Caramel Corn with Peanuts and Dried Cherries

Name: Caramel Corn with Peanuts and Dried Cherries
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp butter; 118 milliliters dried cherries; 118 milliliters toasted peanuts; 946 milliliters popped corn, see cooks note; 473 milliliters sugar; 158 milliliters water

Caramel Corn with Peanuts and Dried Cherries might be just the hor d'oeuvre you are searching for. This recipe covers 4% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. Watching your figure? This gluten free and vegetarian recipe has 303 calories, 4g of protein, and 6g of fat per serving. This recipe serves 8. If you have popped corn, cherries, peanuts, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 35 minutes.

Instructions

Pour the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Carefully pour the water around the walls of the pan, trying not to splash any sugar onto the walls. Do not stir; gently draw your finger twice through the center of the sugar, making a cross, to moisten it.

Ingredients you will need

Candy

Sugar

Water

Equipment you will use

Candy Thermometer

Sauce Pan

Frying Pan

Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring until golden caramel, about 10 to 15 minutes and the temperature reaches 320 to 330 degrees F. Swirl the mixture occasionally to even out the color. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter then the popcorn, peanuts, and cherries.

Ingredients you will need

Cherries

Caramel

Peanuts

Popcorn

Butter

Pour onto a silpat or buttered sheet pan and let cool a few minutes then start breaking it up into clusters, working quickly, so it doesn't harden and you don't burn yourself. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Notes: I use Black Diamond Popcorn with its petit size "hulless" kernel. To pop corn properly, place the kernels in a heavy-bottomed large pot and cover them with oil.

Ingredients you will need

Popcorn

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Pot

Put the lid on and cook on high until you hear the first pop. Immediately take it off the heat and let it sit 1 minute. Then return it to the heat and finish popping, shaking the pan the whole time. I don't know why this is better, but this is what my dad does, and his popcorn was always the best.

Ingredients you will need

Popcorn

Pop

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan