Friday Favorite - Caramel Corn

Friday, September 26, 2008, by Leigh Anne

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One of my favorite things to buy at the local Farmer’s Market is fresh kettle corn - yum!

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Farmer’s Market with our friends Larry and Marsha. Fortunately they like kettle corn too. The Humdinger Kettle Corn booth doesn’t just have plain old kettle corn - they have fun flavors like snickerdoodle, honey, maple, as well as cheese and confetti colored popcorn. They even had OSU Beaver (orange and black) and U of O Duck (green and yellow) popcorn in honor of the state schools. No Blue and White BYU popcorn though - wrong state!

After sampling all the different flavors I decided on snickerdoodle and Marsha chose the plain caramel (it was warm and fresh out of the kettle). As we would stick our hand in one bag and then the other we decided that the combination of the two together was too good!

So we dumped both bags into one bag and mixed it together - yum!!

This weekend Marsha and Larry invited us over to play cards with a group of friends so I told her I’d bring a treat. It was the perfect opportunity to experiment with my favorite caramel corn recipe to see if I could recreate that caramel/snickerdoodle popcorn.

I have been making this particular caramel corn recipe for years - I first got it when, as a young mother, I was part of a family home evening group. We would meet together on a monthly basis to create fun lessons, visual aids and treat ideas for our weekly family night- we made copies for each other and shared.

One month my friend Pam shared her family’s caramel corn recipe. The fun thing about this recipe is how easy it is - you don’t need a candy thermometer or have to worry about it hitting a certain temperature. The whole thing is made in the microwave!

Besides being easy the thing I love about this recipe is that it makes a dry, crunchy caramel corn. I know there is a divided camp on caramel corn, some like it gooey and sticky and some like it dry and crunchy. I’m a dry and crunchy girl!

The other great thing about this recipe is the caramel corn is made in a brown paper bag so clean up is easy too. After you cook it for the set amount of time in the microwave you spread it out on wax paper on the counter to dry.

If you want to try my snickerdoodle version you will want to add your cinnamon sugar into the brown bag when you pull it out of the microwave for the last time - be sure and give it a good couple of shakes to get it distributed evenly. Do it quickly as the caramel sets up quickly and the sugar will not stick to the kernels if it is too dry. Then spread the caramel corn out on the counter-top on wax paper to dry.

I decided to make half of the batch (it makes 16 cups) snickerdoodle and to drizzle the other half with white chocolate! What doesn’t taste better with white chocolate.

I actually used some white almond bark I had in my pantry. I melted it in the microwave and then drizzled it over the caramel corn as it set up on the counter. So good!

The popcorn was a HUGE hit at the party and everyone kept asking me where I bought it - not believing that I actually made it! One of our friends even suggested that maybe I should go into business and sell it -don’t think so but thanks for the compliment Dave!

Any ideas for other flavor combinations??

Microwave Caramel Corn

16 cups popped corn (I used my air popper)

1 C brown sugar

1/4 C Karo syrup

1/2 C butter

Cook sugar, syrup and butter in a glass bowl in microwave on high for one minute. Stir and repeat for a total of five minutes. Should be hot and bubble.

Add:

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2-1 tsp vanilla

Mix until foamy. Put popped corn into a brown grocery bag. Pour syrup into bag. Stir to coat. Fold bag over. Place in microwave and microwave for one minute and shake. Repeat. Microwave 30 seconds and shake. Repeat. (Sprinkle with cinammon sugar if desired and shake again)

Pour popcorn out to cool on wax paper.

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8 Responses to “Friday Favorite - Caramel Corn”

I never would have believed that chocolate would be good on popcorn and I love chocolate and kettle corn. Awhile ago Dale and Thomas Popcorn gave away free samples…and I was sold! I’ll have to try this recipe. It would be a fun one to give to VTing sisters.

All I can say is - Yum!
I am going to try this.
We enjoy popcorn and MM’s at our house
just like I enjoyed with your family from way
back in the day. Chocolate
is so good with salted popcorn!

Dumb question?……..Dark or white karo syrup? Love your blog. Enjoy your recipes the best.

I just got done reading your blog (don’t know if you saw my first comment on your Cafe Rio page).
Anyway, I see that you are a huge lemon fan like myself! Thought I’d share with you a great recipe that I made last week. It is gluten free (wheat/barley/rye/oat free), but I’m sure you could easily make it with regular flour. Just omit the xanthan gum.
Here’s the recipe: Lemon Cream Coffecake
http://nograinnopain.blogspot.com/2008/09/successful-summer-recipes-its-been-too.html
I also just made this great “Garden Party Lemonade” today that I will probably post tomorrow, and I’m sure you would love it!
Thanks for sharing all your delicious recipes! I’m excited to start trying them.
Stephanie

irish_425 »
Not a dumb question - sorry I wasn’t more specific. I use light corn syrup.

Thanks for the awesome recipe! Well, I know it’s supposed to be awesome! (and I do believe you since I’m from Oregon too!) I just tried the caramel corn and I cam e up with a question. When I added the vanilla the syrup sizzled a little and then the directions say to mix until foamy. So does that mean mix like with an electric mixer or just stir with your hand and that’s supposed to make it foamy again? Mine didn’t get foamy again. It was only foamy after nuking it the last 2 times. Then caramel corn came out a bit grainy, like brown sugar grainy. Any thoughts? Thanks so much! I’m hoping to perfect it and then play with some flavor combos - with chocolate of course!

Che, The foaming part should happen when you add the baking soda. It will foam up as you stir - I just stir with a wooden spoon and then pour it over the popcorn. I only stir until the baking soda and vanilla are incorporated. Be sure and add the vanilla and baking soda after you cook it in the microwave right before pouring it over the popcorn.

Hope this helps - let me know if you have any more questions.

Leigh Ann-

I have desperately been searching for a carmel corn that is NOT sticky…. like the kind you can buy in the mall ( it seems only in Utah malls!) I do love Joe Brown’s in Portland here, but would love to do it myself. When I find the baked kind I like, I tend to eat it as fast as I can while its hot and then my jaw aches!
* fun to see Larry and Marsha noted here….

Ashley

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