Wednesday, April 30, 2014

NEW Caramel Corn Bags.. and Recipe!

 I have been so busy designing and listing new items in the shop....  but I recently have been adding more fun bags like popcorn bags and caramel corn bags. and even cookies bags... I have been making this caramel corn recipe for a while now.. and it is wonderful every time ( this is a recipe I got off the internet ( the link to the original recipe sight is below).. and I did use this recipe that you will see  in the pics for the caramel corn bags... so I thought if anyone is interested in trying some out.. here is the recipe for the caramel corn.. ENJOY!!







 EASY  CARAMEL  POPCORN
Recipe Credit:   http://reviewsbyjan.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-Perfect-Caramel-Popcorn

1 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 bag of light microwave popcorn ( please remove all unpopped kernels)

 note: light microwave popcorn works the best, buttery or extra buttery doesn't taste quite right with the caramel


Now that your pot is ready and everything is pre-measured, add the brown sugar, butter and light corn syrup to the pot, heat over medium heat and stir constantly with the wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil.
Insert the candy thermometer. You want to heat the sugar mixture to 250' which is called the hard ball stage. If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a bit of the sugar mixture into a cup of cold water. If the caramel hardens it is probably the right temperature. If the caramel is still soft to the touch when removed form the water, you need to cook it a bit longer.


Once the sugar mixture has come to a boil and reached 250'F (the hard ball stage. Turn off the heat. While still stirring constantly, add the vanilla, it will make a sizzle and steam so don't lean over the pot, and then add the baking soda. It will start foaming and raising up, keep stirring until it is well mixed.
Add the popcorn to the caramel mixture and stir until all the popcorn is coated with caramel as best you can. This will become difficult as the caramel starts to cool. Don't worry if not all the popcorn is covered. it will even it's self out once it is in the oven.
We found that adding the popcorn to the caramel mixture was easier for stirring because the pot is still very warm. If you add the caramel to the popcorn the caramel hardens right away and it doen't coat it properly.


Once you feel like all the popcorn is coated, spoon the caramel popcorn onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper. We have found that absolutely nothing sticks to the silicon baking mats.
Use the plastic spatula to spread it around a bit. The caramel popcorn shouldn't stick to the spatula. It will however stick to the wooden spoon, so don't use it for spreading.

Put in a pre-heated 250'F oven for 1/2 an hour. The baking process dries out the popcorn and gives it added crunch, plus helps distribute the caramel a little more evenly on the popcorn.
Using the plastic spatula, every 10 minutes or so, spread it out on the baking sheet, this helps distribute the caramel. You don't want to leave it as a thick blob because it is harder to break apart later.
 When it has cooled enough (if you can wait that long) break it into pieces and put in a container.