Description
Crunchy caramel-coated popcorn with peanuts, baked to perfection. A classic homemade treat!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or coconut oil)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted, your preference!)
- 1/2 cup pretzel sticks, broken into small pieces
- 1/2 cup other nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans), roughly chopped
Instructions
- Choose a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- Pour the vegetable oil into the pot and add the popcorn kernels. Make sure the kernels are in a single layer at the bottom of the pot.
- Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat to medium. Wait for a few kernels to pop. Once you hear those first pops, immediately remove the pot from the heat for about 30 seconds.
- Return the pot to the heat and continue cooking, shaking the pot occasionally to prevent burning. Listen carefully! The popping will start to slow down. Once the popping slows to about 2-3 seconds between pops, remove the pot from the heat immediately.
- Pour the popped popcorn into a very large bowl. Be careful to avoid any unpopped kernels at the bottom of the pot.
- Give the popcorn a quick once-over and remove any unpopped kernels that may have made their way into the bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, light corn syrup, butter, and water.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil, without stirring, until it reaches the hard-crack stage (300-310°F) on a candy thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can test it by dropping a small amount of the caramel into a bowl of cold water. If it forms hard, brittle threads, it’s ready.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately stir in the baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt. Be careful, the mixture will bubble up vigorously when you add the baking soda!
- Stir until the baking soda is fully incorporated and the caramel is smooth and glossy.
- Preheat your oven to 250°F (120°C).
- Add the roasted peanuts (and any other optional add-ins like pretzels or other nuts) to the bowl of popcorn. Toss everything together to distribute the peanuts evenly throughout the popcorn.
- Pour the hot caramel over the popcorn and peanut mixture. Work quickly to coat everything evenly.
- Spread the caramel-coated popcorn mixture in a single layer onto two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to ensure even baking and prevent burning.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the Cracker Jack cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Once the Cracker Jack is completely cool, break it into bite-sized pieces.
Notes
- Store your homemade Cracker Jack in an airtight container at room temperature. It will stay fresh for about a week (if it lasts that long!).
- Use fresh popcorn kernels.
- Don’t overcook the caramel. Use a candy thermometer for best results.
- Stir frequently while baking.
- Let it cool completely.
- Customize it! Feel free to add your favorite nuts, pretzels, or even chocolate chips to make it your own.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes