Cracker Jack! Or Sweet Caramel Popcorn

Cracker Jack still reminds me of being little, being at the circus and licking sticky fingers. My Granddad would also bring it as a treat on Sundays, when he remembered.
This is a non-nut recipe, but you can add roasted almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. I personally don't like to use sesame seeds as they make it to earth, but its all in your taste!


4 TBLs corn kernels
1 TBL cooking or frying oil
5 TBL mix of any of these syrups- barley malt, rice syrup, organic corn syrup
pinch of seasalt

Pre heat oven to 350F/175C
Oil a small pyrex or glass baking dish.
Heat syrup and pinch of seasalt on lowest heat on stove, until more liquid. DO NOT boil or overheat.
Take it off when it is liquidy.

Meanwhile, air pop your corn.
Or pop in a large pot with just a 1 TBL (soup spoon) of vegetable or sesame cooking or frying oil.
Start with 4 kernels and when they pop you know the pot is hot enough to pop the rest. Keep the pot moving on the burner so they don't burn. It's done when you don't hear the popping sound anymore.

Drizzle liquified syrup(s) over popcorn.
With a metal spoon, stir, stir and keep stirring an tossing like a salad until the syrups have covered the popcorn. Add nuts & seeds at this point if using.

Press into the baking dish. Place in oven for +/1 15 minutes. This dries it out abit and gets it crispy again. Remove and let cool a few minutes so you can touch it.
Serve by "cutting" with a kitchen knife.

Store in an airtight container. Place back in oven spread out on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes to re-crisp the next day.