April Fools’ – Snakes In A Can!
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a little bit of a trickster. I loved being a little devil. All mostly harmless of course, but there was nothing more fun than watching someone turn rosy out of embarrassment from a well placed whoopee cushion. I used to love going into magic shops and novelty stores to buy all the gags I could. Fake mustaches, color changing gum, soap that makes you smell bad, a dollar bill on fishing line – I loved all the classics. And now that I’ve grown up, not much has changed!
My favorite gag of all time though, was the Snakes-In-A-Can. It looked like a normal jar of nuts or peanut brittle, but when you opened the top, two spring loaded snakes would jump out at you! With April Fools’ Day just around the corner, I thought I might do a little twist on this gag gift. Here is my recipe for Snakes-In-A-Can! (actually filled with a delicious blend of sugary spiced nuts, get it?)
What You Need:
• An opaque container. I used a round tin.
• 1-1/2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1-1/2 cups walnuts
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup unblanched almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Step 1: Beat egg whites and water together until frothy.
Step 2: Add your nuts and spices and stir gently till nuts are coated with the mixture.
Step 3: Spread in a single layer on a greased baking pan and bake at 300 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.
Step 4: Let them cool and pack them in your Snakes-In-A-Can jar for a delicious April Fools surprise!
I work at a pretty wacky place and I know there will be some April foolery going on. I’m going to give these to my boss and some other co-worker friends and I know they’ll just get a kick out of it. And the best part is, with a gift this good, how could they be mad at all the other pranks they are going to get?
Helpful Links
- Tin Labels • I chose the “Boxicle” style in the color Spice and uploaded my own drawing of a snake.
More homemade gift ideas from James…
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James Luster is a recent transplant from Brooklyn, New York. He's an actor, writer, professional donut maker, and lover of the finer things in life. Currently he's educating himself on the arts of brewing and mixology, and working on his new show set to premier next summer.