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.

Sweet & Salty...

 I started my "confection journey" by chance.

I had always wanted to take cake decorating classes.

So I signed up for the Wilton Basics at our local craft store.

I started making a few cakes...practicing, reading blogs, checking out baking Facebook pages...

And then...

 I discovered the art of decorated cookies!

And so I started practicing and fell in love with the art of cookie decorating.

When I decided to "name myself"...

I thought, "Do I incorporate the word cake or cookie?"
I didn't want to be "locked in" to any one type of dessert, treat, or confection!

So...I came up with "Sweet Ivy Confections".

I figured by calling it "confections"...I was free to do cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cake truffles, cookies, cookie pops, candy, or ANY OTHER treat or dessert I wanted!  Ha!

Today's post is not only a "sweet treat"...but also salty!

My youngest son was complaining  wanting a sweet bedtime snack and yet nothing sounded good to him.  You know how that goes...when there's NOTHING in the house to eat...

Me: "How about Oreos?"

Him: No.

Me: "How about some sherbert?"

Him: No.

...and so on...

So...I found that I had some extra chocolate in the frig from my last cake pop order, so I dipped these pretzel braids halfway into the chocolate and gave them some springtime sprinkles.

Voila.

The kid was happy.

Ha!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Many folks each year always ask me about what recipe I use for roasting pumpkin seeds.

I have used the same recipe for years and years.

It came from an old work cookbook...one that was put together by the emloyees of the company I formerly worked at.

Each year, my boys and I roast our pumpkin seeds as they make such a tasty snack.

I see many people already carving jack-o-lanterns, however I don't recommend doing this until closer to Halloween.  We usually do ours the night before.

If you have any sunlight and warmth, your jack-o-lantern will rot and cave in and look like a wrinkled old man before Halloween even gets here.

No one wants a yucky jack before Halloween night!

We love putting a fall candle in ours on Halloween night so our whole porch smells of autumn as trick-or-treaters come up the walkway!

So without further ado...here's my recipe!

2 c. seeds, washed/dried
1 1/2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt

Pour in a thin baking sheet and bake at 250 for two hours or until golden brown.
Yummy!