Mom’s Gooey Caramel Corn
We ate a lot of popcorn growing up, and sometimes Mom would treat us to a big bowl of gooey, rich caramel corn. My favorite thing to do was wait until it the caramel sank to the bottom and solidified a bit, then turn the popcorn upside down and eat from the bottom. At the bottom it was no longer caramel corn, but popcorn-flecked caramel. Mmm.
If you don’t like it too gooey, just allow the caramel to boil a couple of minutes. The longer you boil it, then crunchier it will be when it cools.
from my Mom
2 c packed brown sugar
1 c (2 sticks) butter
2 dashes cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 c corn syrup
Splash of vanilla
About 2 batches of air-popped popcorn (about 1/2 c. of kernels) or 3-4 bags of microwave popcorn
Combine sugar, butter, cream of tartar, salt, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Cook at medium heat until it comes to a rolling boil and “swooshes” up in the pot. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn and mix well.
Nat’s Notes:
1. “Swooshes” is what my mom said.
2. This can easily be halved. Lucky for my backside.
3. If you use microwave popcorn, it gives it a richer, more buttery flavor because the popcorn is already flavored. It’s really good that way, but seriously . . . there are two sticks of butter in the caramel. Do you really need pre-buttered popcorn?
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Passionate About Baking — January 14, 2009 @ 3:01 pm
You just took me mack to my days in school when the nun’s ran a tuck shop with caramel popcorn which I LOVED! This is YUM!!
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Amanda Perin — April 2, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
I just had this tasty treat for dinner! A whole gallon sized ziploc bowl full!
Okay, Natalie brought me dinner, and this was supposed to be the dessert, but what can I say?! I tasted it before and couldn’t stop!
Don’t tell my sister, but this is better than her caramel corn…shhh.
Delicious!
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