Baked Caramel Corn

Shortly after I posted the recipe for Microwave Caramel Corn, I found this recipe in the Sunday paper - printed from Jollytime.

It's pretty similar, but instead of making it in the microwave, you bake it in the oven. Perfect if you don't have a microwave or if you're running low on paper grocery sacks like me.

Baked Caramel Corn

• 24 cups popped popcorn
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Coat bottom and sides of large roasting pan with vegetable oil spray.
2. Place popped popcorn in roasting pan.
3. In a heavy pan, slowly melt butter; stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly; boil without stirring 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla.
4. Gradually pour over popped popcorn, mixing well. Bake in preheated 250° oven 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, and cool completely.
6. Break apart and store in tightly covered container.

I didn't measure the popcorn - just popped three batches of air pop (1/2 cup unpopped corn per batch) directly into the roaster pan. Since this recipe is basically double the microwave recipe, and I use two batches for that, I cut the butter, sugar, and corn syrup down - 1-1/2 sticks butter, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 T. corn syrup - but if you like your popcorn more coated, just follow the original measurements. I also only used 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. The print recipe is the way I made it, and I think it's perfect.

This is a great alternative to the microwave recipe. It takes longer to make, but it makes more in one batch. It tastes good, too! This stuff just does not last very long.

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