Caramel Popcorn

A favorite family treat, Caramel Popcorn often finds its way into our hands on the weekends, especially if we plan to watch movies at home. When I make a batch, which is huge, I like to bag up a few gift bags for friends or teachers. I stow the bags of popcorn in my oversized purse and pull out little surprises to brighten someone's day.

Making the Caramel Popcorn is a cinch, but it does require a little time. First you must pop the corn and boil the sugar syrup. Then you bake the coated corn for an hour to achieve snacking nirvana! If you can make homemade Chex Mix, you are completely qualified for making Caramel Popcorn.

Caramel Popcorn
adapted from allrecipes.com

7 quarts popped popcorn (about 1 cup kernels)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Divide the popped popcorn between two 13X9-inch greased pans and set aside.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, and butter in a large saucepan and stir to combine. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil and boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will bubble, but continue stirring until thoroughly combined. Quickly pour the sugar mixture over the popped popcorn, drizzling the mixture as evenly as possible. Carefully stir the popcorn to coat as much as much as possible, but don't worry if every piece of popcorn isn't coated.

Bake for one hour, stirring to coat every 15 minutes. Remove popcorn from oven and spoon out onto a piece of wax paper. Allow to cool completely, and break apart any big chunks. Store in an airtight container or resealable bag.