Cheesecake Popcorn Crust Is a Pop Sensation on ‘Chopped Junior’

On Chopped Junior, 12-year-old Emily Wolff faced off against 13-year-old Aidan Dowell in the final dessert round, and they used some pretty interesting ingredients, including fruit-flavored popcorn and Kit Kat bars, also known as “piano keys.”

Emily baked a cheesecake with a piano-key popcorn crust. Aidan put the piano keys into a deconstructed Mayan chocolate cupcake batter.

But those keys may have thrown Aidan’s cupcakes off, because when he pulled them out with six minutes left to go, they were super-raw and needed way more time in the oven. So he cranked the oven up to 500, and his cupcakes recovered, but Emily’s dessert was tough competition, receiving a lot of praise at the judges’ table, with the crust really being a hit.

Both desserts were delicious, but in the end, Emily’s popcorn-crust cheesecake took home the win.

Chopped Junior airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Food Network.

Watch: Adorable Kid on ‘Chopped Junior’ Wins in the Nicest Way Possible:

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