I have been craving these for awhile now but fearful of making the candy coating, I've put it off. It seems like such a fall food- popcorn and caramel and since I didn't get any while I was at the fair I thought I should make some for myself. This is pretty much as far from diet food as you can get- so be warned, but it's so tasty I am willing to put the recipe out of my head while eating it. It's like eating fresh crackerjacks- watch out for fillings it's a little sticky- but if you cook it to the right temperature it shouldn't be too bad.
Recipe:
- Mix 1 cup white sugar with 1/2 cup Corn Syrup and 1 stick of butter (1/4 a cup) into a small sauce pan- cook it until it reaches 300 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer you can do the "crackle test"- drizzle the mixture over ice water- if it turns stringy and hard when it hits the water then it's ready (If it's globby or soft it's not ready so keep cooking).
- Pop 8-10 cups of popcorn set it aside in a large bowl
- Take the candy mixture off the heat once it's gotten up to 300 degrees- add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Pour the candy over the popcorn- mix it all together and let it sit until it is cool enough to handle- don't wait too long or you will be eating it out of the bowl because when it hardens there is no turning back. I think next time I will probably mix everything up and then scoop it onto parchment paper to cool a bit so it is less likely to harden in the bowl. When you can handle it you can roll it into balls- the recipe says it makes 5- 3 inch balls but it looks like it could have made more.
Review: This recipe ends up tasting just like cracker jacks (especially if you add peanuts). Something to remember this is not a recipe you probably want to make with children- the syrup gets really hot. I have 2 children who both broke down right as I put the syrup over the popcorn- needless to say I will be eating mine right out of the bowl :)
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