Spring has Brought Me such a Nice Surprise-Popcorn Popping!

This is a new found recipe for baked carmel corn that is taking the top slot for the wedding favor. It is good and the white chocolate chips makes it different. Our family loves carmel corn no matter which method is used. If you like the simpleness of using a microwave for making the carmel and baking like we use with our Jell-O popcorn you may want to check out our Brown Paper Bag Popcorn too.

Spring Time Popcorn

6 oz Popcorn (my mom thinks that white puts off less kernel husks)

This is equivalent to about 1 cup of kernels.

Popcorn and then top with the carmel.

1 cup of white chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popped popcorn in a large stainless steel bowl or roasting pan. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. (I have also used foil lined cookie sheets-which isn't as easy for the stirring)

In heavy sauce pan place white chips, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook on medium. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a light boil. Place a small drop of coloring into saucepan if you desire a color; mix until combined. Remove from heat and pour carmel evenly over popcorn. Gently stir to coat popcorn . Bake in oven for 10 minutes stirring every couple of minutes. Remove from oven and pour popcorn out on waxed/parchment paper to cool. Break into pieces and serve.

Spring has Brought Me such a Nice Surprise-Popcorn Popping!

We have had fun this week at our house trying different popcorn treats. My little sister is getting married in a mid-May and she wants to give a carmel corn treat away to the guest as her wedding favor. We have lots of favorite family carmel corn recipes, but we went searching for more and tried a few out of our family cookbook as well as some new ones from the web.

For Family Night treat we tried a recipe that one of my co-workers gave me over 10 years ago! The kids loved it. You make it with Jell-O and cook it all in the microwave so this was a great recipe that allowed the boys to help me in the kitchen--Which they LOVE!

Jell-O Popcorn

1 Large Brown Paper Bag

Non-Stick Vegetable Spray

10 cups unsalted popped popcorn (we used closer to 12 or 14)

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 3-oz package of Jell-O any flavor

1/4 teaspoon soda

Spray bag with non-stick spray. Put popped corn in bag. Set aside. Microwave butter in a glass dish 45 to 60 seconds. Add sugar, syrup, and Jell-O and stir. Microwave on high for 3 minutes or till full boil is reached. Remove from microwave stir in Soda. Immediately pour over popped corn. Close the bag by rolling the top down until it will fit inside your microwave. Microwave bag of goodies for 1 minute on high. Remove SHAKE, return to microwave for 30 more seconds. Shake bag. Microwave for 30 more seconds. Pour out of bag onto wax paper to cool.

Enjoy a fruity fun treat one kernel at a time.

We have tried, Strawberry, Raspberry, Peach. The kids favorite is the Strawberry. The Raspberry is tart, the Peach is sweet and has a little tang to it.

This is our first batch-strawberry flavored. Turned out nice and PINK

Parrish Family Popcorn

I call this "Parrish Family Popcorn" because this delicious carmel corn was a signature treat at any party, girls camp, family trip, and often requested by our friends or co-workers. My sister-in-law can't have any dairy while she is nursing because the baby is allergic to milk. They told me they have been trying different caramel corn recipes that didn't have dairy in it, SOOOO I had to whip up some of our good old carmel corn for them to try. We all ate it until we were sick. Makes a grundle so be prepared to share!

Parrish Family Carmel Corn

2 cups (unpopped) popcorn

Pop popcorn, remove old maids.

*This much popcorn usually fills two or three of my largest bowls. Mom use to use her roasting pans.

Carmel:

1/2 lb. butter

2 1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

Bring to a soft ball stage (1-2 minutes of boiling total! If you go to long your popcorn won't be gooey and chewy--that's what makes it so good!)

Remove from hit and add two handfuls for Mini Marshmallows (for me about 5 cups)

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir until marshmallow are almost melted but not quite. Pour over your popcorn and stir until evenly coated.

Then enjoy the sticky, chewy, fun with all your friends!

Brown Bag Carmel Corn

This Carmel Corn is so IRRESISTIBLE!!! Diane Paxton gave us a bag of this for Christmas and we fell in love! I finally got around to asking her for her recipe. Growing up my family was known for their Carmel Corn and it was a party regular. So FAM--you are going to love this one. It's not soft and chewy like the family tradition, but has more the texture of Crunch-a-Munch. Tonight was a Friday night slumber party at our house. A single batch of this disappeared quickly amongst the 2 adults and 6 kids. I dare you to try to just eat one handful, near impossible for me!! When something is this yummy why miss out! I hope you enjoy it!! (Thank you Diane!)

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon soda

15 cups of popped corn (or more depending on how much carmel you like on your popcorn)

Put butter/margarine in a 2-qt microwave dish; melt. Then add the brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil; boil for 1-2 minutes. (Mine boils at 2 minutes, but each microwave is different so watch it and make note the first time). Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove dish from microwave add the soda and vanilla. Drizzle Carmel over popcorn in a large brown paper bag. Stir it or shake it, to coat the popcorn with Carmel. (I personally drizzled it over the popcorn in the large bag, then dumped it into the bag for the shaking step--worked great!) Cook in bag for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and shake again. Dump out onto a large cookie sheet/ jelly-roll pan to cool. (I used two pans-single layered).

If you would like to make popcorn balls out of this recipe, simply skip the brown paper bag step and form into balls.