Recipe: Chile Caramel Corn / Chile Corn Candy Bars

Red chile powder adds a nice bit of heat, and blends well with the slightly salty, buttery caramel.  This was a recipe for the Serious Eats Sweet Tweaks contest, and a good way to spend an hour on Saturday afternoon.

I then used the caramel corn to try an experiment in candy bar making, pressing it into a butter-cookie base and drizzling it with bittersweet chocolate.  I was hoping to dip the bars, but the cookie was a bit too fragile.  Other than that, though, these were a success: salty, hot, sweet, buttery, chocolatey.

Chile Caramel Corn:

1/2 cup popping corn

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup honey

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon chile powder (adjust depending on heat)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Oil two large sheets of aluminum foil and set on large work surface or in baking sheets.

Pop corn in air-popper, or on stovetop.  Set aside.

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Add honey and sugar and stir continuously until boiling.  When mixture starts to boil, stir occasionally and watch closely until it reaches 300 degrees and turns a deep golden color.  Remove it from the heat and add salt, baking soda, chile powder, and cinnamon and stir well to combine.

Pour popcorn into caramel mixture and stir gently until coated.  Pour onto the foil and let cool completely.

Chile Corn Candy Bars:

Chile Caramel Corn (see above)

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

5 tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond paste

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and powdered sugar.  Add vanilla, almond paste, and egg and mix thoroughly.  Add flour and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.  Chill for at least 4 hours.

Spread into buttered and foil-lined 8"x8" pan and prick surface with fork.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let cool until just warm.

Lightly press fresh caramel corn into surface of cookie.  Let cool until firm, then cut into bars with sharp knife.  Melt chocolate and drizzle over surface of corn.