CANDY COATED POPCORN with prize and peanuts too!
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6 quarts freshly popped popcorn (3/4 cup uncooked)
1/3 cup cooking oil
8 – 16 oz unsalted, roasted peanuts (1-2 cups)
3 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup karo syrup
1 cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
(To make popcorn – Use large, heavy 8 qt. pot. with lid. Cover bottom of pan with approximately 1/8″ cooking oil. Throw in one kernel. when it pops, throw the rest in. Cover and shake pot often (to prevent burning) until all the popping stops. Have a large roasting pan ready to dump popcorn in. (You may need to dump some out into roasting pan before all the popping stops.) Add the desired amount of peanuts (about 12 to 16 ounces makes for extra peanuts!).
In a saucepan mix 3/4 cup light Karo® syrup with 3 cups brown sugar and 1 cup butter. Stir frequently with stainless whisk or spoon, (NOT PLASTIC), cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1 tsp.,vanilla and 1tsp baking soda. Stir and spread over popcorn/peanut mixture. Mix well quickly until all popcorn has been coated.
Have 2 buttered cookie sheets ready before you start. Divide the popcorn onto the two cookie sheets. Place in preheated oven 275º for 12 minutes. Remove, close oven, stir mixture. Turn oven off. Return to oven for 12 minutes more. Cool and place in mason jars or other festive good grade container. wrap a small prize in foil and place in the center of the jar.
Prize ideas: Refrigerator magnet, decorator sticky notes, tiny trinket box, or other tiny treasure. If you are giving it to a child, miniature skateboards, mini bouncy ball, or bracelet are just a few of the many small gifts you’ll find for kids.
