No movie night or game night is complete without the ultimate snack food! One of our favorites is this chewy sweet tantalizing Classic Caramel Popcorn!
Have I ever told you guys how much I love picnics?
Really… I LOVE picnics! And I’m not talking eating fast food on a bench. No, I’m talking about bringing a blanket, real food, drinks, snacks, and some sort of entertainment. I mean, really, what’s better than transporting a meal to a nice location and enjoy it outside right?
I think my love of picnics stems from the countless picnics and packed meals I had as a kid. Growing up my family ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS packed for pretty much every occasion… except for going to out to a restaurant (seriously).
We were and still are that family that wouldn’t be caught stranded without food, ever! As a kid I didn’t always appreciate this, since I wanted to be cool and eat out like the rest of the kids. But looking back I was lucky!
Our road trips, flights, beach trips or hiking excursions always came with a side of sandwiches, fruit, cake, snacks and sometimes even coffee! Just ask the hubs, 2 years ago my family rented a beach house and we packed up an entire Thanksgiving feast to come with us on the trip haha!
One of my favorite memories of this is actually from my aunt and uncle in Italy. I visited them in southern Italy with my dad right before heading up north to France. When we said goodbye and boarded the train to head to France, they gave my dad and I the biggest packed “picnic” lunch I’ve ever had in my life!
We were handed 4 GIANT paninis made with homemade bread, stuffed with fresh cheese, fresh veggies and prosciutto. On top of that we got cake, cookies, chips, coffee, juice, chocolate treats…oh and a whole leg of more prosciutto! Not what you’d call a light train picnic, but instead enough food for 3 whole meals! A superfluous yet awesome Italian picnic to say the least!
So you can’t blame me for loving picnics… it’s in my DNA. Genetics. Can’t help it.
To me, a picnic can be enjoyed anywhere, on a bench in front of a river, on a big boulder in the mountains, on a gorgeous lawn in a park or in your backyard, on a train, or even in the car in the winter (one of Liv’s fav picnic locations). The key to a successful picnic is thinking ahead and making easy to eat non-messy foods that travel well.
Recently, the hubs and I planned a date night picnic at Minnehaha Falls Park on a “concert in the park” night. After a round of frisbee golf, we hiked over with our favorite picnic blanket [amazon text=picnic blanket&asin=B00D9E3GTG], [amazon text=picnic basket&asin=B01M0CH182] and our favorite [amazon text=portable game&asin=B000EGYSKS].
This particular picnic consisted of pesto chicken panini, chips with homemade caramelized onion dip, fruit, drinks and a snacky sweet treat – Classic Caramel Popcorn! Add on gorgeous weather and the sound of a folky band in the background, and it an ideal picnic.
After devouring our food, we set up our totally nerdy, but totally awesome backgammon set and played a few rounds while munching on caramel corn. Not going to lie, this is the kind of picnic I live for ❤️
Obviously this scrumptious popcorn is not limited to picnics! It’s awesome for so many occasions. We have made it for movie nights, Halloween, having friends with kids over, road trips or a house-warming gift.
It comes together with just 5 main ingredients and taste incredible! Now I’m not going to tell you this is a healthy snack because it’s definitely not health food, but with about 180 cal a cup, it’s also not that bad. And if you are trying to reduce your sweet treat intake, mix it with regular lightly salted/buttered popcorn for a fun sweet and salty twist.
This recipe hails from the hub’s great grandma which makes it all the more special. And I know this is the only caramel corn recipe I’ll be passing down to my kids along with the passion for picnics.
Roughly 6 quarts
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unpopped popcorn kernals
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
- 1/2 cup corn light corn syrup
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup cocktail peanuts (optional)
Instructions
- Pop 2/3 cups popcorn to make 6 quarts popped corn. Be sure to transfer popcorn out of bowl into another—to eliminate unpopped kernels.
- Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a medium to large saucepan. Boil for five minutes stirring constantly. Take off the heat and add baking soda as well as peanuts. Be careful when you add the soda because the caramel will get huge!
- Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
- Stir well over popped corn, spread on greased cookie sheet or 2 9 X 13 pans.
- Bake at 200F degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on waxed paper (or parchment).
- Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.
Notes
Caramel corn saves beautifully in an airtight container or ziploc bag for 2 weeks. If you have nut allergies, omit the peanuts.
Family recipe.
Originally posted 2019-06-23 06:00:47.
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