Ooey Gooey Salted Caramel Corn

This is one of my most requested recipes.  It is GOOD!  It's perfect for a last-minute treat or if you need something to bring to a potluck.  We seem to make some kind of yummy popcorn on Sunday nights.  It's the perfect porch-sitting snack.  Plus it's super easy, you really can't screw this one up.

My kids LOVE when I bust out this retro air-popper.  

It's a party.

In a saucepan add:
1 stick of butter
1 pound of brown sugar
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup corn syrup. 

Turn burner onto medium heat stirring often.  Meanwhile, you can start popping the corn.  I did two 1/2 cup batches of kernals to get this big bowl.  I've also done it using 3 bags of microwave popcorn, and that works perfectly too.

Continue to cook mixture until it begins to boil.  Here's the trick to the ooey-gooeyness.  Bring it to a boil, but don't actually let the mixture boil.  Cooking it past a boil will make tacky popcorn, not ooey-gooey popcorn.  Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of vanilla.

I'm spoiled and have a mom who makes the worlds best vanilla.  That's right, homemade vanilla (more on that later).  The flavor is much more pure than its store-bought friends, which only adds to the richness of this treat.

Pour caramel over popcorn, using a large bowl helps!

 Stir to combine and make sure every piece is deliciously coated.  Finally sprinkle with salt, I like to use a coarse salt.  MMMM.

Oh baby, this is good!

Posted by Tiffany :)