the battle of the Caramel Corns

Connie and I go the rounds on this one because until I tried hers, I always thought that I made the best caramel corn in the world! Doug loves mine because it's baked and not so sticky. I now love Connie's because it's ooey and gooey and very simple to make! So, here's both our recipes! The photo is of Connie's. Mine looks like Cracker Jacks when I bake it. Below is another version of mine and it's out of this world delish! It's alway a perfect little holiday neighbor or office gift! (I'll try to remember to photograph it when I make some in the upcoming weeks.)

Connie's Caramel Corn

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

1/2 cup butter

Place in large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil five minutes. Stir in one can of sweetened condensed milk. Pour over 4 bags of microwave popcorn.

My Caramel Corn

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a large saucepan. Stir in:

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add:

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Bake at 250° on a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes. Remove from heat and it will cool crunchy.

OR ~ and oh, is this a great OR!!!

Do not bake. Mix the caramel corn and, while still warm, toss in a bag of milk chocolate chips and 1 small can of cashews or pecans or peanuts. Toss well. Once cool, dish into large cellophane bags and tie with raffia or ribbon, add a cute tag and you've got a very tasty, cute gift that will be talked about for a long time!

Note: This recipe is finger licking good! Prepare to gain five pounds before the batch has disappeared or put on your walking shoes and walk a few extra miles for the next few days! Enjoy!