Triple Trouble Caramel Corn!

MiscNov 046I try to stay away from Google when I’m creating a recipe, because I don’t want to be influenced by other bakers’ methods or ingredients. When I’m happy with my recipe I take a peek, and am usually surprised (and yes, maybe a little discouraged) to find out how many other people have already made my “original” idea.

And RATS…it happened again.  I thought this was going to be at least a fairly new idea. My son, my husband and I were sitting around brainstorming ideas for caramel corn. (I love my caramel corn recipe, but it’s pretty basic, and I wanted something unusual.) I knew we were on a roll when the discussion turned to bacon. What goes with bacon? Maple, of course! And if you’re have maple, you must have pecans, right?

Caramel Corn with Maple, Bacon, and Pecans. Yeah, baby…come to Mama!
MiscNov 043

After we’d sampled it over and over and over, I checked the search engine, and pfffft – it’s been done. Sigh. I guess most things have already been done in one form or another – so I’ll just give you MY take on this tasty treat.

Triple Trouble Caramel Corn!
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Ingredients
  • 6 quarts popped popcorn
  • 8 oz bacon (or more) chopped and cooked
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
  • 2 cups dark brown sugar (golden brown is fine, too!)
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon maple flavoring (Watkins is good, but I prefer Mapleine)
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 250 F.
  2. Prepare two large, shallow pans by coating with cooking spray. (I used coconut oil instead, and it worked pretty well.)
  3. In a very large bowl or roasting pan, combine popcorn, cooked bacon, and pecans. Set aside.
  4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the brown sugar, honey, and salt. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
  5. Without stirring, allow the mixture to continue cooking at a low boil for 5 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat. Stir in the maple flavoring and baking soda. (It will foam up a little.)
  7. Pour over the popcorn and stir to combine. Divide between the two pans, spreading the popcorn mixture as evenly as possible.
  8. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. The mixture will seem soft when you're stirring it, but don't worry - it will crisp up nicely when it cools.
  9. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pans. Break apart.
  10. Store in airtight container.

 

Boil the sugar mixture for 5 minutes.

Boil the sugar mixture for 5 minutes.

Stir it into the popcorn, nuts and bacon.

Stir it into the popcorn, nuts and bacon. (If you’re making the bacon/maple/pecan version, this will look darker.)

Spread onto two greased baking pans.

Spread onto two greased baking pans.

Once you start eating it, you won't stop!

Once you start eating it, you won’t stop!

I implore you to cook up the popcorn in a big pan or an air popper. The stuff in the microwave bags is SO bad for you. I know, I know, butter and sugar aren’t exactly health foods, but at least they are real. The microwave bags have a coating inside that is really gross. It’s honestly not hard to make popcorn “from scratch”!

If you want the plain Jane version (just like Cracker Jack), substitute unsalted or lightly salted peanuts for the pecans, and skip the bacon. Use 1 teaspoon vanilla instead of the 1 tablespoon maple flavoring. Or…gussy it up with a variety of nuts. Almonds, cashews, walnuts…all are yummy.

I wish you could see my kitchen right now. I made a peanut batch first. Then I tried the maple/bacon/pecan batch, but wasn’t happy with it (maple syrup in the sugar solution didn’t work out well, and I chopped the bacon and pecans too small) so I tried again. Each of these batches makes about 5 quarts, so just picture 13 quarts (hey, we had to try some of it!) of caramel corn. Yikes! I’m going to have to find someone to give some of this to or else dig out my “fat pants.”

Think crisp cellophane bags with pretty ribbons and a little silk poinsettia. What a welcome hostess gift this would make!

 

Chocolate Walnut Meringues

Blog7 007 croppedThere are times when I really want to eat that huge piece of cake, or a big slab of pie, or a quart of ice cream. But sometimes (especially after a huge turkey dinner) I just want a taste of something sweet, to tell my mouth that I’m finished eating for a while.

Something light, crisp, and airy. Sweet, chewy, and satisfying. Throw in gluten-free and almost fat-free, and you have Chocolate Walnut Meringues.

If you’ve never had a meringue, you’re in for a treat. This recipe produces little delicacies that look like cookies, but dissolve in your mouth, except for the perfect chewy part in the center. They can be a light ending to a heavy meal, or a sweet pick-me-up with an afternoon cup of tea.

Crispy and a little crumbly, with a slightly chewy center.

Crispy and a little crumbly, with a slightly chewy center.

Meringues cook at a low heat and then are left to dry out in the oven overnight, so you’ll want to plan accordingly. If you store them in an airtight container, they’ll stay crispy for days. They can be piped into any shape you want, which can be a lot of fun. (I had limited success piping the meringue around foil cones to make cornucopias. If you have cream horn molds it might be worth a try!)

I used walnuts in this batch, but pecans are lovely too. You can grate a little dark chocolate in the batter if you wish. I felt the cocoa powder gave it just the right level of chocolate goodness; you can be the judge of that. If you are baking gluten-free, here’s a great list of gluten-free chocolates. I was glad to see that Dove chocolate made the grade.

As always when making any kind of meringue, separate the egg whites and let them stand until they’re room temperature for best results. Use squeaky clean beaters and bowls, and you’ll get perfect results.

Chocolate Walnut Meringues
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Recipe type: Makes approximately 36
Author:
Dainty little treats with a lot of flavor. Gluten-free.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (or substitute pecans)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 5 egg whites (room temperature)
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • chopped walnuts or grated gluten-free chocolate for decoration
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 250 F.
  2. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Chop walnuts (or pecans) finely. Set aside.
  4. Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until they hold a soft peak.
  6. Continue mixing as you add the sugar mixture ¼ cup at a time, mixing well between additions.
  7. Beat until the mixture holds a stiff peak.
  8. Gently fold in the chopped nuts.
  9. With a small cookie scoop (or you may pipe shapes if you wish) scoop onto the parchment. They will barely spread, so you can put them fairly close together.
  10. Sprinkle with topping of your choice. Nuts or grated chocolate look great. Use your imagination!
  11. Bake for 35 minutes. Do NOT open the oven door. Just turn off the oven and leave them in there at least one hour. Overnight is even better.

 

Finely chopped nuts.

Finely chopped nuts.

This is what you want...stiff peaks.

This is what you want…stiff peaks.

Carefully folding the nuts into the egg mixture.

Carefully folding the nuts into the egg mixture.

Sprinkle with grated chocolate or nuts. Or sprinkles!

Sprinkle with grated chocolate or nuts. Or sprinkles!

I love, love, LOVE these little sweeties. They’re simple to make and impressive to serve. Offer a bowl of them next to the pumpkin pie and you might be surprised about which gets eaten first!