Amish Caramel Corn

I made this as Christmas gifts for the staff at work. I needed to make something that would give me a high yield and be terrific. This was the perfect recipe!  To Read More, Click On The Recipe Title.
I'm not kidding when I tell you that this stuff is absolutely addicting!! I couldn't keep my hands off of it when I was making it. The kitchen manager at work told me I should bag and sell it, it's just that darn good!
I did play with the recipe to get it the way I wanted it. First, I used butter instead of margarine. I used 2 tsp. vanilla instead of one, then I had to play with the amount of popcorn to get the right ratio of popcorn to caramel. If I'm gonna eat caramel corn I want LOTS of caramel on the popcorn! HA HA!! I made this recipe so many times I know it by heart. I popped 1/2 cup of Jolly Time popcorn according to the package directions using 3 tablespoons of oil. I know the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups...but the popcorn didn't get coated with caramel the way I wanted it to be, cutting back on the popcorn was the key to getting it perfectly coated. I used the 2 cups of dry roasted peanuts and followed the recipe for the caramel exactly. The recipe is a little time consuming, stirring every 15 minutes from the oven ( I only baked and stirred 3 times for 45 minutes instead of an hour)....but believe me, your gonna be very happy with the results!




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My Amish Friends Caramel Corn
Adapted from All Recipes.com

Ingredients

• 7 quarts plain popped popcorn ( 1/2 cup Jolly Time Popcorn kernels, popped)
• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup margarine ( I used butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I used 2 tsp.)

Directions

1. Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
4. Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Bunny's note, I baked for three, fifteen minute intervals.