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    Home » Dessert Recipes

    Alton Brown's Homemade Candy Corn

    Published: Oct 26, 2014 · Modified: Apr 18, 2023 by Jenna · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    homemade candy corn 009

    This homemade candy corn recipe from Alton Brown is super easy to make, and you will never want to buy store bought candy corn again!

    Usually candy making is very intimidating for me. Dealing with thermometers and boiling sugar is not my cup of te until I tried this recipe for homemade candy corn. I'd rather just mix something in a stand mixer and bake that in the oven. It was really fun to roll the sugar mess into ropes and make the ropes look yellow and orange. You have to work fast while making these and the sugar has to be somewhat warm. Once it starts cooling down, it's even harder to work with. Oh yah, and they taste even better than store-bought candy corn!  Alton used a butter cutter to make his candy corn shapes, I just used a knife and cut them into little triangle pieces.

     How to make Homemade Candy Corn 

    To print the full recipe please see the recipe card below. 

    1. Combine the powdered sugar, dry milk and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4 to 5 times until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Set aside.
    2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart pot. Put over medium heat, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Add the butter, clip on a candy thermometer, and bring the mixture to 230 degrees F, about 1 to 2 minutes. When the sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees F, take the pot off the heat and remove the thermometer. Add the vanilla and the dry mixture, stirring continuously with a silicone spatula until well combined. Pour onto a half sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat. Cool until the mixture is cool enough to handle, about 10 to 15 minutes.
    3. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Add 2 drops of yellow food coloring to 1 piece and knead the dough until the color is consistent throughout. Add 2 drops of orange to the second piece, and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Leave the third piece white. Roll each piece of dough into a strand, about 18-inches long. Cut each strand in half.
    4. Roll 1 of the white pieces into a strand that is about ½-inch thick and about 22-inches long. Repeat with a yellow piece and orange piece. Lay the strands side by side and press them together using your fingers. Cut the strand into 4-inch pieces. Lay the strands, 1 at a time, onto the silicone mat and press into a wedge shape, like a triangle. Use a wire butter slicer to cut the candies into pieces. If you don't have a wire butter slicer, use a knife, metal bench scraper or pizza cutter to slice the dough into small pieces. Repeat the procedure with remaining dough. Lay the finished pieces on a piece of parchment or waxed paper to dry for 1 hour. Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer.

    Other Recipes to Try 

    Cinnamon Roll Cake 

    Milky Way Ice Cream Pie 

    Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Knots 

    Trisha Yearwood’s Charleston Cheese Dip 

    Baked French Toast 

    Sour Cream Noodle Bake 

    If you’ve tried this Homemade Candy Corn recipe or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. Snap a picture and upload it to Pinterest. 

    homemade candy corn 014
    Print

    Alton Brown's Homemade Candy Corn


    • Author: Jenna
    • Prep Time: 45 min
    • Cook Time: 5 min
    • Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
    • Yield: 60 - 80 pieces 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This homemade candy corn recipe from Alton Brown is super easy to make, and you will never want to buy store bought candy corn again!


    Scale

    Ingredients

    • 4 ½ ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 ¼ cups
    • ½ -ounce nonfat dry milk, approximately 6 ½ teaspoons
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 3 ½ ounces granulated sugar, approximately ½ cup
    • 3 ¾ ounces light corn syrup, approximately ⅓ cup
    • 2 ½ tablespoons water
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 to 3 drops yellow and orange gel paste food coloring

    Instructions

    1. Combine the powdered sugar, dry milk and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4 to 5 times until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Set aside.
    2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart pot. Put over medium heat, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Add the butter, clip on a candy thermometer, and bring the mixture to 230 degrees F, about 1 to 2 minutes. When the sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees F, take the pot off the heat and remove the thermometer. Add the vanilla and the dry mixture, stirring continuously with a silicone spatula until well combined. Pour onto a half sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat. Cool until the mixture is cool enough to handle, about 10 to 15 minutes.
    3. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Add 2 drops of yellow food coloring to 1 piece and knead the dough until the color is consistent throughout. Add 2 drops of orange to the second piece, and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Leave the third piece white. Roll each piece of dough into a strand, about 18-inches long. Cut each strand in half.
    4. Roll 1 of the white pieces into a strand that is about ½-inch thick and about 22-inches long. Repeat with a yellow piece and orange piece. Lay the strands side by side and press them together using your fingers. Cut the strand into 4-inch pieces. Lay the strands, 1 at a time, onto the silicone mat and press into a wedge shape, like a triangle. Use a wire butter slicer to cut the candies into pieces. If you don't have a wire butter slicer, use a knife, metal bench scraper or pizza cutter to slice the dough into small pieces. Repeat the procedure with remaining dough. Lay the finished pieces on a piece of parchment or waxed paper to dry for 1 hour. Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer.
    5. Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe.html?oc=linkback

    • Category: Medium
    • Method: Boil
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: homemade candy corn

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    Hey, I'm Jenna! I'm a graphic designer, photographer, and home cook from From Fargo ND. My air fryer is my favorite kitchen appliance to cook with. I created this blog to share recipe tips and tricks with everyone, enjoy!

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