Carmel Corn

Carmel Corn

Ingredients
15 cups popped corn (1/2 cup kernels, unpopped)
2 tablespoons (39g) molasses
1 cup (213g) brown sugar, packed
8 tablespoons (113g) salted butter, cold
1/4 cup (78g) light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
Preheat your oven to 200°F and line two large rimmed baking sheets (18" x 13") with parchment. Pour the popped corn into a large bowl (at least 6 quarts); remove any unpopped kernels. Set aside.

In a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat cook the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Boil the syrup, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until it reaches 250° to 255°F on a digital or candy thermometer. The syrup will darken slightly.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda; stir well (the mixture will foam).

Immediately (and carefully) pour the hot syrup over the popped corn and stir until the corn is well coated.
Perfect your technique

Spread the hot caramel corn on the sheet pans. Bake at 200°F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool before storing in an airtight container. This recipe doubles and triples well.

Notes:
Want to add a bit of saltiness to your sweet caramel corn? Add 1 cup of roasted, salted peanuts to the bowl of popped corn before pouring on the syrup. Homemade Cracker Jack®!

To make popcorn balls on a stick, omit the baking soda from the recipe. As soon as you can handle the corn without burning yourself, form it into 1-cup balls, inserting a lollipop stick or skewer at one end of each.

Be sure to assiduously remove any unpopped kernels; you'll get most of them by shaking the bowl of popped corn, and scooping out the hard kernels that sift to the bottom. If you don't remove them, the syrup will allow them to adhere to popped kernels, and the next thing you know — ouch! A dental bill.

Turtle Popcorn

TURTLE POPCORN

Yields 10 cups

Ingredients

10 cups (or 1 standard store-bought bag) plain popcorn
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey or light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

Directions

Pop popcorn according to packaging directions and place in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with non-stick spray.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat brown sugar, honey and butter over medium heat and bring up to a boil, stirring constantly.

Let mixture boil for 2-3 minutes, without stirring. Then remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, salt and baking soda (mixture will froth).

Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips (if using) until smooth and pour mixture over popcorn.

Fold in peanuts and toss everything together, until all kernels are thoroughly coated.

Transfer popcorn to lined baking sheet, spread out in an even layer and let set before serving.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

Salted Caramel Popcorn

(makes 16 cups)

Ingredients

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup salted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole almonds (optional)

*

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large, lidded saucepan, warm 3 kernels with the 1 tablespoon oil. If you don't have a pan large enough to handle about 12 cups of popcorn, make in two batches.

Once those three kernels pop, add the rest of the corn kernels to the pan and shake to coat with oil. Put the lid on the pan.

Pop the corn, shaking the pan occasionally until the popping slows.

Empty the popped corn into a large mixing bowl, and try to pull out as many unpopped kernels as possible so they don't end up in the mix.

In a separate saucepan, melt the butter then mix in the sugar, maple syrup and 1 teaspoon salt.

Once the sugar is completely moistened, increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat to medium.

Boil for 3-4 minutes without stirring.

Add baking soda and vanilla to the caramel mixture, stirring until you have a thick, even, glossy sauce.
Slowly pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn, while stirring the popcorn (it'll help to have two people). Optionally, add the nuts to the popcorn at the same time as the caramel sauce. Continue to stir the popcorn and the sauce until it's all well coated.

Divide the popcorn between the two baking sheets and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt on top, then place in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
Allow popcorn to cool completely, or use buttered fingers to clump the popcorn and nuts together to form bunches if desired.

Oven Carmel Corn ..... Flashback Friday

Oven Carmel Corn

Flashback Friday to a favorite at our house, years and years ago.  Our children had this as  a treat (often)!!!  If you have any leftovers, keep it in a container with a tight fitting lid.

Ingredients:

6 quarts of popped corn (yellow)

In a 3 qt. pan combine and boil for 3 minutes;

2 cups brown sugar

2 sticks margarine or butter

1/2 cup white Karo

Remove from heat and add:

1 teaspoon salt

*1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon butter flavoring

***

Directions:

Stir well and pour over 6 quarts of popped yellow corn. Stir until the popped corn is evenly coated. Bake at 225 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir well after each five minutes to prevent the coating from dropping to the bottom of the pan. You can use two 11 x 17 pans or a large roaster pan. Baking too long makes the coating brittle.

* CAUTION Use a long handle wooden spoon when you add the baking soda as it causes the mixture to froth and sometime spit. Don't get burned.