homemade halloween caramel popcorn

[image via pinterest]

there's nothing really "Halloween" about this vegan caramel popcorn besides the fact that i made it on Halloween and ate it out of Halloween treat bags! the recipe is super simple and easy to make, even the little kids i nanny for enjoyed helping me make it. i got the recipe from vegan cooking blog, Hell Yeah It's Vegan! I found on pinterest. i encourage you to check out this blog, even if you aren't a vegan. Claryn offers a variety of traditional/family recipes that she then "veganizes" into healthier and extra delicious vegan friendly food!

what you need:

• 3-4 quarts popped corn
• 1 c brown sugar
• ½ c vegan margarine (i used soy free Earth Balance)
• ¼ c corn syrup
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 brown paper grocery bag

do it:
1. Combine sugar, margarine, corn syrup, and salt in a covered microwavable dish. Bring to a boil, and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes. 
If you don’t have a clear glass dish and a microwave with a door that you can see through, you can check by pulling the dish out quickly: if it’s bubbling rapidly, it’s boiling; start timing the additional minutes now. If it’s not doing anything, microwave it a bit longer and check again (before starting the timer). Err on the side of boiling too long; this is a candy that everyone expects to be crunchy, and if it hasn’t boiled long enough, the caramel will never set as hard as you want. 
2. Once complete, remove dish from microwave and stir in baking soda; the mixture will darken. 
3. Put popped corn in brown grocery bag and pour mixture on top. Close bag tightly and shake to distribute caramel. 
4. Microwave entire bag for 1½ minutes. Shake again and cook for another 1½ minutes. 
5. Pour onto a clean cookie sheet to cool. Store in an air-tight container.


Easy peasy! Just POP, POUR, and SHAKE your way to yum caramel popcorn! Happy Halloween everyone!