Disappearing Chicago Style Puffcorn
I made this a few days ago, and my husband and I polished off the entire bag. It’s THAT good! Disappearing Chicago Style Puffcorn does exactly what its name implies. This sweet, savoury popcorn vanishes. Cheddar puffed corn is coated in crunchy, baked caramel that is hands down the best combination, since PB and J.
Years ago, I passed through Chicago O’hare airport. I don’t remember where I was coming from or going to, but I remember the popcorn. Nuts on Clark to be exact. They had a Chicago style popcorn, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I boarded the plane, giant bag of popcorn in hand and fell in love!
What is Chicago style popcorn, you might ask? Well, it’s the sinful mixture of cheddar popcorn with caramel popcorn and it is binge-worthy. I’ve always been a sucker for the sweet, savoury combination. It’s seriously, the BEST. And this simple puffed corn recipe does not disappoint.
How to Make Disappearing Chicago Style Puffcorn
I use a large sheet pan to bake this puffed corn but a 9″ x 13″ cake tin would work just as well. Start by spreading the popcorn out on the pan and then go to work on the caramel. I say that like it’s super labour intensive. Ha! Dump the ingredients into a large pot, give it a quick stir and then heat it to a boil. Simplicity at its finest.
While it’s boiling, don’t stir, but do keep an eye on it. When I made Honey Butter, a few weeks back, I walked away for a split second and came back to a burnt honeyed mess all over my stovetop, lesson learned. Practice what I preach here, please, just in case! So again, without stirring, which seems counterintuitive, boil the caramel for five minutes, pull it from the stove and stir in the vanilla and the baking soda. It will foam a bit and that’s totally normal.
Now, you’ll want to move fast. When I made this, I thought it would be really cool to get a photo of the caramel pouring over the popcorn. In theory, it would’ve been amazing. Can you see it? Luscious caramel flowing over the airy corn puffs. It looks insanely good, amirite? Glad we’re on the same page with that visual. However, that was not the case and my caramel started to firm up and I had to abandon ship and got to work stirring in the caramel.
It was a little harder to do, but I coated the pieces as well as I could. I actually liked that not all the puffs ended up with caramel on them because it keeps the savoury flavour present in each mouthful. Coat the puffs as best you can and bake in a 250 degree F oven for an hour. Stir every 15 minutes. The stirring and baking turns the caramel into the perfect crunch.
When it’s done baking, I break the larger clumps apart and of course eat some (as in handfuls), for you know, quality control. I literally had to leave the room. My husband came home and I offered him a bite, which turned into two, then four, and then we sat down and polished off the rest. We have never finished a bag of corn puffs in one sitting, but apparently add caramel and anything is possible. #caramelmakesitpossible
Loved Disappearing Chicago Style Puffcorn? Check out these other super addictive and delicious recipes, I’m sure they’ll hit the spot and keep you coming back for more:
If you get a chance to make this or any other recipe on the blog and want to share. Please feel free to tag @candyjarchronicles or use #candyjarchronicles on Instagram, so I can see your post. I’d love to see what you’re cooking in your kitchen!
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Disappearing Chicago Style Puffcorn
Don't make this unless you plan on eating a whole bag of puffcorn in one sitting. It's deliciously addictive. A perfect snack day or night. A sweet and salty bite. Double the recipe if you want enough to share, it disappears right before your eyes.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 1/2 oz bag of cheese puff corn (I used Chester's)
- 1/3 cup butter, salted
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp corn syrup, light
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
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Pour the popcorn in an oven safe pan or cookie sheet.
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In a medium pan, mix together the butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a slow boil and boil for five minutes without stirring.
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Once it's boiled for five minutes, remove immediately and add the baking soda and vanilla and stir together. Pour this over the popcorn and mix.
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Bake for one hour. Stirring every 15 minutes.
