Caramel Corn

I've been meaning to post this fantastic recipe for ages now! Prior to trying this recipe, I had a loathing for caramel corn. lol. Yes, it's true. The only experience I've had with caramel corn was from my childhood, when you'd get the stale kind from a large tin can. Remember those? They had painted santas on them and always contained a super disgusting array of sweet and salty popcorn. We'd get them from family and friends around the holidays. Ick! What a bad way to start off the holiday season.


I got this recipe from my dear friend, Colleen, who frequently inspires me in the kitchen. She is a domestic goddess in her own right and we often take on cooking adventures together. One day, she brought me a small batch of this caramel corn, whipped up fresh from her kitchen. Taking little interest in it, I set it aside and promptly forgot about it...until I was extremely hungry the next day and needed a snack to hold me over. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. And really, beggars can't be choosers. Thinking it would be exactly like those stale batches from my childhood, I took a small bite.

To my surprise, it was crunchy, salty, and utterly deeeeelicious! I felt like doing cartwheels. Yes, this recipe is just that good.


The recipe says to pop your own popcorn with kernels and everything. That was waaaay too intense for me. So I microwaved mine. The good ol' fashioned way of making a quick batch of popcorn. AKA the lazy way. Teehee.

Cover a large cookie sheet with tin foil and brush it lightly with oil. Set aside.

Now comes the fun part - making the caramel! Let a stick of butter melt in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

Now add brown sugar and corn syrup. Let it all melt together.


Then let it boil. Don't stir! Wait until it reaches 300F. This is super important. If the temperature doesn't get high enough, you will not get a hard, crunchy caramel.


It'll reach 300 degrees really quickly, so you have to watch it carefully. Once it does, add in baking soda and salt.

The baking soda will make it swell - like double in size. Then quickly, and I mean quickly, add in the peanuts and popcorn.

Fold it as fast as you can!!!!

The caramel will start to harden instantly and you'll have a hard time coating it if you wait too long.


Try and fold everything in as evenly as possible. Otherwise, you'll get huge lumps of hardened caramel without popcorn... and popcorn without any caramel on it. Which would be super sad.

Get it all nice & evenly coated!

Again, quickly spread the popcorn into a single, thin layer on your cookie sheet. You want to do this fast too, because the caramel will harden quickly and it'll clump into a ball if you don't spread it out in time. Basically, the mixing and the spreading should take less than a minute.

You'll freak out because your beautiful pan will be caked with hardened caramel in less than 30 seconds. And you won't be able to chisel it off with anything. Don't worry! Soak it in water for an hour and when you come back, it'll be completely dissolved and you'll have a perfectly clean pan again!

See? Ta-da!! Good as new!

Let it sit and cool. It'll become completely firm and crunchy. The caramel dries very fast. Wait like 5-10 minutes. Then comes the fun part - break it up into smaller pieces!

I like to store it by lining a covered pan with parchment paper. Any kind of air-tight container will work. It'll still be crunchy (not stale!) the next day.

I just LOVE this recipe. It's super easy to make - takes about 15 minutes and it makes a ton! I've made it several times now and it's always been a huge hit at parties! Everyone always goes crazy over it and asks me for the recipe. If you've never had fresh, homemade caramel corn, you're in for a treat! Give it a try - it'll soon be a favorite among your family and friends too!


Click HERE for the recipe.

Caramelized Pear Gingerbread Cake

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Mine was super fun and busy - the in-laws came to visit us and we had a blast! It was our first Christmas ever at our new home and the first time Hubby and I had our very own Christmas tree. It was very special to have everyone come together- both my family and Hubby's. It always smelled like something delicious and it was so festive to have a warm, full, and noisy house! We were so proud to be the ones hosting Christmas this year, especially since, at age 25, we still feel like kids when our parents are around. We are so blessed.

I hope everyone had an equally festive and joyous holiday season!

I made this awesome cake over the holidays and it was a hit! It's an upside down gingerbread cake - you bake it with a gooey topping on the bottom and then flip it. The topping consists of caramelize pear and walnuts. It sounds like a weird combo, but it works! And it's sooo delicious!

Ok, so it's not exactly a looker. It was difficult to get some pretty photos of this cake, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it's a spectacular dessert! Well, on the plus side, at least I won't have to worry about someone stealing my photos from this post, right? tee hee.

You'll need to peel & dice up some ripe pears.

Next, cream together butter and brown sugar until it's crumbly. Press it into the bottom of the pan and half way up the sides.

The recipe said to sprinkle walnuts over the brown sugar crumble. I used pecans. =)

Then top with the diced pears. Set aside.

Next, in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. This recipe has all the yummy & warm holiday spices: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves! Delish!

In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients: eggs, milk, brown sugar, then add the molasses. I love the way it drizzles!

It looks so pretty in the bowl!

Blend and mix well with the dry ingredients.




Pour the batter over the pears. Bake at 350 degrees.

When it comes out, put a plate over the pan and flip it. You'll get this awesome gooey topping over the gingerbread cake! Serve warm and with fresh whipped cream. Mmm...heavenly!


It was suuuuper delicious! The caramelized pear, with the crunch of the pecans were a perfect combination with the gingerbread cake. At first, I was worried that the cake would be too sweet - but it wasn't! It was delicious & moist...and before you knew it, you'd be finishing a giant slice!

This cake is sooo good that it should be served all year round, not just during the holiday season. Really, why don't we serve gingerbread all year round?? It's such a great flavor and shouldn't be reserved for just the last couple of months during the year! I want to start a new movement: gingerbread consumption on a regular basis! =)

CLICK HERE for the printable version of the recipe.