Caramel-Peanut Corn

Here's a recipe for caramel-peanut corn I was planning on making during the holidays, to give away as gifts, but unfortunately never got around to.  After making what seemed like tons of cashew toffee the thought of dealing with another pot of bubbling, boiling molten sugar didn't seem so appealing.

But the Super Bowl is tomorrow, which also happens to be my nephew's third birthday, and my brother is hosting a party for his beloved NY Giants.  Me, I'm no football fan, so munching on this caramel corn will keep me occupied while the game is on. 

The recipe is from epicurious.com but I first saw it on Alexis Stewart's blog.  I had a few challenges with getting the caramel to evenly coat the popcorn and peanuts before it started to harden.   Guess I'll just have to worker quicker next time. 

Caramel-Peanut Corn (adapted from epicurious.com)

1/2 cup popcorn kernels, freshly popped

2 cups lightly salted, roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 250°F. Generously butter heavy large baking pan. Mix warm popcorn and almonds in prepared pan. Place in oven while preparing syrup. 

Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until thermometer registers 255°F, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, almond extract, salt and baking soda (mixture will bubble). Gradually pour syrup over popcorn and almonds, gently stirring to coat popcorn and nuts completely.

Bake until caramel feels dry, stirring frequently, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Using metal spatula, scrape mixture from bottom of pan to loosen. Cool completely in pan. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)