Caramel Corn!

This is one of the best snacks for when you have a crowd!  I've served this on July 4th, Movie Nights and Girls Night in.  It's always a hit!  It also freezer friendly, so it's good to make a bunch, keep in your freezer and bring it out later.  It also can be put into fancy bags and given as a gift.  It's a hundred million times better than any other store bought caramel corn.  It does take some time to make, but it has a long shelf life.  So, make it ahead.  This is another recipe from my mom, you can check out her blog, In the Kitchen With Polly by clicking here: www.inthekitchenwithpolly.com

Caramel Corn

For Popcorn

1 cup popcorn kernels (unpopped...you will be popping your own popcorn for this recipe, it's not hard.  And, after you learn to pop your own popcorn, you'll outlaw bags of popcorn in your own house like I have)
4 T. vegetable oil (do not use olive oil or butter)
NOTE: when you are popping the popcorn, you will be working with 2 T oil, and 1/2 cup popcorn kernels at a time

For Caramel
1 cup butter (DO NOT use oil, or margarine)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 T vanilla

Special Equipment:
large brown paper bag from a grocery store
oven mitts
Large saucepan with a well fitting lid

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Get two rimmed cookie sheets, and set aside.  On the stove top, put 2 T of oil in a large saucepan over high heat.  Add 1 popcorn kernel to the sauce pan and cover with lid.  Stand by the stove until you here the kernel pop, this indicates that the oil is ready.  Add 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels, cover saucepan with lid, and vigorously shake the saucepan.  Make sure you are using oven mitts and hold the lid on the saucepan.  (It could be very dangerous if that lid comes off!)  You will start to hear the popcorn kernels pop, keep shaking.  Shake the pan until you no longer hear the kernels pop.  When the kernels are all popped, remove from heat, and pour the freshly popped popcorn on to the rimmed cookie sheet, place in oven to keep warm.  Repeat this process with remaining oil and popcorn.  You should end up with about 20 cups of popcorn!

Make caramel.  Put butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt into another saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk until well combined, and keep stirring.  Stir the mixture until it begins to boil.  When boiling, remove the whisk from the butter-sugar mixture and let it boil for 4 minutes, at this point DO NOT STIR, just let the heat do the work.  After 4 minutes add the baking soda and vanilla, the mixture will bubble and foam up (that's a good sign!)  Whisk again until all ingredients are well combined.  Smells good, doesn't it?  Turn off heat.

Take popcorn out of the oven, and put into large brown paper bag.  Carefully pour hot caramel in a thin stream over popcorn in large brown bag.  Fold down the top of the bag, and shake bag to completely coat popcorn with hot caramel.  This takes a lot of work, but it's SO WORTH IT!  Cover your rimmed baking sheets with foil, and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Pour caramel coated popcorn onto cookie sheets, and place in oven.  Cook at 200 degrees for 1 hour,  every 15 minutes remove popcorn, toss popcorn, and rotate pans.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Break into pieces and serve.

Cheers!

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