Last night we had some friends over for dinner and then went to a movie, so I thought caramel corn would be a perfect dessert for us to bring to the theater.  Not that we broke the rules and brought outside food into the movie or anything.  Ahem.  Anyway, this really is a lovely sweet snack, and perfect for gifting if you’re so inclined.  However, you probably won’t be able to stop eating it once you start, so be warned.

Caramel Corn

• 1 cup popcorn kernels, popped (yields 5-6 quarts popcorn)
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liners or parchment paper.  Spread the popped popcorn on top, dividing evenly between the two sheets.  Place them in the oven to stay warm and crisp.

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.  Turn the heat to medium, and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Keep stirring until it reaches a boil.  Let boil for 5 minutes without stirring.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda.  Be careful because it will foam.  

Remove the pans of popcorn from the oven and carefully pour the caramel in a thin stream over the popcorn, dividing evenly between the trays.  We find it easiest to use a ladle, but feel free to pour straight from the pot.  Stir the popcorn to coat all pieces with the caramel.

Place both pans in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to scrape up the caramel from the bottom of the pan and redistribute it to the popcorn.  Once you remove the popcorn from the oven, let it cool and eat immediately or store in a sealed container for a week.