BAKED CARMEL CORN
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Everyone enjoys the delicious smell of popcorn popping, the fun-loving sound of each kernel as it pops and then the taste of it with a little salt and maybe melted butter poured over it. When my girls were growing up, it was so easy to buy the pre-measured bags of unpopped popcorn at the grocery store for a quick and easy preparation. As they got older, they found fresh organic corn kernels and, I have to say, you cannot only taste the difference, but also see it. These organic kernels are thicker in texture and give the feeling of a more substantial popcorn experience. If you have the time and option, try the second type. If not, enjoy the bagged version. Either way, popcorn is a wonderful, simple treat and fun at all times of the year.
When I was young, there was an indoor shopping mall that had a small caramel corn business in the food court section. As you walked in the mall, the fragrant smell of sugary goodness immediately hit your nose and it was always the first stop for me and my family. What a treat!
It was just as tasty as it smelled. They made it in little batches so that each box filled was still warm. Since then, I have not seen many places that make caramel corn.
Recently, I was looking through Mom's recipe box and came across her caramel corn recipe. So I went to the store and bought the few ingredients I needed to make my favorite childhood treat.
I always assumed making any type of caramel would be hard but this was so simple. I enjoyed this treat with my family then put the extra in an air-tight container so it could last all week--even though it was gone in two days!
I am sharing this recipe with you and hope you enjoy it with your loved ones. Let me know how it turns out!
Baked Caramel Corn
1 cup melted butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
6 quarts popped corn
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place popcorn in pan and put in oven to keep warm while making topping. Melt butter in pot on stove using medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to boil and stir for five minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla to mixture.
Remove popcorn from oven and pour caramel mixture over popcorn mixing well. Pour the mixture onto two large cookie sheet pans in thin layers. Bake a 250 degrees for one hour, mixing every 15 minutes, making sure all the carmel is covering the popcorn.
Let cool until hard and enjoy!
