Caramel Corn Recipe

Directions

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 250 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. 2
   Coat a large roasting pan with butter and place the popcorn in the pan; set aside.
3. 3
   Place the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
4. 4
   Continue to boil without stirring for 3 minutes.
5. 5
   Remove from heat, add the vanilla and baking soda, and whisk until the caramel is light in color, foamy, and has doubled in volume, about 10 seconds.
6. 6
   Immediately drizzle over the popcorn, stir with a rubber spatula until thoroughly coated, and spread into an even layer.
7. 7
   Bake, stirring every 15 minutes with a rubber spatula and scraping up any caramel from the bottom of the pan, until a cooled piece of popcorn is very crunchy, about 45 minutes to 1 hour total.
8. 8
   (To test for doneness, take a few pieces of popcorn out of the oven and let cool for 30 seconds.
9. 9
   If theyre crunchy, then the caramel corn is done.)
10. 10
    Transfer the caramel corn to a work surface or rimmed baking sheet to cool completely (it will crisp as it cools).
11. 11
    Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.