First, let me just warn you that this stuff is wicked addictive, and one handful will not be enough.
Fortunately, it is also wicked simple to toss together, and makes a nice holiday foodie gift (at least a gallon zipper bag, please, anything less is getting a bit Scrooge-ish).
So, with all good thanks to the lovely lady who cuts our hair and trades food tales (and this recipe) with me, let us visit, once again, caramel puff corn.
INGREDIENTS
•1 (8 oz) bag corn puffs (look with the chips)
•1 cup butter (no substitute)
•1 cup brown sugar
•1/2 cup light corn syrup*
•1 tsp baking soda
Optional Add Ins:
•1 or 2 cups almonds or pecans
•1 or 2 tbsp Scotch
*I use Lyle’s Golden Syrup, and pure sugar cane syrup. Most markets around about here stock it with the British Foods section.
Notes: I used my trusty (and large) anodized aluminum roaster which is basically non-stick, and a large non-stick (Copper Chef) pot to make the syrup, because it will foam up when you add the baking soda.
On to the goodness!
Heat your oven to 250º.
Bring the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and scotch, if you’re so minded, to a boil, stirring constantly, and let bubble for two minutes.
Stir in the baking soda – this is where stuff will get foamy, so you’ll be glad of a tall-sided pan – then remove from the heat.
Add the syrup to the corn puffs and nuts (if you’re using them) in the roasting pan and stir to coat as much of the corn as you can, don’t worry if you can’t get it all, there’s some baking and more stirring to do which will take care of that.
Pop the corn into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool before storing in a tightly covered container.
Don’t forget those gallon sized zipper bags for gift giving!