How is it even possible? How could I not know that this snack is stocked in most large grocery stores? I love the snack aisle so how did I miss it all these years? How could I go from not knowing about something to being obsessed with it? I blame my obsession with Caramel Puff Corn on Fountain Hills resident Mary Smith. Mary was featured in my second cookbook Rescued Recipes quite a few years ago for her delicious Ham Rolls, but I hadn’t heard from her since. Then, out of the blue I get an email with this:”I made puff corn & brought it in bags to a ladies’ luncheon yesterday. They loved it and kept reaching in their bags for more!” She now calls herself “Treatsmaker Mary” and so do I!Mary got the recipe from her friend Wisconsinite Marilyn Daniel who has share many treasured recipes with Mary in the past. I didn’t even know puff corn existed, and now I had a recipe that will knock people’s socks off. Life is sweet! There are several varieties of this snack in the chip aisle under brand names like Barrel O’ Fun Corn Pops and O.KE.DOKE Corn Puffs. You take a bag home and then, with four simple ingredients, you turn it into crazy good caramel corn. No need to mess with a candy thermometer. No need to pop corn and then have to comb through it picking out the uncooked kernels. Just mix and pour. Let the magic happen in the oven over low heat, then let cool and enjoy. Thanks Mary! When folks make this, they’re going to be absolutely “bowled” over!
Servings |
- 1 6 ounce bag of Barrel O' Fun Corn Pops (or 1 (8 ounce) bag of O.KE.DOKE Corn Puffs
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Have a large baking sheet ready. (Jan's Note: I used a 17" x 12" sheet pan. Be sure your baking sheet is large enough to fit the puffs so that you can comfortably stir them without the puffs falling out of the sheet.) In a medium large saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil, stirring gently. Cook for exactly 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add baking soda. The mixture will quickly foam up and double in size. Stir gently to combine baking soda then immediately pour caramel mixture evenly over the corn pops. Gently stir until most the pops are evenly coated. Place puffs in the oven for 45 minutes. Important! Stir every 15 minutes to coat, as caramel sauce will pool in places on the bottom of the sheet pan. When done, remove from oven and stir again to separate the pieces. Let cool and enjoy!