Caramel Corn

This is the first time I have made caramel corn.  I love caramel corn but I guess I always thought it was difficult to make.  Since it was on my winter break bucket list I decided I needed to give it a try.

I actually made two different recipes for caramel corn in one day.  The first one was delicious but it wasn't quite what I was looking for.  I was looking for crunchy and it was chewy and more gooey than what I wanted.  It would be a great recipe for popcorn balls but just wasn't what I had in mind.
  So I searched for recipes and found this one on allrecipes.com.  One thing I love about that site is that you can read reviews of the recipes so you can kind of get an idea of what to expect before you make it.  This recipe is definitely a winner!  As I eat it I can hardly believe I made it!

Here is what you'll need.

Popcorn, butter, baking soda, salt, corn syrup (I used light), brown sugar and vanilla. 

 After you pop your corn you need to put it in a big roasting pan.  I used this one and it was perfect!  It's so big which made stirring it all up so much easier.

You'll put the popcorn in the oven while you make the caramel sauce.

Here's the caramel bubbling away.  By the way, as tempting as it may be do not stick your finger in the caramel to taste it.  It is hot and you will regret it. 

Once the sauce is ready you pour it over the popcorn and stir until it is evenly coated.  I used a spatula/spoon thingy from Pampered Chef that is great for this because the caramel didn't stick to it.

Next you'll put the pan in the oven for 45 minutes.  Take it out and give it a stir every 10 minutes.  Don't skip this step or it will burn and you will be very sad.

When it is done you need to spread it out on some foil sprayed with cooking spray to cool.  Luckily it doesn't take long because you won't be able to wait.

Once it's cooled just put it into an airtight container.

Warning:  This stuff is VERY addicting so be careful!

Classic Caramel Corn
Via allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray
4 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
1/2 cup butter OR margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Spray large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250 degree oven while preparing caramel. 

Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; mix well.  Pour syrup over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly. 

Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.