Caramel Corn

Just in time for Halloween goodie bags.

I saw this posted over at Annie's eats a while ago, I immediately bookmarked it with the intention of going back and making it that very same day, but as usual, things got busy and I completely forgot about it.

As I was going through my recipes today trying to find something for goodie bags or just to have around the house to snack on, I came upon the link.  Caramel corn, I tell you it reminds me of the Cracker Jack boxes popcorn but without all the additives and nasty stuff they put in there and it whips up pretty fast too, easy and delicious.

My kind of snack, though maybe I should stay away from it because I can see myself consuming insane amounts of this stuff.

Caramel Corn
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Ingredients:
1 cup popcorn kernels, unpopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup light corn syrup
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Directions:
Pop popcorn using your preferred method.

Place the popped popcorn in a very large bowl (or two large bowls).  Make sure there is enough room in your bowls for tossing the popcorn.

Preheat the oven to 250° F.  Meanwhile, to make the caramel, melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat.  Once the butter is melted, mix in the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt.  Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once the mixture reaches a boil, let the mixture continue to boil for 5 more minutes without stirring.  Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract.  The mixture will bubble up and become frothy.  Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn in the bowl(s) and toss to coat thoroughly.  (I found my salad spoons very useful for this step.)

Spread the popcorn evenly onto two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  (It is okay if there are some clumps of caramel throughout.  It will melt and become better spread out while baking.)

 Bake for 40-50 minutes, removing from the oven to toss/stir every 10 minutes.  After 40 minutes, test a cooled piece of popcorn.  If it is not completely crispy (i.e. still slightly mushy when you bite it), bake for 10 minutes more.

Remove the baking sheets to a wire rack and allow popcorn to cool completely before breaking apart for serving or packaging.

I found these cute Halloween themed ziploc bags, just perfect for them. I popped in some candy corn too. My kids and their friends loved them :)