If you love bacon, this is the caramel popcorn recipe you have been looking for! Be warned, once you start snacking, it's difficult to stop. Butter can be halved for a leaner dessert.
Preparation Time
15 mins
Cooking Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Calories
1247 Calories
Recipe Instructions
Step 1
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Step 2
Arrange bacon slices close together and slightly overlapping onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle bacon slices evenly with maple syrup.
Step 3
Place the baking sheet in the cold oven; set temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake until bacon is crisp, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
Transfer bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Crumble cooled bacon.
Step 5
Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil.
Step 6
Lightly mix popcorn, rice cereal, wheat cereal, peanuts, pretzels, and crumbled bacon together in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
Step 7
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; mix brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt into the melted butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil mixture, without stirring, for 4 minutes.
Step 8
Place popcorn mixture in the preheated oven to warm.
Step 9
Remove the butter mixture from heat and mix in vanilla extract and baking soda until caramel begins to foam. Drizzle caramel in a thin stream over popcorn mixture, tossing to evenly coat.
Step 10
Bake caramel corn in the oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until caramel coating is set, 1 hour. Let caramel corn cool completely before breaking into pieces.
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup corn syrup
½ cup real maple syrup
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups peanuts
2 cups crispy rice cereal squares (such as Rice Chex®)
2 cups crispy wheat cereal squares (such as Wheat Chex®)
