Summer is here and with it come picnics, potlucks, and parties. Treat your hosts or your guests with this salty-sweet homemade gift. Or just eat it while watching reruns of Friday Night Lights. Take your pick.
- 12 C. popped corn (I made mine on the stove, substitute unflavored microwave popcorn)
- 6 T. butter
- 1 C. brown sugar
- 1/8 C. molasses
- 1/8 C. dark corn syrup
- 1/2 t. Kosher salt
- 2 T. water
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 2 T. vanilla
- 1-2 t. Maldon salt, fleur de sel, or other flaked salt
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When it foams, whisk in the brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, Kosher salt, and water. Stir almost constantly until the mixture reads 250 degrees on a candy thermometer. This takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the vanilla and baking soda. Distribute the popcorn evenly among the two baking sheets and pour the caramel over it. Toss the popcorn to coat is as well as you can. Sprinkle the flaked salt over the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, tossing the popcorn and rotating the pans every 15 minutes. Break up into pieces and serve. Store at room temperature, loosely covered or in a tin. An airtight container will cause it to lose its crispness.
We have terrible luck with caramel popcorn. This means we must keep trying. This looks delicious.