Sweet and Salty Corn Pops

Every year, on Christmas Day, my brothers and sisters and I (and our families, of course) find ourselves gathered at my parents house. (12 adults and 16 kids, good glory!) We laugh and joke and talk about what went down in our respective homes on Christmas morning. How late were people up wrapping gifts?  Did anyone put together a train set late into the evening? What did everyone have for breakfast,  and did Santa get a good smile out of each of our kids? These are the very important questions discussed on Christmas Day. It’s one of my favorite parts of Christmas…just being with my dear family and talking. Sharing stories, a good laugh or two and a lot of camaraderie. Camaraderie is nothing short of a blessing, wouldn’t you agree? I don’t know what I would do without these people in my life. Truly. Time spent with them makes life a beautiful place to be.

As part of our Christmas Day celebration my mom always makes this wonderful Lime Slush and her award-winning Cheese Ball. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without the traditional holiday treats! We each bring some kind of goodie to share. Caramels, Fudge, Dipped Oreos and the like. These fabulous Sweet and Salty Corn Pops I have to share with you today make an appearance every year on Christmas Day.  I can’t think of person I know that doesn’t love them. Crunchy, salty corn pops are coated with a simple yet fabulously rich candy coating. The result is pure stunning-ness. Crunchy, sweet, salty, toffee-ish flavored stunning-ness. Plain and simple.

Let’s make some together, sound good?

Sweet and Salty Corn Pops
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Time: 20 minutes hands on + 10 minutes to cool and set
Yield: about 10 cups
Recipe from my wonderful Aunt Joyce Cook, candy maker extraordinaire

***NOTE: This recipe can be doubled with no problem what-so-ever. ***

8 ounces puffed corn pops (not the cereal called Corn Pops)
1 C butter
3 T water
2 T corn syrup
1 C sugar

1. Find yourself some corn pops. You will need between 7-8 ounces total. There are many different brands available, the bag you see above is not the only choice. I have noticed the grocery stores in my area have been stocking multiple brands this holiday season.

2. Pour the corn pops out into a large bowl. Grab a couple of large cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper.

3. Melt 1 cup of butter in a medium-sized sauce pan over medium high heat.

Add 3 tablespoons of water,

2 tablespoons of corn syrup and 1 cup of sugar. (Can you believe that my picture of the sugar being added to the pot turned out so blurry and ugly it has no right to show its face in public. Try to imagine yourself pouring the sugar in, at this point in the project, okay? Thank you for your participation. You are such a wonderful reader.)

4. Stir the ingredients together over medium high heat until the candy turns the color of honey. Golden brown honey, my friends. It usually takes between 8-10 minutes to make that color happen.

5. Pour the honey colored candy over the top of your corn pops. Stir it all together so that the corn pops are all evenly coated.
6. Pour the coated pops onto two large cookies sheets and allow them to cool (should take about 10 minutes). Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Enjoy!