State Fair Blue Ribbon Caramel Corn

I used to make a different recipe but here in the Pacific Northwest we get too many rainy days and too many sticky failures so I thought I would adapt the recipe and bake at a higher temperature. It's really crispy. I bake at 275* for an hour on a clear day but the original recipe calls for baking at 250* for 45 minutes to one hour. This is the kind of popcorn you want to smuggle into the movie theater and not share with anyone.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 2 gallons or so

Ingredients

• 2⁄3 cup  popcorn, popped (I do 1/3 cup at a time in the Whirly Pop)
• 1  cup  nuts (optional, but pecans are nice)
• 2  cups brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup light corn syrup
• 1  cup unsalted butter (plus a little more for the pans or just spray them)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt (up to 1/2 tsp if you like the saltiness)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Pop the corn, pick out the old maids, and keep warm with nuts in a roasting pan in the oven @275*. Butter two sheet pans.
2. Stir the sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt together in a 4 - 5 cup heavy bottomed pan over low heat until the sugar melts. Increase heat to medium and constantly stir until the mix reaches a rolling boil. Boil 4 minutes and remove from heat. Add in the baking soda and vanilla and stir to make sure the soda is thoroughly incorporated.
3. Pour caramel over the warm popcorn and stir gently (so you don't break the popcorn) until it is completely covered in caramel. Divide between the two sheet pans and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Don't skip the stirring.
4. Cool on waxed paper to room temperature. Store in two zip lock gallon baggies.
5. Hope you love this!