Sticky or Crunchy Caramel Corn

This is one of my favorite recipes. I try not to make it very often only because I have a hard time controlling myself. It is so addictive I want to eat the whole thing in one sitting! I usually put the leftovers in a ziploc bag in the freezer to make it last longer, but I find myself snacking on it from the freezer as well and it usually only lasts tops a few days in our house. It's that good! Save yourself some money and don't buy that Crunch N' Munch stuff. Make it yourself. It makes a lot for a fraction of the price and you can't beat the taste. My favorite version is the sticky caramel corn. It's messy, but it's so yummy and chewy!

Sticky Caramel Corn

1 stick butter (yes, a whole stick!)
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 gallon freshly popped and salted popcorn (To save time I usally pop 2 regular-size bags of microwave popcorn and it seems to be enough for the recipe.)
chopped nuts if desired (I like to add pecans or peanuts to make it like the boxed stuff, only better)

Put popcorn in extra large bowl. Remove unpopped kernels. Melt butter in sauce pan on med-high heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat to a bubbly boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir. Add nuts or other add-ins if desired. Pour mixture over popcorn and stir until well coated. Serve.

Crunchy Caramel Corn

Make as directed above. Preheat oven to 275 deg. F. Place popcorn mixture on greased baking sheets. Stir every 15 minutes for an hour. May take longer to bake if you want it more crisp and crunchy. This will be like the Crunch N' Munch boxed stuff, but better.

Popcorn Balls

Make as directed above, but when cooled slightly, butter hands if necessary and form into balls. You could add food coloring and flavorings before mixing it with the popcorn to have around the holidays. You could have red or pink popcorn balls for Valentine's Day or Christmas, etc. I've also seen people add candy corn to popcorn balls around Thanksgiving/Halloween, but I haven't personally made it that way yet. You could also add M&M's, but wait until it's cooled a little so you don't melt it all. If you're using brown sugar, I'm not sure how well the colors will show up. You might want to use white sugar instead, but like I said I haven't tried it yet, but then it wouldn't technically be caramel corn anymore. Let me know if it works out.



Here is a picture of a strawberry flavored popcorn ball.



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