Carmel Popcorn Recipes

Our daughter Heather has started a family recipe blog. All of my daughters' are contributing to it and I will start too, but since it has been somewhat expected that I write recipes on this blog - if figured I would do a couple of more weeks on this one and then send you that way.

This week is a totally frivolous one. I have made Caramel Popcorn for my family forever. I had thought that all of them loved my "Oven Caramel Corn" until Pam announced one day that she liked hers sticky and brought home a friends recipe. So here are both.

Oven Caramel Corn
15 cups popcorn, air-popped (I sort the popcorn out between two bowls so I there aren't many unpopped kernels in the finished product)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Divide the popped corn between two 9x13 pans. In a saucepan, heat sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. Stir occasionally until bubbly around the edges. Continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the baking soda until foamy. Pour onto popped corn, stirring until well coated.

Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Serve. This only stays crispy on the same day unless sealed in zipper bags or very tightly sealed containers.

Note: I no longer divide the popped corn. I just keep it all in my big metal bowl I have that I pop the corn in. I pour the syrup over it and take out one of the oven racks. The bowl fits and and I don't have to worry about getting too much syrup on one batch and not enough on the other. Since I have started doing my Caramel Corn this way - I actually like it better.
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Pam's Favorine Caramel Popcorn
Bring to a boil:
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
3/4 water
After it has come to a boil, mix in:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter
Pour over three batches of freshly popped corn, coating well and serve.
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My mother was never a big fan of my Oven Carmel Corn. She felt that Caramel Corn should be sticky and gooey. I can't find her recipe or I would print it too. I like mine more like Cracker Jack, I guess, but my Oven Caramel Corn is better than anything store bought. The hardest part about my recipe is waiting for the hour!

I wasn't going to continue with my thankful list. I felt like I was starting to repeat myself. But for the last few days I have truly been thankful for: thermal underwear, my slipper boots I bought with Pam from Old Navy, my very heavy winter coat, with my fur lined gloves and my hat I bought in Vegas when we were all there together and my knee high boots. If you can't tell from the list - It is cold!