When I was around 7 or 8, my grandfather, Abuelito, built me a treehouse.
It wasn’t fancy or elaborate, just a big wooden platform, about 7 feet off of the ground with a ladder to get up to it. He even added green indoor/outdoor carpeting over the wood to add a little extra something, but other than that, it was a super simple design (unlike my life-size, walk-in, air conditioned playhouse him and my dad built me when I was a toddler which WAS elaborate, but I’ll save that for another post).
I have so many fond memories of hanging my legs over the platform of this treehouse, sitting there among the leaves and the squirrels talking about what kids talk about with my cousin Glenn, and my childhood friend Vanessa.
We’d spend hours in the tree house- no smartphones, no video games, no toys- just us and that wooden platform, climbing the branches that surrounded the treehouse, plucking leaves, camouflaging ourselves from cars as they drove by, and stopping every so often for snacks that my grandmother, Abuelita, would bring us.
Cold boxes of YooHoo chocolately drink, plastic bowls of Bugles, plates of Nilla Wafers, and sometimes, a box of Fiddle Faddle to share, were using our go-to snacks when it came to our treehouse dining.
Do you remember Fiddle Faddle? Or maybe you used to call it Poppycock? Or maybe even Crunch N’ Munch? They were all pretty much the same thing: salty and sweet caramel coated popcorn with some type of nuts, usually pecans or peanuts, mixed in. It was utterly DELICIOUS.
I was watching Trisha’s Southern Kitchen on Foodnetwork yesterday morning and she was whipping up granola bars for John Legend (seriously, what a life!), when it hit me: I could totally use the caramel sauce I topped my pecan bars with last week and make some keto, low carb granola bars!
Then it hit me again- OR I COULD MAKE SOME KETO, LOW CARB FIDDLE FADDLE!
Um, YES! I loved, loved, LOVED Fiddle Faddle as a child, and that adoration carried on through adulthood. I can’t remember the last time I purchased a box of this stuff, but I can still vividly remember the buttery, sweet, salty, and satisfyingly crunchy taste of this treat. And as soon as those memories came flooding back into my mind, I knew I’d have to try and make a batch ASAP. 
Not only would this Fiddle Faddle make a great anytime snack, it would also serve as a lovely holiday treat to bring to a party, or to give as a gift in a tall mason jar with a bow wrapped around the lid. This mixture will stay fresh for 2 weeks in an airtight container or Ziplock bag on the counter, or 3 weeks in the fridge.
I used Wholesome Yum’s tried and true caramel sauce, and a mixture of nuts and things I had on hand, but this is easily customizable using whatever ingredients you have! The recipe for the caramel calls for Sukrin Gold (which is out of this world good as far as no sugar sweeteners go!), but you could also use another granulated no sugar sweetener (like Truvia) to make the caramel, adding a little butternut extract, maple extract, or even a tablespoon of molasses for some richness and depth. 
Here’s the recipe:
- For the caramel: Follow the directions from Wholesome Yum's recipe for caramel sauce (linked in the post)
- 1/4 cup salted macadamia nuts
- 1/4 cup unsalted pecan halves
- 1/4 cup unsalted almonds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut chips
- 1 cup bite sized crunchy pork rinds (don't like pork rinds, try bacon crumbles instead!)
- *Walnuts or peanuts would also work great in this mix! I threw in a sprinkle of shelled pistachios because I had a few left over from another recipe, just note that some nuts have higher carb counts (like pistachios) than the lower ones I list in this recipe!
- *The pork rinds (or bacon) will have salt on them, so choose 1 salted nut, and leave the rest unsalted so that the recipe isn't TOO salty. Unless you like a lot of salt, then by all means, salt it up!
- Make the caramel sauce according to the directions.
- Mix the nuts, coconut chips, and pork rinds together in a bowl.
- Pour the warm caramel sauce over the nut mixture and stir well to coat.
- Transfer to a wax or parchment paper lined 9in x 9in pan and spread evenly.
- Place into the refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then break apart into chunks.
- Enjoy!
- I like to place 1/4 cup of the mixture into cupcake liners for portion control!
- Yield 15, 1/4 cup servings.
- 1/4 cup= 2.5g total carbs!
- Link to the caramel sauce recipe:https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/sugar-free-caramel-sauce-recipe-low-carb-keto/
