Wednesday, January 19, 2011

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.

14 comments:

  1. Oh I only wish you'd posted this sooner so I could've made used the recipe for my cupcakes. Looks easy and fantastic, Judy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ive made these before with a recipe fr Our Best Bites. I agree they are super yum. Made them for my daughters bday and they were gone even before the party started.
    The moral of the story bring them out only when the party starts...:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I want some! Reckon you could Fed-Ex me a box?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my goodness, all your posts are making me SO hungry. Everything looks delicious! I'm now a follower so keep the posts coming - can't wait to see more!

    -xoxo-
    deevine1217.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Man, I wish recipes didn't use 'stick of butter'--that's only in the USA. Please, remember you have international readers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Judy,
    Just found your blog today and LOVE it! Thanks for posting such amazing recipes and SO many pictures. It's always good to see how things should look along the way. Can't wait to try some of your recipes, and have shared your blog with others already!
    Best,
    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  7. Now I can't wait to try this here at home. I love the recipe dear. THanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pero que ricas!
    Tienes un blog precioso!
    Un beso

    ReplyDelete
  9. Judy, I love your blog!! Congratulations It's fantastic!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. We miss you, Judy :(

    ReplyDelete
  11. ...traigo
    sangre
    de
    la
    tarde
    herida
    en
    la
    mano
    y
    una
    vela
    de
    mi
    corazón
    para
    invitarte
    y
    darte
    este
    alma
    que
    viene
    para
    compartir
    contigo
    tu
    bello
    blog
    con
    un
    ramillete
    de
    oro
    y
    claveles
    dentro...


    desde mis
    HORAS ROTAS
    Y AULA DE PAZ


    COMPARTIENDO ILUSION
    JUDY

    CON saludos de la luna al
    reflejarse en el mar de la
    poesía...




    ESPERO SEAN DE VUESTRO AGRADO EL POST POETIZADO DE TOQUE DE CANELA ,STAR WARS, CARROS DE FUEGO, MEMORIAS DE AFRICA , CHAPLIN MONOCULO NOMBRE DE LA ROSA, ALBATROS GLADIATOR, ACEBO CUMBRES BORRASCOSAS, ENEMIGO A LAS PUERTAS, CACHORRO, FANTASMA DE LA OPERA, BLADE RUUNER ,CHOCOLATE Y CREPUSCULO 1 Y2.

    José
    Ramón...

    ReplyDelete
  12. No recent kitchen adventures?

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails