Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn

I apologize for another sweet post, but Monday is Halloween, so this is the last chance to get this in before Halloween.  It's not necessarily a Halloween recipe, but it can be good for all of fall...or all year long, actually.  It's different than the chocolate-caramel corn recipe I posted a while back.  Instead of popcorn coated in chocolate caramel, this is caramel corn drizzled with chocolate.  How can you go wrong with popcorn, caramel, and chocolate?!

The recipe calls for 12 cups of popped popcorn.  There are several ways you can make the popcorn.  The first is in a good, old-fashioned air popper.  You can also use a microwavable popcorn popper.  Actually, though, you don't need any sort of special equipment.  There are two ways of making microwavable popcorn with things that you probably already have on hand.  One is the paper bag method Sumiko wrote about last year.  Another way is to put a tablespoon or two of kernels in the bottom of a Pyrex mixing bowl, cover it with a plate or a microwave cover, and microwave until most of the kernels are popped.  If you use this method, be careful when getting the bowl out of the microwave - it will be hot!!

A simple microwavable popcorn popper!

Pop!

Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn
12 cups popped popcorn
1 stick butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)
White chocolate chips (optional)
Shortening
Food coloring (optional)

Butter the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan and set aside.  Place popcorn in a large mixing bowl; set aside.  If you're feeling nutty, mix some peanuts or almonds in with the popcorn.  Sorry for the (pop)corny pun!

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.  Stir constantly until mixture boils.  Let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring.  If you stir it, you may end up with crystallization (i.e. grainy caramel).  So resist the urge and just let it be!

After 5 minutes, remove from heat and carefully stir in the baking soda and vanilla.  There will be a reaction and it may spray out a little bit, so be careful (trust me, having hot caramel splashed onto your skin is no fun)!  Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir to combine.  Turn caramel corn out onto prepared pan and spread it evenly over the pan.  Bake the caramel corn for 1 hour, stirring ever 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven, cool completely, and break it apart.

Melt chocolate chips.  Drizzle as much or as little as you'd like over the caramel corn.  Allow to harden.  If you want each piece to have a lot of chocolate on it, wait for the chocolate to harden, break it apart and mix the caramel corn, and drizzle more chocolate on it.  If desired, melt some white chocolate with shortening, then add food coloring.  Drizzle over the chocolate covered caramel corn; allow to cool and harden.

If you're looking for some savory Halloween recipes, check out Sumiko's slime soup and pumpkin pizza from last year!  She didn't post the pumpkin pizza recipe, but it's basically regular pizza made in the shape of a pumpkin with creatively placed toppings.