| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cups popped corn, see cook’s note
- 1/2 cup toasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Pour the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Carefully pour the water around the walls of the pan, trying not to splash any sugar onto the walls. Do not stir; gently draw your finger twice through the center of the sugar, making a cross, to moisten it.
- Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring until golden caramel, about 10 to 15 minutes and the temperature reaches 320 to 330 degrees F. Swirl the mixture occasionally to even out the color. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter then the popcorn, peanuts, and cherries.
- Pour onto a silpat or buttered sheet pan and let cool a few minutes then start breaking it up into clusters, working quickly, so it doesn’t harden and you don’t burn yourself. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Notes: I use Black Diamond Popcorn with its petit size “hulless” kernel. To pop corn properly, place the kernels in a heavy-bottomed large pot and cover them with oil. Put the lid on and cook on high until you hear the first pop. Immediately take it off the heat and let it sit 1 minute. Then return it to the heat and finish popping, shaking the pan the whole time. I don’t know why this is better, but this is what my dad does, and his popcorn was always the best.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 311 |
| Total Fat | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 57 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 4 mg |
| Sodium | 5 mg |
Reviews
Very good. Ingredients and methods…clear and precise. Read other evals…am offering another variation. Replace peanuts with macademia nuts…chopped. Terrific.
Thanks Gale.
Annie, Fremont, CA
Thanks Gale.
Annie, Fremont, CA
I loved this recipe! I made it for movie night with the fam. I didnt add the cherries and nut but it was still incredible and it makes a lot! Love you Gale Gand!!!
I was looking for a caramel recipie that didn’t have corn syrup in it! This is a fantastic “base” I didn’t have nuts,so I added 1 extra tbs. of butter and some extract(almond) at the end! REALLY good! next time I will add nuts etc… reminds me of cracker jacks or old fashioned caramel corn! just watch the sugar mix and you can’t screw this up! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
We had tried another recipe which had failed, so we were looking for a rally good one. This one uses less butter and was easier. I liked the fact that we were given a precise temperature range ( the other recipe had been very vague).
We did use dried cranberries, sugared almonds and toasted pecans instead od peanuts and cherries. Rave reviews from the recipients!
We did use dried cranberries, sugared almonds and toasted pecans instead od peanuts and cherries. Rave reviews from the recipients!