Over the Christmas holiday my neighbor brought over a tray of decorated sugar cookies and other goodies.  It’s not uncommon for her to bring us a little sample of her holiday treats.  One Halloween while Doug was taking the kids trick-or-treating and I was manning the door she stopped by with four popcorn balls, one for each person in our family.  I’d never eaten anything so ridiculously yummy.  By the time Doug returned with the kids I had eaten every last one.  Don’t judge. Besides, at the time, Katie was just a month old and you can’t give an infant popcorn so really, I was being a responsible parent.

This year among the cookies there was also a little bag of something that looked like cereal, only bigger.  Dougie was the first one in the bag and after munching a handful he declared, “OMG this is total crack. Get over here and try some of this.”  My friend, Gigi, was visiting from Springfield and we agreed that indeed, “OMG it WAS total crack.”  We couldn’t put our finger on the key ingredient.  Now we know.  PUFFCORN!

PUFFCORN CANDY

Ingredients:

• 1 Bag Chester’s Puffed Corn (butter flavor)
• 2 Sticks Butter
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup White Karo Syrup
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat Oven to 250 degrees

Spread Puffed Corn in large baking pan or deep cookie sheet lined in wax/parchment paper.

In sauce pan bring butter, sugar and corn syrup to boil.  Boil 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Stir in Baking soda.

Pour mixture evently over Puffed Corn.

Bake one hour, stiring mixture every 15 minutes.

Let cool then break up in to pieces.

Voila!  You’ll have this.  A delicious crunchy caramel-flavored treat that adorable 6-year-old girls love to hold in heavy bowls.

*Caution.  Learn from the mistake I made the first time.  Do NOT leave the wax paper in the pan while the goodness is cooling.  Although the candy itself turns out fine, the paper WILL stick to the pan and cause your husband to say bad words under his breath while he’s trying to clean it.

Also. I know everyone is looking for a bargain these days but stick with Chester’s Puffs because Kroger Puffs taste like styrofoam packing peanuts.

Fix this for the family or bring it to work and share with the other inhabitants of Cubicle City.  You’ll be very popular.  En-Joy!