Caramel Popcorn Football Clusters
Ingredients
- 10 cups popped popcorn
- 1 cup pretzel pieces
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup melted chocolate for drizzle
Instructions
- Pop popcorn and remove any unpopped kernels; combine with pretzel pieces in a very large bowl.
- Melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until it comes to a boil.
- Boil without stirring 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture turns a deep amber color and coats the back of a spoon in a thin film.
- Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla (the caramel will foam up, this is normal).
- Pour the hot caramel over the popcorn and pretzels, tossing quickly with a greased spatula to coat everything evenly.
- Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool 10 minutes, until just warm enough to touch.
- Butter your hands and press handfuls into loose clusters about the size of a golf ball.
- Let clusters cool completely and firm up, about 15 minutes.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the clusters and let set before serving.
Good to Know
Work fast while the caramel is warm; it hardens within a couple of minutes once it hits the popcorn.