Easy Caramel Corn

Here we are on another easy gift idea!  The PTA President and myself had the brilliant idea to make caramel popcorn for all the kids for the upcoming Christmas program this Thursday.  Sure I can do that ... hehe she said to herself not thinking how long it would take to make 120 of these bags!  Now if you are just doing a normal batch this really is easy heck even at the quantity we did it was pretty easy just a little time consuming.  To make it go easier before she was off work I went and popped all the popcorn.  I made 3 brown paper grocery bags full!  I found this amazing recipe for Easy Caramel Corn on Our Best Bites website.

Easy Caramel Corn

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)
1 C brown sugar 
1/4 C white Karo syrup 
1/2 t salt (if you are using salted microwave popcorn then omit salt here) 
1 stick real butter 
1/2 t baking soda 
1 t vanilla

Pop popcorn and set aside. Place brown sugar, Karo syrup, salt, and butter in a microwave safe dish. I cut up the butter into chunks so it melts better.
Are you ready for the directions? I’m warning you, it’s complicated. You might want to take notes. Here we go. Microwave for 30 seconds. That should be enough to melt the butter at least half way. Stir it all to combine. Now microwave on high for 2 minutes. Take it out and stir. Microwave for 2 more minutes.

While the caramel is cooking, put the popcorn in a big bowl. Use one that is way bigger than you think you’ll need. Try to get any un-popped kernels out so you don’t break a tooth. When the caramel is done cooking, take out of microwave and add baking soda and vanilla. Sit back and watch it do cool things like bubble and foam.  Stir it well and then pour it over the popcorn. Mix it up well with a big spoon. I usually spread it all out on a piece of foil and let it cool for a minute so it doesn’t get stuck in one big clump. The longer it sits out, the firmer it will get, but it won’t ever get crunchy-hard unless you bake it.

What I did was pop the popcorn doing my microwave trick (click here to find directions).  I used my Pyrex 4qt glass bowl with 1/2 cup popcorn kernels.  This made the exact amount for the recipe. 

I promise it was super easy to make and put it together.  For the kids we put it in nice little treat bags.  The extra I had left over I put in these cute plastic containers I found at the dollar store a while back.  I can't wait to pass them out!  I hope you make it for someone special.

Kids Treat bags (bags from Dollar Tree)

 Treat for the adults (from Dollar Tree)

Have a wonderful day!!