Last year I made some of my mom's caramel corn for a party and everyone really enjoyed it. Someone who expressed being particular about caramel corn said it was some of the best they'd had. I think it's the best, but it's the caramel corn i grew up eating! I've tweaked my mom's recipe a little to make mine a salted caramel corn, but use whichever variation appeals to you. It is super easy to make, plus one recipe makes enough to share with friends or coworkers. I made a bunch for my staff this year for Christmas presents, plus experimented with chocolate and peanut butter variations you may want to try...

Miss Barbara's Salted Caramel Corn

2 cups brown sugar

2 sticks of butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light Karo syrup (red label)

3 tsp Kosher salt or 2 tsp table salt*

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

Abut 9 quarts air popped popcorn, from 1 1/2 cups unpopped kernels

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Divide popcorn between two large baking dishes. In a large saucepan, bring sugar, butter, syrup and salt to a boil. Cook for about five minutes, until it reaches 'soft ball' stage on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda; the mixture will expand. Pour over popcorn and stir until it is nicely coated. Bake in oven for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes.

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

Reduce salt to 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt or 1 tsp table salt, if you want

With the vanilla and baking soda, add three tablespoons cocoa powder

Continue with recipe as directed above,

*For a regular caramel popcorn, use 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt or 1 tsp table salt.