Mels Caramel Corn Recipes

SOFT CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Place the popcorn in a large bowl. Shake and toss the bowl to make the unpopped kernels go to the bottom; discard.
• In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, cook the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter, stirring constantly. Heat to 270 to 290 degrees F (132 to 143 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard but pliable threads. Remove from the heat, and carefully pour in the can of condensed milk; stir until smooth.
• Pour 1/4 of the caramel at a time over the popcorn, stirring until all of the popcorn is covered. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Spray large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250 degrees F oven while preparing caramel.
• Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; mix well.
• Pour syrup over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.
• Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
• Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.

MY AMISH FRIEND'S CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

MEL'S CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Prepare each bag of popcorn in microwave according to package directions.
• Once popcorn is popped, mix it with nuts in a very large bowl.
• While popcorn is popping, you can put remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour mixture over popcorn & nuts and mix immediately and well.
• Spread on cookie sheet to dry.

CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Prepare popcorn in microwave according to package directions. Pour popcorn into 1 or 2 large bowls. (You will need plenty of room to toss with hot sugar mixture.)
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add water, sugar and cinnamon, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Be careful; the sugar mixture is extremely hot! Pour half of mixture over the popcorn. Carefully stir or toss to combine. Add remaining sugar mixture and combine. Serve.

GOURMET CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Place popped corn and nuts in a very large container.
• In a saucepan combine sugars, margarine, salt, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and boil on medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally, be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and stir in flavorings. Add baking soda. Stir quickly. Pour over popcorn and nuts and mix well, coating the popcorn.
• Spread popcorn in large flat pans such as jelly roll pans. Bake in a 250 degree oven for one hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Remove from oven after one hour and stir as mixture cools, breaking up any large clumps of popcorn.

OVEN CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Pour popcorn into a very large bowl.
• Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until mixture begins to bubble, but not boil, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda carefully. Pour over popcorn; mix until evenly coated.
• Spread coated popcorn on 2 jelly roll pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until a cooled piece of popcorn is crunchy, about 1 hour.

CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Pop popcorn according to package directions.
• Have two bowls ready.
• Pour popcorn in one bowl.
• Gently Shake the bowl to get the seeds to the bottom of the bowl.
• Remove popcorn slowly into the second bowl leaving seeds in the 1st bowl.
• Toss seeds. Repeat with the second and third bag.
• Prepare 2 baking sheets with a baking mat or parchment paper.
• Preheat oven to 250*F
• In a pot, add butter and cook over medium heat until melted.
• Add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
• Bring to a boil and cook for an additional 4 minutes, stirring regularly so caramel doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.
• After 4 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the pan from heat.
• Add vanilla extract and be prepared for the mixture to spit at you. Stir to incorporate.
• Add baking soda and stir. Mixture will become fluffy and increase in volume.
• Pour caramel mixture over your prepared popcorn.
• Stir well, careful not to touch the caramel mixture to your skin or it will burn you.
• Spread caramel corn on baking sheets, dividing mixture between the two sheets.
• Evenly space the racks in your oven so you can get both in there at the same time, one on top and one on bottom.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove caramel corn, and stir. Place back in oven on the opposite oven shelf.
• Repeat 15 minute baking and stirring intervals until caramel corn has been baked 2 times total.
• Remove from the oven, stir and let cool.
• I like to stir again after caramel corn has been out of the oven for 5 minutes to prevent clumping.
• Serve once cool.

SISTER MABEL'S CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• In 2½ quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream of tartar, and salt. Bring to boil, stirring over medium high heat.
• Stirring constantly, boil rapidly until mixture reaches 260° on candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda quickly but thoroughly. It will bubble!
• Pour at once over popped corn in large baking pan. Stir gently until all kernels are coated. If you are doubling it you will need someone to help you do this FAST. Bake at 200° for 1 hour, stirring 2 or 3 times during baking.
• Turn out at once on wax paper. Spread apart and allow to cool completely. Break into small clusters. Store in tightly-covered containers.

OLD FASHIONED MOLASSES "CARAMEL" CORN

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 250 deg.
• Place butter in a medium pot, on medium heat.
• While the butter's melting, pop the corn and put it in a large roasting pan. I used a disposable aluminum pan and a hot air popper (you won't need to butter the pan).
• Keep an eye on the butter and add the sugar, molasses, and salt to it as soon as its melted.
• Bring the candy to a boil and stir and cook it only till the sugar melts and the butter blends in entirely - just a couple minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir the vanilla and peanuts into the candy.
• Quickly add the baking soda and stir untill it's well mixed. It foams to make a lighter, more delicate candy.
• Pour the candy over the popcorn and toss untill it's evenly coated.
• Put the popcorn in the oven for 1 hour, tossing every 15 or 20 minutes.
• Let it cool completely before breaking up and putting into an airtight container.
• I developed this recipe by hacking others because I couldn't find another to suit me. I made this for Christmas treats and it was INHALED, you'll find it tastes like Cracker Jack; that candy is made with molasses, not corn syrup, I got a box yersterday to compare.
• You can easily double this, but double the baking time too.

CARAMEL CORN II

Steps:

• Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a 4 quart saucepan, and heat over high heat. When oil is hot, add 1/2 cup of popping corn. Keep pan moving constantly. When corn stops popping, remove from heat. Repeat until all corn has been popped. Place popped corn into a buttered bowl.
• In a 3 quart saucepan, combine sugar, salt, butter, dark corn syrup, and water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in vinegar. Boil sugar mixture to hard ball stage, 248 degrees F (118 degrees C). Remove caramel from heat. Stir in soda. Beat to thoroughly dissolve the soda.
• Pour hot caramel over popcorn, and quickly stir into popcorn; work quickly for the caramel sets up fast. Spread out on wax paper to cool. Store in a tightly covered container.