Salted Caramel Popcorn (recipe)

If there are the words "salted caramel" in ANY recipe...I am all over it!

I LOVE SALTED CARAMEL.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and the recipe was linked to Cooking Classy.

I had never visited this site before but it has some pretty nifty recipes!

When I saw this one, I KNEW I had to try it.

So I did...and it is...A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

So here's the recipe from Cooking Classy.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

• 1 - 1 1/4 cups popcorn kernels, popped (use the lesser for thicker caramel coating)
• 2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
   
• 2 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste, divided
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Pour popped popcorn into two large mixing bowls or 1 giant mixing bowl. In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and 1/2 tsp of the sea salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once it reaches a boil, add sweetened condesnsed milk, then return to a boil and cook mixture, stirring constantly, until it reaches 236 - 238 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla then stir in 1 tsp of the fine sea salt (you can also stir in remaining 1/2 tsp sea salt or reserve to sprinkle over popcorn, whichever you prefer). Drizzle half of the caramel over popcorn then toss several times and drizzle in remaining caramel and toss, sprinkling in remaining 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) during tossing and toss popcorn until evenly coated with caramel. Allow to cool then store in airtight containers. 

P.S.  If you like your caramel corn "crunchy" like I do...just pop it in the oven on a baking sheet after covering it with caramel.  Depending on if your oven, I recommend setting it at somewhere between 250-300 degrees and stirring the caramel corn every 15 minutes until desired crunchiness.  You will then have more of a "Cracker Jack" or "Crunch & Munch" consistency caramel corn.