Fried Jell-O Takes Top Prize At The Texas State Fair

It used to be that you could see Jell-O shiver and quiver, but now there's another thing you can do with J-E-L-L-O: fry it. According to the website Big Tex, fried Jell-O was the big winner at their 2016 State Fair Of Texas Big Choice Awards, taking home the prize for Best Taste. The newly minted fried delicacy, which will be available at the upcoming fair, running from Sept. 30 to Oct. 23, was created by Ruth Hauntz, an 82-year-old food truck veteran who has been a fixture at the fair since 1987. The judges apparently went crazy for the cherry Jell-O filled pastry that was breaded in panko crumbs, fried, and then dusted with powdered sugar. Big Tex noted that "this dish has the perfect amount of crunch to compliment the jiggle." How it gets that jiggle though not even Hauntz seems to know. She told local Dallas news station CW33 that she really didn’t know "what that thing is that holds it together. But then it’s frozen and tucked away inside the pastry, and deep fried to a golden crisp." Basically, this dessert is pure magic. Fried Jell-O not creative enough for you? The winner for Most Creative food went to Cookie Fries, chocolate chip or rainbow cookies shaped like French fries that are perfect for dessert. They even come with strawberry or milk chocolate dipping sauce. Best part is, you can have both these sweet treats, because, as everyone knows, there's always room for Jell-O — even in fried form.