thisiowagirl - Crazy Good Caramel Corn

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Looking for that perfect crunchy, sweet/salty snack? This Crazy Good Caramel Corn is just what you need. The perfect mix of salted peanuts, popcorn and caramel sauce. It’s sure to be a hit.

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One of my favorite holiday traditions is making goodies with my friends and family. It was a whole day affair. Baking, sharing stories, reminiscing, laughing, and simply enjoying each other’s company. Over time, we have moved away from those baking days. I suppose it’s a sign of the times and life in general.

This Crazy Good Caramel Corn is definitely one of my family’s favorite treats during the holidays. It has the crunch and caramel flavor that makes it difficult to stop eating. The hint of molasses is just the “cherry on top”. I have the serving listed as one cup but kudos to you if you can stop there!

This is the popper I use on the stovetop. It’s been around a long time but hasn’t let me down yet. You can also use an air popper or your microwave but I prefer the stovetop version. There’s just something exciting about hearing the first kernels start to pop and stirring as more and more kernels join the party. 🙂

The popcorn that I popped is a yellow popcorn and it came from a friend’s farm. It doesn’t get any better than that! You can use white popcorn as well but I have found that the kernels are much smaller than the yellow corn. The taste is similar so it really is a matter of your preference.

I mentioned how much my family likes this Crazy Good Caramel Corn. Well, it’s right up there with party mix (I’ll post that recipe soon). 🙂 I always have a container of party mix by the fireplace in our family room. During the holidays, you will find a container of caramel corn as well. We are a family of snackers so it’s great to have these so handy while watching movies or football games. Be sure to watch for more appetizers/snacks under recipes.

So, let’s talk about this caramel sauce quick. If you have never made caramel corn, this will be fun! Right before adding the caramel sauce to the popped corn, you add baking soda. Don’t panic because It will immediately start to “foam/grow”. My saucepan wasn’t large enough the first time I made the caramel sauce and it was hilarious. I stirred as fast as I could to try and get the sauce to not overflow the pan!

I am definitely “old school” when it comes to cooking/baking. Do you see that hint of an advertisement at the bottom of the picture below? Yep, you guessed it, a newspaper and wax paper on top of that. I don’t know what I will do if newspapers ever become obsolete! LOL

As I mentioned, we are a snacking family. If it’s easy to grab and eat at a moment’s notice, we’re in. I would love to hear what your “go-to” snack is. Just leave a comment below. Happy snacking!

Until next time…Cheers!

Crazy Good Caramel Corn

Yield: 8 quarts

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

You won't be able to stop munching on this Crazy Good Caramel Corn. A hint of molasses gives it that extra kick of flavor.

Ingredients

8 quarts popcorn, popped
2 cups brown sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1/2 cup white syrup
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups salted peanuts

Instructions

Heat oven to 250 degrees and grease 2 sheet cake pans with butter or margarine.
Pop the popcorn with your preferred method (stovetop, air fryer, microwave). Put this in a very large bowl for ease of mixing later.
In a large saucepan, mix brown sugar, butter, white syrup, molasses, and salt. Bring this to a boil and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add baking soda, mixing well.
Pour the mixture in the saucepan over the popped corn in the large bowl and gently fold together until the popped corn is coated.
Divide the popped corn mixture between the 2 sheet cake pans. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.
During the baking process, stir the popped corn every 15 minutes and move the 2 pans from one oven rack to the other. This will ensure that you do not burn the popped corn.
Spread on wax paper to cool and store in an airtight container.