Salted Caramel Popcorn

December 13, 2011 1 Comment

Nothing brings tidings of cheer like homemade delectable treats- not to mention you end up looking extra talented in front of your friends and family. Spend a little time in the kitchen to create gifts that everyone will love…add a sprinkle here, a ribbon tied there, and pretty soon you will have something b-e-autiful to hand over to your sweet friends and family. A holly jolly delight for them to recieve something bomb diggidy, and pure joy (and gloat benefits) for being the superb friend you really are. They don’t actually have to know how easy it was to whip together..or how you are providing them with a healthier alternative to the real deal. Mum’s the word when it comes to that of FireDad in my world- he wants to real deal. But he will never have to know.

Those humungo gourmet popcorn tins are a popular gift to hand out this time of year.. but the problem is that some are made with coconut oil (high saturated fat), some made with artificial ingredients (you know.. like powdery dehydrated cheddar cheese) and ALL are made with more butter than any of us need. I’m not even going to talk about the gorge factor- we all know about that. But this recipe boasts less butter, no artificial cheesy powder stuff, and no fatty oil. Win..Win..Win. Oh, and the gorge factor is still there. Quite a deceitful little treat we have here. I’ll take it

Package your popcorn up in something oober cute, like these Red Christmas Tree Window Bags from The Container Store and you are three kernals away from bring a pro!

Salted Caramel Popcorn

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/3 cup butter

1 tablespoon molasses

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 cups popcorn (popped without salt or fat)

3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 250°. Coat a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and molasses in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda. Place popcorn in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture over popcorn in a steady stream, stirring to coat.

Spread popcorn mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Bake at 250° for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven; stir to break up any large clumps. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Let the caramel popcorn cool completely before dividing it into holiday bags and tins for giving.

Nutrition Information

Serves 18 (2/3 cup, each)

Calories: 126

Fat: 3.6 g

Carbohydrate: 24 g

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 1 g