posted by alsgirl 10-29-102 7:58 PM
Microwave Caramel Corn in a Paper Bag
1/2 to 3/4 full large grocery bag full of popped popcorn
1 cup Brown sugar
1/4 cup Karo light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
Fill a large brown grocer bag one half to three fourths full of popped corn; sift out the unpopped kernels and discard those.
Put brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in a glass bowl or Pyrex bowl, at least 1 qt.-1 1/2 qt. size; the baking soda later will make the mixture foam up to about double in size. (I use a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup which works well.) Stir mixture well. Cook 2 minutes on HIGH in the microwave. Stir with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Cook another 2 minutes on High power. Stir.
Now add the baking soda; stir well. It is now ready to pour over the popcorn in the bag. Roll the top down and shake well. (Sometimes I hold out 1 popper full out of the bag so after I pour in the cream sauce, I can quickly pour in the rest of the popped corn and shake hard.)
Now, put the bag into the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on high. Shake hard.
Microwave for another 1 1/2 minutes on high; shake very hard. The original recipe advised spread on a cookie sheet to cool, but I do just fine with opening the bag, waiting a few minutes, then it's ready for the kids' snack bowls, no problem. The key is in the shaking for even distribution and don't forget the baking soda.
CARAMEL CORN RECIPE #2
1 1/3 cup Sugar
1 cup Margarine (2 sticks)
1/2 cup Karo corn syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
Cook sugar, oleo and Karo together until it spins or threads, then add vanilla off the heat. (Can use microwave if desired.)
Pour over popcorn; nuts can be added if desired.
This can have food coloring added for the season. Ie.: Christmas: red or green Halloween: orange Easter: pink, yellow or blue