• Cookbook of the Month Recipe – Baked Caramel Corn

  Filed under Cookbook of the Month, Dessert - MIsc
  Oct 17
  
  When I was younger, every so often, we would have what we called “pig-outs.” It was usually when my dad and my brother would be gone on camp-outs, but us girls and our mom would get lots of candy and junk food, and get to sit in front of the tv, pigging out and watching movies. This was a real treat for us, as we didn’t get to have a lot of junk food normally.
  
  As I went to make this caramel corn the other day, the memory of these pig-outs came to mind. My memory is horrible these days, (I blame it on pregnancy brain!), so I called my mom this morning to see if we ever ate this caramel corn at our pig-outs. I knew that we always had Brachs candy, but beyond that, I couldn’t remember!! She told me that yes, we always had the candy, and that it was always just an array of junk food. She said she was sure we probably had this caramel corn from time to time, but she wasn’t sure either!

  So even if we didn’t have this at our pig-outs, I plan on having these special nights with my kids from time to time, and this caramel corn will be on the menu!! I have a recipe that I’ve been using for years that makes a sticky caramel corn, but after making this, I think I actually prefer this baked version more! I actually took this to a “movie night” this week with some of the teenage girls in my church, and it was a hit. I had one girl tell me that she doesn’t usually like caramel corn, but loved this. I went home empty handed!

  Baked Caramel Corn
  adapted from Goodman’s Galloping Gourmet

  1 cup butter
  1/2 cup corn syrup
  4 qt. popped corn*
  2 cups brown sugar
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon vanilla

  Preheat oven to 250F.

  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring.

  Gradually pour over the popped corn, mixing well. Turn into 2 large, shallow baking pans.

  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until fairly dry, stirring twice. Remove from pan and break into pieces.

  Store in an air-tight container.

  *The original recipe calls for 6 quarts, but I found that 4 quarts was about the right amount. In fact, I even had a hard time fitting it all on two pans. I would normally use air-popped popcorn, but my machine has been loaned out, so I used microwave popcorn. If my calculations are correct, 1 bag of microwave popcorn equals about 1 quart of popcorn. I used 4 bags.

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  33 Comments

33 Responses to “Cookbook of the Month Recipe – Baked Caramel Corn”

1. 

   glamah16 said on October 17th, 2008 at 4:13 pm

   Oh wow. I would never think of making this, just buying it.Im sure it was a hit and way better than any store bought.

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2. 

   Maria said on October 17th, 2008 at 4:37 pm

   I just made caramel corn last weekend! It didn’t last long!! It is so good!

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3. 

   Jenny said on October 17th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

   Looks so good Deborah! I love making caramel corn, this looks like a great recipe!

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4. 

   RecipeGirl said on October 17th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

   I love this idea! Caramel corn is ‘on the list’ for Halloween recipes!

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5. 

   Erin said on October 17th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

   I love caramel corn! It’s so addictive. I tried making it last year but wasn’t totally happy with the recipe, so I’ll have to give this a try.

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6. 

   kat said on October 17th, 2008 at 6:45 pm

   yummy, I’d have a big bowl of that

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7. 

   Jamie @ Baldwin Bungalow said on October 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pm

   My mom ALWAYS makes caramel corn around this time of year. It is such a comforting smell to me!

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8. 

   Half Baked said on October 17th, 2008 at 7:45 pm

   Mmmm caramel corn sounds awesome! Great recipe thanks for sharing!

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9. 

   kamailesfood said on October 17th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

   Wonderful fall treat! Caramel corn is one of my husband’s favorite snacks, but I’ve never made it myself. I’ll have to give it a try.

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10. 

    Michele said on October 17th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

    I make caramel corn every Fall…but I’ve never thought of baking it. Your version looks so much less sticky and clumpy than the kind that I make. I can’t wait to try it.

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11. 

    Prudy said on October 17th, 2008 at 10:12 pm

    I’ve made this recipe and it is so yummy and crunchy. We always have caramel popcorn for Halloween night.

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12. 

    StickyGooeyCreamyChewy said on October 17th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

    I love caramel corn! What a great recipe. I thought it would be much more complicated than this. Woohoo!

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13. 

    Kevin said on October 18th, 2008 at 12:48 am

    That would smell so nice baking.

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14. 

    Isa said on October 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am

    Hahah… I have pig-outs with my girlfriends too and, seriously, is the coolest thing on earth!
    The caramel popcorn looks great! Thanks for sharing

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15. 

    Peabody said on October 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am

    Yum, Yum! Caramel corn is so very addictive.

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16. 

    noble pig said on October 18th, 2008 at 12:53 am

    oh the baked version sounds so much easier…I love it!

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17. 

    Gigi said on October 18th, 2008 at 4:57 am

    I never made caramel corn but have certainly eaten my share! This sounds like keeper for Halloween night!

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18. 

    Cakebrain said on October 18th, 2008 at 9:30 pm

    We just love popcorn in our household. This looks like a fantastic way to gussy it up!

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19. 

    Birdie said on October 18th, 2008 at 11:28 pm

    Carmamel corn is sooo good. Perfect for movie nights or sleep overs!

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20. 

    Emiline said on October 19th, 2008 at 7:26 am

    Ha ha, I made caramel corn too. Mine wasn’t baked though! What a good idea.

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21. 

    Kim said on October 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    My girls and I use to do pigouts as well. I sure wish we had your caramel corn as it most certainly would have been the highlight!

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22. 

    Grace said on October 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    i have more pig-outs now than i did as a kid. i blame the added stress and responsibilities and such. i would totally gorge on this–it’s beautiful.

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23. 

    Susan said on October 19th, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    Amazing. And no nasty preservatives like in the bagged stuff.

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24. 

    Bellini Valli said on October 19th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

    Caramel corn is a favourite snack:D

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25. 

    Sylvie said on October 19th, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    What a great treat!

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26. 

    Heather said on October 20th, 2008 at 12:19 am

    ohhh i love caramel popcorn! this looks so tasty!!!

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27. 

    Marisa said on October 20th, 2008 at 4:12 am

    I love that you had pig out nights. I should probably not make that every night for myself when I’m watching t.v. . I LOVE caramel corn but hate the mess it makes the the little kiddies at this stage. So I’m definitely going to try this recipe! It looks so good.

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28. 

    Chocolate Shavings said on October 20th, 2008 at 10:30 am

    That sounds delicious! What a treat to have ‘pig outs’ once in a while – and junk food tastes that much better when you don’t have it all the time.

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29. 

    April said on October 20th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

    Looks delish! I am so going to make this!

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30. 

    Rosie said on October 20th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

    Oh YUM that caramel corn looks wonderful Debs!

    Rosie x

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31. 

    Ingrid said on October 20th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

    Thanks for sharing the lovely story. I hope my children will have fond memories of the treats I make for them.

    For Christmas I intended to make “specialty” popcorn and am excited to see your recipe! Before making and packaging this up I should taste test it first, right?! Just to be sure!
    ~ingrid

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32. 

    kimberleyblue said on October 21st, 2008 at 10:24 pm

    mmm! we made caramel popcorn a few weeks ago, and it was sooo good.

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33. 

    PheMom said on October 25th, 2008 at 2:49 am

    I love caramel corn and have been looking for a good recipe – I will definitely have to try this one soon!

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