Easy Homemade Corn Nuts in Your Oven!

If you are like me, you enjoy the crunchy, outdoorsy taste and energy a handful of corn nuts can supply. They are perfect for a snack on a long car-trip, to munch on while you’re watching a movie or curled in bed with a book, or to take with you for a boost on an invigorating mountain hike.

Problem is, they are just too ridiculously expensive. A small bag of them at the supermarket can be around five dollars or more. While I do sometimes splurge for a snack, that’s far too pricey for me to have them any more than once in a blue moon in order to have my conscience feel alright. The thing is, even if you are a bit more free with your money than I am, price isn’t the only problem.

Corn nuts are filled with artificial colorings that have been shown to induce hyperactivity in children. It also poses a risk for cancer, and increases the chance of developing allergic reactions. The additives, preservatives, and flavor enhancers are also an insidious danger in the snack that could otherwise be considered healthy. MSG, Corn Syrup Solids, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, and a long list of other culinary undesirables…or rather, scientific concoctions to substitute.

So if someone offers me a way to make corn nuts at home, then the answer is definitely a resounding YES! The best part of this recipe is that, though it takes some time, it is very little work at all. And the work that there is is kind of fun in my opinion! So what are you waiting for? We decided to go with Chile Limon flavor, because it was the easiest to accomplish with natural, healthy ingredients. You can change it up, though, if you like…experiment! Time to start a batch so you can have a hardy snack to last you through the next week! (Makes about a mason jar and a half)

Chile Limon Corn Nuts

Ingredients: 
14 oz (by weight) of Organic Whole Yellow Corn
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
2 or 3 Organic Limes
Organic Chile Powder (to taste)
Extra Lime Juice

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Directions:

First, soak your corn overnight. I put it in a large bowl and covered it with almost an inch of water. Squeeze your limes into the water. I had two rather small, measly limes with hardly any juice, and I definitely needed more, so if that’s your case, go with three. Two should be enough if you have some luscious, succulent limes. Once you squeeze every drop you can manage into the water, go ahead and throw in the lime pieces, too. This will serve two purposes; one, the acid will help to break down the harmful phytic acid on the corn, making it more nutritious, and two, the soak overnight will help the lime flavor to really leech into the corn like we want.

Once it’s soaked for at least 14 hours, rinse and drain your corn. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and while that’s warming, toss the corn with the coconut oil, salt, a Tablespoon of chile powder, and another sprinkling of lime juice, if you have it. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and spread the corn in a single layer. At this point, if you are thinking the chile looks a little thin on the ground, you can add a nice, even, extra sprinkle over the pans. I did.

Next, we want to slide them in the oven and let them bake! Every ten minutes or so, stir them around, but make sure when you are done shuffling them about they are still in a single layer. Keep an eye on them until they are slightly brown, and then snatch them out of the oven! They can burn fast.

Let them cool in the pan, and then either start snacking or put them away for later! My family keeps them in a bowl on the counter and grabs a few every time that they pass. A yummy, healthy, and actually nutritious energy-giving snack! Enjoy your small smackerals!