Sweet & Salty Halloween Popcorn

Candy Corn Studded Caramel Popcorn Gifts Make Yummy Homemade Halloween Treats

Halloween popcorn is a tasty contribution to any Halloween party. It makes a great homemade Halloween gift and is welcome in most any office or home, especially during the month of October.

For a few helpful tips on making perfect caramel popcorn go to our Original Caramel Popcorn Recipe.

Halloween Popcorn Recipe

The following caramel popcorn recipe is balanced with both sweet and salty plus it's full of candy corn studded Halloween color.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups of popped pop corn
• (3-4 Tablespoons kernels)
• 2 cups mini pretzels
• 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup butter cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup candy corn
• 1 cup peanut M&Ms or regular M&Ms or any candy coated milk chocolate pieces
  

You'll Also Need:

• Nonstick cooking spray or oil for greasing
• Large bowl (the bigger the better)
• 2 quart sauce pan
• 2 wooden spoons (or other large spoons)
• Spatula
• Large baking sheet
• Measuring spoons and cups
  

Halloween Popcorn Recipe Instructions:

• Pop popcorn kernels (I air pop mine but any way will work)
• Remove any unpopped kernels that may have snuck into the popcorn
• Apply a heavy coat of cooking spray or rub oil on inside of large bowl
• Pour popcorn into greased bowl and mix in mini pretzels
• Sprinkle peanuts over top of mix and set aside
• Now apply a heavy coat of cooking spray (or oil) to inside of saucepan, baking sheet, spoons, spatula
• Tip - spraying the measuring cup before measuring the corn syrup will help it come out easier too
• Preheat oven to 200° F
• Measure out the rest of the ingredients at this time and set aside
• In saucepan dissolve butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and salt over medium heat stirring frequently; bring mixture to a boil
• Boil mixture for 5 minutes without stirring (or until candy thermometer reaches 250° F)
• Tip - The trick is to start the timer at the very first sign of boiling; if you wait until it is at a full boil to start the clock, your caramel will get way to hard or use a candy thermometer for best results
• Remove saucepan from heat and immediately add baking soda and vanilla, stirring quickly as it foams up, sizzles and settles back down
• Immediately pour caramel mixture over popcorn, pretzels and peanuts and mix quickly using both spoons until very well coated
• Spoon mixture onto the well greased large baking sheet (I prefer a well greased tray but some people use parchment paper)
• Bake for 1 hour, stirring popcorn every 15 minutes
• After removing baking sheet from oven, sprinkle the candy corn and candy coated chocolates evenly, do not stir - just allow them to melt a little from the heat of the popcorn
• Cool completely, break into pieces and store in an airtight container
• Soak sticky caramel covered dishes in hot, soapy water as soon as possible, after a few minutes the caramel will rinse off easily

Printer Friendly Recipe

Decorating Halloween Popcorn Gifts...

When it comes to decorating and packaging Halloween gifts, your local dollar store is a great place to get a bag of plastic bugs, some creepy halloween candy, maybe even a festive bowl and some halloween ribbon.

Use these items to decorate bags, jars, tins and bowls of crunchy caramel Halloween popcorn. It's a chance to let out the child within and play with some creepy, crawly, spooky toys and decorations...

You could put this Halloween popcorn in a unique Halloween treat bag (this would be to eat right away, not to store).

You could also add it to a Halloween gift basket...

You may also like my chocolate chocolate cookie recipe in a jar!

The cookies (shown left) are a deep dark brown with pockets of gooey goodness throughout...

...they make perfect homemade Halloween treats. Make the mix as instructed and then decorate the jar in Halloween decor.

Related Pages...

Halloween Gift Basket Ideas

Give a Laugh with a Sock Spider!

Free Halloween Printables