Homemade caramel popcorn

Recipe by @sugarspiceandglitter on Pinterest

Everyone loves a spooky Halloween movie night. A big bowl of popcorn is a must-have, so why not spice it up a bit by adding some sweet caramel to the mix?

Ingredients:

8 cups popped popcorn

1 cup unsalted butter

1 ½  cups brown sugar

⅓  cup corn syrup

½  teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt (plus additional if desired)

1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees

1. Spread the popcorn evenly across a parchment-lined baking sheet 
2. Combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has fully dissolved. This should take about three to five minutes. 
3. Continue to whisk as you add the vanilla, salt and baking soda into the caramel mixture. (The baking soda will cause some bubbling.)
4. Once the caramel has developed a slightly thick consistency, and has a fluffy and light texture, remove the saucepan from heat. Let stand for one to two minutes.
5. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and quickly use a spatula to move the popcorn around to fully coat it with caramel.
6. Put the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, and toss popcorn to break up any clumps. Do three to four 15 minute intervals, for a total of 45-60 minutes.
7. Transfer popcorn onto a separate baking sheet to cool, using a spatula to break up any clumps. 
8. Optional: Sprinkle coarse salt evenly over the popcorn.