(I found this sitting in my drafts bin! I started this back in January and then I lost my job...I guess I got a little distracted and forgot to post it.)
A few weeks back my cousin’s little boy, Chandler, was watching her read my blog and asked her what she was doing. She told him that she was reading my recipes and his question was, “Can Tonya send me a recipe?”. Who could turn that down?! So I thought and thought about what my kids favorite treats are that I make that maybe he would like too, and the one answer was Caramel Popcorn. My kids will devour it, and sometimes I don’t get a single piece. Caramel popcorn was something that I thought had to come out of metal tins sold by kids in various uniforms, but it’s not true. You can make really good caramel popcorn in your own home with very little effort.
A few weeks back my cousin’s little boy, Chandler, was watching her read my blog and asked her what she was doing. She told him that she was reading my recipes and his question was, “Can Tonya send me a recipe?”. Who could turn that down?! So I thought and thought about what my kids favorite treats are that I make that maybe he would like too, and the one answer was Caramel Popcorn. My kids will devour it, and sometimes I don’t get a single piece. Caramel popcorn was something that I thought had to come out of metal tins sold by kids in various uniforms, but it’s not true. You can make really good caramel popcorn in your own home with very little effort.
***PLEASE BE WARNED*** The caramel mixture is very hot and since it is a sugar mixture, when it meets skin, it sticks and it will give you the most horrible burn. It can be very dangerous. So, please do not let your little ones “help” with this one. They can watch from a safe distance and still enjoy the fun. When the kids were really small I would to make it after the kids had gone to bed or during nap time, just to be safe.
Caramel Popcorn for Chandler
· 3 full sized bags of microwave popcorn
· 2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
· 2 cups of brown sugar
· ½ cup corn syrup
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· A candy thermometer or a cup of ice water
Pop the popcorn and sift out all the unpopped kernels.
Spread the popped corn onto two or three baking sheets.
Spread the popped corn onto two or three baking sheets.
In a large sauce pan (3-4qt) over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the brown sugar, and corn syrup.
Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.
Continue stirring until the mixture reaches 290OF.**
Very quickly stir in the baking soda and remove from heat.
Very quick but VERY CAREFULLY pour the mixture in ribbons over the popcorn.
Then stir to coat all the kernels.
Turn the popcorn out onto the clean table or counter top to cool , spreading it out with the spoon - not your hands!
Turn the popcorn out onto the clean table or counter top to cool , spreading it out with the spoon - not your hands!
Let the popcorn cool completely before touching with your bare hands.
** If you do not have a candy thermometer, don’t worry. Every minute or so pick up the spoon that you are stirring with and let it dribble into a glass of ice water. Then pick up the caramel from the water. If it is like a gummy worm texture then it’s not ready. When it cracks like hard candy it is ready. Then proceed with stirring in the baking soda.
No comments:
Post a Comment