Cracker Jack Copycat Recipes

Steps:

• Mix popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl or roasting pan. Keep warm in a 250°F oven.
• Melt butter in a 2 quart saucepan. Stir in sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla.
• Quickly pour over warm popcorn while tossing until well coated. Spread in a shallow baking pan or roasting pan.
• Bake at 250°F for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes. Make sure every piece of popcorn has been moved around on the bottom.
• Remove from oven and turn out onto foil to let cool.
• Store in a tightly covered container.

Steps:

• Combing brown sugar, butter, simple syrup, and salt over low heat until butter is melted. Cook WITHOUT stirring for 3 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla. Pour onto popcorn and peanuts and mix until evenly coated. Bake 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Break into chunks.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Spread popcorn in the bottom of a large, deep roasting pan. Sprinkle peanuts over the popcorn.
• Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar and butter are melted and sauce is thick and caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour caramel sauce over the popcorn and peanuts and stir to coat popcorn and peanuts completely, scooping any peanuts and caramel that fall to the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until caramel and popcorn are crisped, about 45 minutes. Turn popcorn out in a single layer on a sheet of parchment paper to cool completely.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250°; line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Pour oil and corn into a large pot; cover, heat over medium high and when sound of popping slows down, turn off the heat, slide the lid open just enough to let steam, but not wayward popcorn explosions, escape; pick out any old maids (unpopped kernels) and set aside.
• Mix molasses, sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat until the mixture reaches the hard-ball stage on a candy thermometer, 260°; stir in the butter, then the baking soda and salt.
• The mixture will turn a light caramel color and rise up in a bubbling mass; be prepared but not alarmed.
• Stir in the peanuts until coated with caramel.
• Pour the peanut-caramel mixture over the popcorn, which is still in it's large pot, and turn with a rubber spatula until nicely coated.
• Turn out the popcorn mixture onto the baking sheets; using your spatula, spread it out evenly.
• Crisp in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice; turn off the heat, but leave the caramel corn inside until cool, an hour or more; break up any chunks.