Spicy Caramel Corn Food

SPICY CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• *Note: Make sure your chile powder is made from 100% chiles with no added spices like garlic and salt or it will ruin the flavor of your caramel corn. I nearly made this mistake once with Kroger chile powder but thankfully noticed it smelled more like prepared chili than plain hot chiles and sure enough, they had added the spices you would want in it if you were using it for chili (but not for your caramel corn!).
• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Divide the popcorn into two large bowls or put in a large tub that allows ample room for stirring so that you'll have no trouble coating the popcorn when the caramel is ready. Sprinkle 1 cup nuts over each bowl of popcorn.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the baking soda. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it begins to boil, stop stirring and allow to boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Stir well and make sure that no lumps remain.
• Pour half of the caramel over each bowl (or all of it over just the one if you're using a tub) and stir each thoroughly, until the popcorn and nuts are pretty evenly coated.
• Pour into a large roaster pan or two jelly roll pans and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Spread onto waxed paper to cool. Serve once it is dry or store in an airtight container.

SPICY CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Lightly coat two large, heatproof rubber spatulas and a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and cayenne pepper.
• Have two large baking sheets ready. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light golden caramel, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the baking-soda mixture (the mixture will bubble up).
• Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Working quickly and carefully, use the prepared spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, as if you were tossing a salad, until the popcorn is well coated.
• Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and quickly separate them into small pieces while still warm. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

SPICED CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread nuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, and bake until fragrant and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand until cool. Coarsely chop; set aside.
• Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (a French nonstick baking mat); set aside. In a medium stockpot, heat oil over high heat. Add popcorn, and cover. Once the corn begins to pop, shake the pan constantly. When the corn has finished popping, remove from the heat, uncover; set aside.
• In a large deep pot, at least 12 inches wide, stir together water, sugar, and corn syrup. Add vanilla pod and seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down the sides of the pan to remove any undissolved sugar granules. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, tilting and swirling the pan, until the mixture just begins to smoke and is a deep caramel color, 4 to 5 minutes more.
• Stir in the popcorn and nuts. Cook, stirring, while moving the pot on and off the heat to prevent the caramel from burning, until the popcorn is completely coated and the mixture is deep mahogany in color. Pour onto prepared baking sheet, and spread in an even layer. Let cool. Remove and discard vanilla bean. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

SPICED CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Place popcorn in a large bowl; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes without stirring., Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture will foam). Quickly pour over popcorn and mix well., Transfer to two lightly greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

ALMOST-FAMOUS CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Put the vegetable oil and a few test popcorn kernels in a large pot. Heat over medium-high heat until the kernels pop, then carefully add the remaining kernels in a single layer. Cover and cook, shaking the pot, until there are several seconds between pops. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• Wipe out the pot, then add the sugar, corn syrup, molasses, peanut oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the peanuts. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until a candy thermometer registers 290 degrees F, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the popcorn until coated. Transfer the caramel corn to the prepared baking sheet and let cool, then break into small pieces.

SWEET-AND-SPICY KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 teaspoon each paprika and salt, 1/4 teaspoon each ground coriander and white pepper and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper in a bowl. Make a bag of microwave popcorn. While it pops, cook 5 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it melts and turns light brown. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the caramel over the popcorn in a bowl, sprinkle with the spice mix and toss. Spread out on a baking sheet to cool.

SPICY CORN

Steps:

• Grill corn to desired doneness, I like mine charred a little. And cut from cob.
• Melt butter in skillet and brown onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and half of basil.
• When onions and pepper are tender, add corn and heat all the way through. mix in remaining basil.

SOFT CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Place the popcorn in a large bowl. Shake and toss the bowl to make the unpopped kernels go to the bottom; discard.
• In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, cook the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter, stirring constantly. Heat to 270 to 290 degrees F (132 to 143 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard but pliable threads. Remove from the heat, and carefully pour in the can of condensed milk; stir until smooth.
• Pour 1/4 of the caramel at a time over the popcorn, stirring until all of the popcorn is covered. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

THE EASIEST AND BEST CARAMEL CORN I'VE EVER MADE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°.
• Spray your largest cookie sheets.
• Pop the popcorn in the oil and set aside. I do this in two batches. Place in a very large bowl. (Plastic bowls work really well because the caramel won't stick; you could also spray the bowl with a bit of Pam).
• Over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar, salt and syrup. Bring to a rolling boil.
• When it starts to boil, boil a full 5 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. (I used a plastic spatula and ended up sacrificing it)
• Remove from the heat and add the soda. Pour caramel directly on the popcorn and stir to coat completely.
• Pour popcorn onto the sheets and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool and break into pieces. Store in zip-top bags.

CLASSIC CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Spray large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250 degrees F oven while preparing caramel.
• Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; mix well.
• Pour syrup over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.
• Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
• Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.

SPICY CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Lightly coat two large, heatproof rubber spatulas, a very large mixing bowl and two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or a thin slick of oil.
• In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any unpopped kernels. Toss with salted peanuts, if using.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and cayenne pepper.
• Have the two large baking sheets ready. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light golden-yellow caramel, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the baking-soda mixture (the mixture will bubble up).
• Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and don't fuss if it doesn't all come out of the pot - you'll have plenty. Working quickly and carefully, use the prepared spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, as if you were tossing a salad, until the popcorn is well coated.
• Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and quickly separate them into small pieces while still warm. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or two minutes.