Nothing says autumn like caramel corn. I love caramel corn. Seriously, who doesn’t? And if you don’t please feel free to explain why so that I don’t think you are completely insane. My favorite type of caramel corn is still soft but has a bit of crunchiness and certainly isn’t sticky. It simply must have a great flavor.  Woe is me, I could never seem to find that in a caramel corn recipe…that is until now. *cue romantic music*

I’m in love with this vanilla caramel corn recipe from Taste of Home ^[1]. If I could I would eat this stuff all day every day. Which is why I’ve added a warning in the title. I encourage you to make this recipe, you will not be disappointed. But please, proceed with caution. You just might find yourself having eaten all 28 servings in just a few days with two adults and two small children. Not that I know anything about that….ahem.

Ingredients

3 packages (3.3 ounces each) butter-flavored microwave popcorn
1-1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Pop microwave popcorn and pour into two extra large bowls. Be sure to pick out any unpopped kernels.

Bring brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat using a large saucepan. ^[2]Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Carefully stir in sweetened condensed milk and butter.

Return to a boil.

Remove from the heat then add vanilla and stir.

Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. I layered popcorn and caramel alternatively to make it easier to mix. A great trick is to use a paper bag and shake to coat. Unfortunately I was out of paper bags and used a wooden spoon sprayed with cooking spray instead.

Spread on greased jelly roll (15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in.) baking pans, keeping it a single layer.

Bake at 250° for 40 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

Remove caramel corn from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Break into clusters. Use airtight containers for storage to keep it fresh. I wish you the best of luck keeping this caramel corn more than a couple of days! This would make the perfect snack for your next get together or a great Halloween treat!

This recipe ^[3] was featured in the Taste of Home Holiday Halloween Food and Fun book from August 2010.

Yield: 7 quarts.  1 cup equals 159 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 11 mg cholesterol, 132 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein