If you love bacon, this is the caramel popcorn recipe you have been looking for! Be warned, once you start snacking, it’s difficult to stop. Butter can be halved for a leaner dessert.
Original recipe makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) package thick-cut bacon
1/2 cup real maple syrup
3 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups crispy rice cereal squares (such as Rice Chex®)
2 cups crispy wheat cereal squares (such as Wheat Chex®)
2 cups peanuts
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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PREP
15 mins
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COOK
1 hr 30 mins
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READY IN
1 hr 45 mins
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Arrange bacon slices close together and slightly overlapping onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle bacon slices evenly with maple syrup.
- Place the baking sheet in the cold oven; set temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake until bacon is crisp, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Crumble cooled bacon.
- Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil.
- Lightly mix popcorn, rice cereal, wheat cereal, peanuts, pretzels, and crumbled bacon together in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; mix brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt into the melted butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil mixture, without stirring, for 4 minutes.
- Place popcorn mixture in the preheated oven to warm.
- Remove the butter mixture from heat and mix in vanilla extract and baking soda until caramel begins to foam. Drizzle caramel in a thin stream over popcorn mixture, tossing to evenly coat.
- Bake caramel corn in the oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until caramel coating is set, 1 hour. Let caramel corn cool completely before breaking into pieces.
Nutrition
Calories: 1247 kcal
Carbohydrates: 135 g
Cholesterol: 102 mg
Fat: 72.7 g
Fiber: 7.3 g
Protein: 23.5 g
Sodium: 2039 mg