Email to Cat      

Caramel Corn

Source of Recipe

From "The Good Home Cookbook" by Richard Perry


Recipe Introduction

"In 1893, brothers Fred and Louis Rueckheim, German immigrants from Chicago, came up with the idea of covering popcorn with molasses. They called their confection 'candied popcorn and peanuts.' But the name 'Cracker Jack' came into use in 1896 when a customer who tried the candied popcorn said, 'That's really a cracker jack!' The term 'cracker jack' was slang for 'something very pleasing.' The brothers loved the name and had it copyrighted. Their slogan was 'The more you eat, the more you want,' which was also copyrighted that year. This caramel corn will remind you of Cracker Jack, but the original formula is a trade secret."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons oil
â—¦ â…“ cup popcorn kernels
â—¦ 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
â—¦ ½ cup light corn syrup
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 cup salted peanuts



Recipe

Place the oil and 3 popcorn kernels in a large, deep saucepan over high heat. Cover and when you hear the first kernel pop, add the remaining popcorn, reduce the heat to medium, and replace the cover.

Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the popping sound nearly stops, about 5 minutes.

Line the bottom of a large, shallow baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly oil the foil.

Melt the butter in a 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Boil, without stirring, until the syrup registers 300° F on a candy thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Stir the salt and baking soda into the syrup. Quickly stir in the peanuts and popcorn to coat. Immediately spread the mixture in the baking pan as thinly and evenly as possible. Cool completely, then break into bite-size pieces, and eat.


Makes about 12 cups