Chocolate Caramel Corn Food

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Pop the corn by your usual method, but use no oil and add no salt. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a heavy bottomed saucepan large enough to hold the popped corn. Clip a thermometer to the side of the pan, place the pan over medium-high heat, and heat, without stirring, until the mixture registers 311°F. Stir in the baking soda, taking care, as it will cause the mixture to bubble up, then quickly add the popcorn and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon to coat the corn evenly with the caramel. Scrape the caramel corn onto the prepared baking pan, pushing it out evenly over the bottom of the pan to avoid clumping. Let cool completely. Once cool, break up any clumps with your hands.
• Transfer the caramel corn to a large bowl. Gradually ladle the chocolate over the caramel corn while stirring with a wooden spoon to coat evenly. Continue stirring until all of the corn is nicely covered. Let cool completely.
• Serve immediately, or store, tightly covered, in a cool spot for a day or two.

ULTIMATE CARAMEL CHOCOLATE POPCORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°. Place popcorn and nuts in a greased roasting pan; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir 5 minutes. , Remove from heat; stir in baking soda (mixture will foam). Quickly pour over popcorn and mix well., Transfer to two greased 15x10X1-in. baking pans. , Bake 1 hour or until dry, stirring every 15 minutes., In a microwave, melt each chocolate separately, adding 1 teaspoon shortening to each 1/2 cup chips; stir until smooth. Drizzle over popcorn mixture; let stand until set., Break into clusters. Store in an airtight container.,

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200°F. Remove any unpopped kernels from popcorn. In very large roasting pan or very large bowl, place popcorn and nuts, or divide popcorn and nuts between 2 ungreased 13x9-inch pans.
• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking 5 minutes without stirring; remove from heat. Stir in baking soda until foamy.
• Pour sugar mixture over popcorn mixture; toss until evenly coated. If using bowl, transfer mixture to 2 ungreased 13x9-inch pans. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on foil or cooking parchment paper. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In medium bowl, place 3 cups popcorn mixture. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle chocolate evenly over 3 cups popcorn mixture; toss gently to thoroughly coat popcorn. Spread in single layer on foil or cooking parchment paper. Cool about 2 hours or until chocolate is firm. Add chocolate-covered popcorn mixture to remaining popcorn mixture; toss gently to combine. Store tightly covered.

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CORN

Steps:

• Grease cookie sheets.
• Place popcorn and peanuts in a paper bag. Set aside.
• In a microwave safe bowl, combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Microwave 4 minutes, until bubbly. Stir in baking soda. Pour over popcorn mixture and shake bag to coat.
• Roll down edges of bag and place bag in microwave. Heat for 2 minutes, shaking three times to mix. Spread mixture onto prepared sheets to cool.
• In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and shortening. Microwave 90 seconds, stirring once, until melted. Drizzle over popcorn mixture. Let cool before serving.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Place 1 bag popcorn in the microwave; cook on high until popping begins to slow down, about 2 1/2 minutes. Repeat with remaining bags. Open bags carefully; divide popcorn between 2 shallow baking dishes. Mix in peanuts.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Combine brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring enough to blend. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in vanilla extract and baking soda until mixture is light and foamy.
• Pour brown sugar mixture over the popcorn-peanut mixture; stir to coat.
• Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 25 minutes, until a cooled piece of popcorn is crunchy, about 1 hour.
• Line a flat work surface with waxed paper. Pour popcorn onto the waxed paper. Break up any large clusters.
• Melt chocolate almond bark in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting, 1 to 3 minutes. Pour into a resealable plastic bag; snip off 1 corner. Drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn. Let popcorn cool completely.

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL POPCORN RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 225ºF.
• Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray. Combine popcorn and nuts in large bowl.
• Bring chocolate, sugar, corn syrup and butter to boil in saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Pour over popcorn mixture; toss to evenly coat. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Pop the popcorn. I like to use a hot-air popper but you can pop it any way you like.
• To make the caramel: Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until light golden brown. We use a large pan so that there will be room to add the popcorn. Use a wooden spoon to stir the popcorn into the caramel until it is evenly coated. Pour the caramelized popcorn onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow it to cool. When cool, use your hands to break up any clumps.
• Place the cool popcorn in a large bowl. Use a ladle to drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn, stirring with a wooden spoon as you go. Keep adding chocolate until the popcorn is evenly coated. Pour the chocolate-coated popcorn onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow it to cool. When it is cool, place it in decorative bags to give as gifts.
• Tip: You can also use milk chocolate and/or white chocolate to coat the popcorn. The process is always the same.
• Be careful when you work with the caramel. It is very hot and can burn! As always, when working with caramel, have a bowl of ice-cold water next to you in case you get caramel on your hands.

SALTED CHOCOLATE CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250.
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside.
• Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl; set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt; stir until it starts to boil.
• Let boil for 2 minutes without stirring.
• Mix in baking soda and vanilla; mix until thoroughly combined.
• Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat.
• Add in chocolate chips and mix with a wooden spoon until chocolate is melted and thoroughly combined.
• Spread popcorn over prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove, sprinkle with sea salt and let cool.
• Garnish with chocolate chips and serve.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Prepare Caramel Corn:.
• Combine brown sugar, butter, syrup and salt in a saucepan.
• Boil 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add the baking soda and vanilla.
• Stir well and then pour over popped corn in a large roaster.
• If you have to put into two large tinfoil buttered roasters, it will be easier to stir in two pans.
• Bake in oven at 250 degrees for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Pour onto waxed paper and cool.
• Break up into pieces.
• Chocolate Coating:.
• Melt chips, marshmallows, butter and water for about four minutes in the microwave, stirring until smooth.
• You can do this on the stove top too, just melt until very smooth.
• Place the cooled caramel corn and peanuts, if using, in a large roasting pan or on a large cookie sheet, single layer, and drizzle chocolate over lightly. Using a baggy with the corner snipped off, will help drizzling the coating over top.

CARAMEL CORN CHOCOLATE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine caramel corn, pecans and 1 cup marshmallows. In a small heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add chips and remaining marshmallows; cook and stir until smooth. , Pour over caramel corn mixture; toss to coat. With buttered hands, press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. pan. Cool. Cut with a serrated knife.

EASY CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Place the caramels, butter, and water in a heavy saucepan. Cook on low heat until the caramels are completely melted, stirring frequently.
• Combine the popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl. Make sure to remove all unpopped kernels. Drizzle with the caramel mixture; toss to evenly coat. Spread onto a large greased baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10. Sprinkle with chocolate; toss using two spoons until well mixed. Spread onto a sheet of waxed paper; cool completely.
• Break apart until small clusters or individual pieces. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to one week.

SOFT CHOCOLATE CARAMELS

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, stir the sugar and corn syrup together until the sugar is completely moistened. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook, without stirring, until it turns a very light caramel color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and very slowly pour the cream into the hot sugar (be careful-it will bubble up) and stir to combine. Return the mixture to medium-low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer inserted in the pot reads 238 degrees F, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter until smooth. Pour the mixture into a greased 8-by-8 inch square baking dish. Allow to cool completely (at least 2 hours) before cutting into 1-inch squares.
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.
• From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home, by Jacques Torres.