Homemade Caramel Corn

The question I am asking myself now is why do I always wait until fall to make caramel corn?  This stuff is so darn good and relatively easy that it should be made more often.  We do consume every batch extremely quickly here in our house, so maybe that should be the restraining reason I don't make it a habit of making it!  I've tweaked the recipe a bit since this was first posted and by-the-way, these pictures were all taken on my phone.  They are actually an upgrade from when I originally posted this recipe but not what I typically like to post.  So, at some point, I will get around to taking higher quality photos with a "real" camera.

Updated 10.30.16

The Ingredients:
Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees

20 Cups Popped Popcorn (approx. 1 cup unpopped)
2 Cups Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
3/4 Cup Salted Butter
Pinch Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
Cooking spray

The Steps:

1) Pop your popcorn, pick out any kernels that did not pop and then place in a very large mixing bowl ready for the caramel.

2) Lightly Coat 2-3 baking sheets in cooking spray and set aside.  I used 1 - 11x17 and 1 9x13.

3) In a medium saucepan add the sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt and bring to a boil.  Cook for 3-4  minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda which will change the consistency to be more thick.

4) You have to do this next part with a little speed...Pour the caramel in a steady stream evenly over the popcorn and stir to distribute the caramel over the popcorn as much as possible.

5) Spread the coated popcorn in the baking pan and bake at 225 degrees for about 45 - 60 minutes.  Check and stir about every 15-20 minutes.  You will know the popcorn is done when the caramel begins to harden.  I recommend taking it out when many kernels are hardened but many are still slightly tacky.  Keep in mind that it will continue to harden after removal, so do not let it bake for too long.

6) I like to lay out on parchment, wax or freezer paper on the counter and so I can remove the popcorn immediately from the pan to let it cool.  It will harden and stick to the pan, so the quicker you can remove the popcorn the better.  Once it has cooled to room temperature, you can store the popcorn in an air-tight container for about 1 week. But let's be honest, it NEVER lasts that long in our house.  So, I have to admit that we usually just leave it in a bowl for easy access.