan gets together for the big drink holiday. They will be a sensation!
YES. Yes. I want these *and* the vintage pram. Rest assured, Lorraine, that when we meet up eventually, we’ll both be safely able to let all our “inside thoughts” roam free, knowing the other will understand
I also will be making these soon. lactose intolerance be damned!
I love the look of this variety of potato candy. I must try it – the kids would love it! However did you know thatthere in fact is a Potato candy. I was first introduced to it here – http://abbysweets.blogspot.com/2010/10/potato-candy-week-5.html
Aparently an old fashion American favourite!
oh dear – I don’t know what it says about me that I was chuckling at the wolf baby comment – who wouldn’t want a cute pram anyway!
cute potato candy – not at all what I expected – I thought it was mashed potato with icing sugar because isn’t this what some people use to make coconut ice!!!
I wish I was home tonight to make these Lorraine! They look fantastic! x
Weird. Strange. Funny.
~~But I don’t care. I’d eat all of ‘um with a bit of sour cream! xxxxxxxxxx
Yep, your headline “got” me! Now I want a recipe for real candied potatoes – maybe sweet potatoes?
Lorraine these look fabmungously rich and tasty, could lead to a full range of vege candy including the amusing shaped ones.
My humor is often seen as random, odd and sometimes inappropriate especially in regard to timing. Funny wolf in the pram story.
ha ha ha ha ha, wolf baby!!! I actually made potato “cakes” once. But those actually contained mashed potatoes which were then wrapped in marzipan. How does that work, you ask? Not very well. These candies however sound fantastic and utterly delicious.
Ooh snacks that deceive!
I’ve never thought potatoes were cute before I saw these!
I was just looking for a good edible April Fool’s recipe! Thanks for this adorable tricksy treat, Lorraine!
What a great idea! Potato but not potato and it’s a candy… kekeke
Very cute! They look like real tatters. My humour is odd…I always make jokes in job interviews which is sooo not funny!
At first look I thought they were the marzipan ones I use to buy in Germany. Look great Lorraine.
Your story is hilarious. I used to hate it at school when we had chapel or something and one of my friends would make me laugh, and once I start laughing I can’t stop!
Hahaha, yes, I can relate to your sense of humour. Though years of getting the ‘silence and mouths agape’ reaction has taught me to keep my comments to myself unless I’m in the company of people I know really well. Lol.
ROFL at your pram story. People were expecting some clucky story and out you come with a wolf baby
I love it. And I LOVE these potatoes. Your recipes are sometimes a little difficult for newbie me, but this actually sounds simple enough to make. I love the cinnamon powder outside, they look all dirty like real taters 
How cool! I prefer to think of myself as ‘quirky’ not weird, but I’m not sure if everyone would agree….I don’t know what their problem is.
Please post a photo of the wolf baby too, we need to see it now you’ve mentioned it!
You know me Ms NQN, I am known for my love of finding and fondling phallic shaped fruit, vegetables and other products. I love the pram story!
OMG. Your vintage pram incident. LMAO!!! I can just imagine you clapping and other gapping at you. That was hilarious! Ah, I wish I could meet you!
And the potato candy is so freaking cool. I would slice them up to the middle for hasselbacks.
i’ve peeled 100′s of potatoes and never once thought “hey, these would make great lollies!”
brilliant.
Here is a recipe for real potato candy.
POTATO CANDY
1/4 cup cooked white potatoes
icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
peanut butter
Mash potatoes, add vanilla, and approximately 1 box of confectioners sugar until soft dough is formed. Divide dough in fourths. Roll between wax paper until 1/8 inch thick. Spread thin layer of peanut butter on each layer. Roll up like Swiss roll. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into pieces and serve – may sprinkle with extra icing sugar or a mix of icing sugar and cocoa if desired.
They look great, Lorraine. And, yes, perfect for St. Pat’s day!
Hahaha these are FANTASTIC! I am going to save this for next Halloween, but as I know I won’t be able to resist so long before I eat them, I will have to make a batch to “try them out”… hehehehe <3
I snorted/laughed out loud in the office when I read the baby wolf part…you are hilarious. These initially reminded me of Marzipan Kartoffeln (marzipan potatoes in German) that my grandmother used to bring us from Germany, but I realized they were totally different when I read the ingredients. Very cute
these are so cleverly made! Had me fooled for sure!
Am I the only one who wants to know how you were planning on making a wolf baby???
Please let it be out of cake.
Looks awesome! I was kind of hoping they were really made of potato at the same time though.
ooo I saw a similar candy on Joy the Baker but with coconut and honey – pecans sounds divine!! Must try…
Oooh trick food! I love trick food!
And THANK YOU for reminding me about April Fools’.. I was liable to be fooled by all and sundry tomorrow.
Cooks have been fooling the eye with food since medieval times.
I do love your deliciously dark humor. I hope you find the pram.
I grew up eating a totally different potato candy! Mine was PB and potatoes with TONS of powdered sugar…
your story gave me a good laugh. i think my sense of humor definitely qualifies as strange.
these treats look very intriguing.
Lorraine – Love your column! Come and visit Cleveland some time, please. My thought would be to add a piece of gummy worm (or some other wiggly, gummy critter) into the middle of the cream cheese potato before refrigerating. That should get you a few twisted smiles.
By the way, Sophia – what are hasselbacks?? Never heard of them…..
kekeke that is soo cute!
Oh they are fabulous! What a cool idea for an April Fools post!
You would be such a hoot to be around…don’t think you are crazy at all ; )
There is a Sri Lankan sweet which is actually made of potatoes… at first I thought you were making that! You’ve done sweets which look like potato, I guess the next step is sweets which are made of potato
those potatoes remind me also of the marzipan ‘spuds’ my dad used to bring home in a paper bag for me – on pay day. a special treat he used to buy for me. back in the ‘olden’ days when you got paid each week in cash – last century obviously. Ha!
I have a very dry sense of humour
I love British comedies, like Faulty Towers. These look so much like potato!!
Heidi xo
Oh my, you genius!
Haha I loved your story! I’d like to eat these
I have a nerdy or sometimes very silly sense of humour. When I find something hilarious I laugh til I cry, and people around me aren’t laughing…
They really do look like potatoes! Very neat!
With the nuts and cinnamon they sound very yummy and a great April Fool’s presentation. Love Sue’s blog and also loved your funny little wolf baby story…..’inside thoughts’ made me giggle.
my sense of humor is super odd, so when i find a person with a similar one, you’d better believe they get marked as ‘friend for life’!
i love your gag here, lorraine.
I had a good laugh at your totally inappropriate pram joke! Sorry for the belated Happy Apri’s Fools! You really had me scratching my head — potato candies (!)
Thanks to your lovely husband I’ve just chowed down on one of your potatoes. DEFINITELY making a sack of these for myself!
Thank you for sending these in with Mr NQN! So tasty. Now craving more cinnamony goodness!
Yes, yes, You had me worried there for a bit! hahahahahaha,…:)
Those candies that look like a potato must taste divine!! Thanks for sharing!! MMMMMM,…!!!!
This is so cool! You *almost* had me there, I must admit.
Post a Comment