Nik's Candy Corn Protein Pudding

I just want you all to know...I have been trying to crack the code on candy corn flavored stuff for YEARS. I'm not super passionate about it myself. I'm not one of those "CANDY CORN" people. (You know what I'm talking about. It's that person whose eyes get all round like saucers when they see candy corn.) In my former life I was more like "Oh? Candy corn. Groovy." And if I felt like it I'd take some. If I didn't, I'd pass.

But some of you guys REALLY love the stuff. Many of you told me as much when you entered the "Trick or Chike" Giveaway (see, there IS a reason I ask these questions!). This is one of those recipes where I have to go all Alton Brown on you a little bit because to understand how this dessert works, you need to know why it works. Bear with me.

Three things going on with candy corn:

1. The flavor: sugary, slightly corny/buttery
2. The color: that classic orange, yellow, white combo
3. The shape: I've heard them called "little pyramids of love" (I wouldn't but I've heard it)

So long story short: it is my belief (and you guys have proven this somewhat with your reactions to my recipes over the years) that if you can replicate at least TWO of the things that make a dish taste the way it does, it tends to be received well. In this, as you can see, I've chosen to replicate the color and the flavor.

Here's how.

The main flavor ingredients in my masterpiece! 

Step One: 

The first thing you want to do is make up a batch of vanilla protein pudding. But wait! Before you click on that link there's a few things you  need to do to it. In addition to the protein powder (Chike Very Vanilla in this instance) and BEFORE you add the milk you need to add one of the following options:

• For those who are sensitive to sweetness: 1/4 tsp each imitation butter flavor & imitation maple flavoring. 
• For those who want a bit of sweet in your life: 2 tbsp butter-flavored sugar-free pancake syrup. (Don't freak about the calories. My syrup has a serving size of 1/4 cup which is 30 calories. 2 tbsp = 1/8 c. = half of a quarter cup = 15 calories spread out across a BIG bowl of pudding. K?)

From there you can add your milk and either whisk or blend it until it thickens. Then cover it and put it in the fridge to set.

So why those ingredients, Nik?

I'm glad you asked. One of the ingredients in candy corn is, of course, corn syrup. Obviously I'm not going to put corn syrup in my pudding but let's think about the TASTE of corn. Even without butter on it, it has sort of a rich, sweet flavor. The syrup replicates that and butter extract drives it home. Now...let's journey on...

Step Two:

Once you've let your pudding set (I'd suggest a full hour. You want it nice and firm or it won't layer well) you want to divide it equally into two bowls. To get the color, of course, I used our handy-dandy standard issue food coloring. Use whatever instructions your box gives for orange in one bowl and yellow in the other. You might want to stick the pudding bowls back in the fridge while you get your container set up done. I suggest those clear plastic cups you use for parties. That way you can get the visual effect of the treat. This recipe makes about 4-ish of them, depending on how much pudding you use.

Step Three:

Now it's time to put this thing together. First put a 1/4 c. layer of the orange pudding in your cup. Top with 1/4 c. layer of the yellow. Then top with whipped cream. Why whipped cream? Every protein powder I"ve ever tried tints my pudding very OFF white! I am aesthetics girl. If you don't want to go with whipped cream, you are certainly free to divide the pudding into thirds and tint two and leave the other untinted.

So there you have it. Weight loss surgery candy corn! Hopefully this will keep us away from the real deal. If not...well...I tried.

Enjoy, Foodies!