Saturday, February 12, 2011

Caramel Popcorn Indulgence for Valentines Day: Two Recipes

I don't often make and post indulgent recipes, but this is one I must confess and also share. Zac is going on a road trip to a theatre conference for a week in Northern California over Valentines. He is roadtripping with some friends. So for a Valentines treat, I made him a tin of the best caramel popcorn I have ever had in my life. I got this recipe from a good friend, Chantelle Bender. She made this for me when we were in college together. I have never fogotten how amazing it is and have made it only a few times since. It is super sugary and fatty, so it's a very special occasion treat. However, it is SO AMAZING that I can't cut it out of my life completely.

Bender Family Soft Caramel Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients
1 very large bowl of popped popcorn (about16 cups)
2 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 cube of butter- softened
1 c. karo syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Combine brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and karo syrup into a pot. Heat on the stove over medium until boiling. Remove from heat. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix thoroughly. Pour over popcorn a bit at a time and mix well to ensure even coverage. If you are putting it into containers or bags, let cool for 10-15 mintues. Then indulge! YUM!!!

Notes
 It made me cringe to even figure out the points on this one. A one-cup serving is 9 WW PointsPlus. However, it's completely worth every point!

Zac's Valentine's Tin of Bender Family Soft Caramel Corn



Mindy's Vegan Caramel Popcorn Recipe

I also made a second batch with a vegan recipe I came up with on my own. I did this because one of the friends driving with Zac is vegan and I'm an equal opportunity treat distributor. This recipe is still completely full of fat and sugar, but it totally vegan friendly and still incredibly delicious! In fact, I had just as much temptation to snack on this recipe as the other.

Ingredients
1 very large bowl of popped popcorn (about 16 cups)
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. karo syrup
1/2 c. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Combine brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and karo syrup into a pot. Heat on the stove over medium until boiling. Remove from heat. Pour over popcorn a bit at a time and mix well to ensure even coverage. Let cool if you are putting it into bags or tins. Enjoy all you vegans out there!

Notes
This is a vegan-recipe, but not low sugar or low fat. A one-cup serving is still 7 WW PointsPlus. Worth it though!

A bowl vegan-friendly caramel corn


6 comments:

  1. Looks wonderful and thanks for two versions of the recipe.

    Food Frenzy

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  2. Delicious!!! I love caramel popcorn!

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  3. Yummy! I have a caramel popcorn recipe my grandma gave me years ago. I will have to compare it to yours!

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  4. I love caramel popcorn,cant wait to try this.I followed you from the foodieblogroll and I'd love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this caramel popcorn widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about recipes for caramel popcorn,Thanks!

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  5. Hi Zac and Mindy!

    I'm back again! I love your blog and have given you the Stylish Blogger Award! You can get the details here: http://dulcedough.blogspot.com/2011/02/maple-cupcakes-with-maple-cream-cheese.html

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  6. Dulce Dough- Thanks for coming back and thanks so much for the Stylish Blogger award! I LOVE your blog as well.

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