No joke.
A few years ago I decided to try making caramel corn and it turned out so yummy that every year around the holidays I make it as gifts or for my kids... or, yes, for my late night couch dates with Adam in which I am the only one who eats it.
Well, it's taken me a little while to figure out what makes the caramel corn the best, but if you've ever wanted a good recipe, this is the one (with a couple of additions...)
The first year I air popped the popcorn. Pain. In. The. butt.
I discovered it's every bit as good using a little of this:
The bags say "gourmet popcorn." That makes me laugh considering this whole box was like a dollar. I like the generics.
Anyway, I think I popped six bags to end up with this:
You can use these big disposable shallow roasters... they are perfect.
But beware of the "gourmet" popcorn bags... if you get in too big a hurry... this can happen..
that's one big honkin' paper cut, let me tell you. It's still throbbing and a throbbing finger makes typing very difficult. And now you're probably worried I dripped my blood in the caramel corn.
Have no fear...
Spongebob and Patrick to the rescue.
Side note, but don't you hate band aids on fingers? Every time I washed my hands, the water was trapped in there and by the time I took it off last night, my finger was a white, shriveled mess. And it felt weird and yucky. (How's that for a good description?)
Anyway...
Next, you put brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in a sauce pan. The recipe I am using is from allrecipes.com and it's an Amish recipe. Apparently the Amish only sort of like sugar and butter because the first time I made this, I measured everything...the popcorn, the ingredients, etc. and it was NOT enough caramel for all the corn.
My advice? Double the recipe for the caramel.
Which gives you this:
And then induces a guilt-panic about the mass amounts of butter you need for caramel corn. Don't worry. One of those sticks is organic so this is a very healthy recipe.
So you heat this delicious concotion up on the stove and stir it all together. Once it starts bubbling, you have to stir it for five minutes continuously.
that means, make sure the toddler is settled with a good Veggie Tale before you start the five minutes. And make sure you don't have to go to the bathroom or anything emergency-like.
Because it'll start to melt...
And it'll need your undivided attention... almost as much as everything else in the house that needs your undivided attention. Namely... the monkey...
So you stir for five minutes, mixing all of it together...
I'm such a diligent, committed caramel-corn maker... (and this is such a flattering photo I had to share it.)
...then take it off the heat, add baking soda and vanilla and then pour it over your popped corn.
Just dump it over and then get a big spatula and start to stir it around. This is when you realize how important it is not to fill these pans TOO full... you'll end up with popcorn all over the floor.
Take a moment to marvel at the mass amounts of geese flying over head...
Notice in the upper right hand of that photo that I am viewing the geese through a broken window (double paned)... yes, that was a present from Ethan that came in the form of a rock. After he was warned to stop throwing them in the direction of the house.
But really. Isn't that a ton of geese?? Or perhaps I'm just taken with them because I have a two year old who runs to the windows shouting GEESE! GEESE! everytime they fly by.
Ok. Back to caramel corn.
This is the part that's kind of annoying. It has to bake for an hour, but you have to take it out every 15 minutes and stir it...and this is important, but the caramel needs to be scooped up off the bottom and redistrubted on the top of the popcorn...otherwise you'll have a section of really caramely corn...and then a bunch of buttered popcorn.
Lame.
And yes, I speak from experience. There are no shortcuts in the world of homemade caramel corn.
Anyway, it's worth it, because when you're done... you get this:
And that is some really, really good caramel corn!!
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
- 7 quarts plain popped popcorn
- 2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup margarine
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
4. Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.
*From allrecipes.com
Happy caramel corn making. :)

