Caramel Corn

 I have memories of caramel corn that stretch back more than 40 years. One Halloween  in the late 70's, my siblings and I trick-or-treated in a neighborhood that was mostly made up of individuals who were over the age of 60, and many of them would hand out homemade caramel corn balls. I must confess, my dad usually ended up with mine because I was more concerned about eating my chocolate bars--and that holds just as true today.

 However, when looking at recipes for things that can be made in large batches, are easily transported, and hold up well in a variety of containers, caramel corn is a great option.

 I also had some great conversations over the last few weeks with younger individuals who are feeling stressed and a bit worn down by politics, family matters, and just trying to deal with things in everyday life.

If this sounds like the people in your life, consider gifting some caramel corn with the following verse: "...that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." (1 Corinthians 2:5)

6 cups popcorn

1 cup peanuts

6 Tbs. butter

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

6 Tbs. corn light syrup

1/2 tsp. salt (use 1/4 tsp. if using salted butter)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line an 11 x 17 sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the popcorn and peanuts evenly on the pan.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter completely, then stir in brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup until dissolved. Heat until it gently boils, then begin gently stirring and boil the mixture for an additional 2 minutes.

Now remove it from heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda (the mixture may foam and bubble a little, and this is normal). Once the baking soda is well mixed, drizzle the mixture over the popcorn/peanuts, doing your best to cover as much of the popcorn/peanuts as you can.

Once that is done, with a buttered wooden spoon or silicone spatula gently toss the popcorn around in an attempt to coat everything, and break up the larger chunks. You must work quickly as the mixture will begin to set up as soon as it starts to cool. (Hot sugar will burn you, so be careful not to touch it with bare hands!)

Place the pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Then remove it and stir the popcorn/peanuts around, breaking up the larger chunks. Repeat this step two more times. Then allow the popcorn/peanuts to cool completely. Once cooled, divide it into cellophane bags or seal-able air tight containers.

Warning: you will need to sample it to make sure it is good, but once you get started it may be hard to stop, so prepare to make additional batches 😉