Whether your family is back to school, back to work or both, this fall season begs the same thing: snack food. And as living in the South goes, the more fried it is, the better.

Welcome back to our Carolina Kitchen, where we continue to get creative with quick, seasonal dishes and Pepsi recipes – like our Back Home Burgers with Pepsi Ketchup and Sweet Cayenne Fries. Looking for an afternoon comfort-food snack or dinner side? Let’s get you going with our new sauce and hush puppy pairing.

Pepsi Hot Honey Sauce

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Pepsi

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp honey

¼ tsp cayenne (or just a pinch)

Make it:

Toss all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan and mix until combined evenly. Bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until it has reduced and gotten slightly thicker. Allow it to cool before serving.

Southern Hush Puppies

Ingredients:

Two, 8 oz boxes of cornbread mix (pick your favorite!)

One, 14 oz can of creamed corn

2 large eggs (go ahead and whisk them)

Peanut oil (veggie oil will work, too)

Salt

Make it:

Pour the cornbread mix into a big bowl and whisk it to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in the eggs and creamed corn until combined all the way through, so it can maintain its form. Cover and let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add two inches of peanut oil to a big pot or fryer (or enough to cover your batter), bringing the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the batter out of the fridge. Use an ice cream scoop to add a few scoops of the batter to the oil (take your time here!). You can tell the hush puppies are done when they float and turn golden-brown, about 2-4 minutes (turn them if needed). Transfer the finished puppies to a baking sheet and salt to taste.

Note: There’s nothing better than dipping them while they’re still warm.

Pepsi Hot Honey Chicken Sliders

Bonus item: This is quite easy to assemble if you have some fried chicken on hand, plus a batch of our Pepsi Hot Honey Sauce.

Ingredients:

Slider buns (your choice!)

Fried chicken

Pepsi Hot Honey Sauce (recipe above)

Lettuce

Pickles

Make it:

Place an open-faced bun on a serving platter. Add a piece of fried chicken to the bottom bun and smear the top bun, artfully, with a dollop of Pepsi Hot Honey Sauce. Add a handful of lettuce to the sauced bun, then top that with a few pickles. Press the two halves together. Repeat until your platter is filled.

How’d it all turn out? Let us know by posting a picture of your dish on social media, and tag @PepsiCares.