Gooey Caramel Corn

Popcorn is definitely a weakness of mine.   You put a bowl of this stuff in front of me and I'm like a piranha- it will be gone in 30 seconds!  I had a friend bring some over last Christmas and it was amazing.  Gooey and soft (and I'm sure it would have been soft the next day but it didn't last that long for me to find out :)  I asked her for the recipe and croaked when I saw that it had a pound of butter.  I even called her to verify that she didn't have a typo.  Nope- she uses a whole pound of butter.  I'm gonna die someday-right?  And if caramel corn takes me down, so be it!

RECIPE

4 sticks of butter

1 C. Light Karo Syrup

2 1/4 C. packed brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 C. uncooked popcorn kernels

* Have your popcorn popped and separated into 3 large bowls.  In a large pot, bring butter, Karo and brown sugar to a boil, stirring constantly but slowly.  Once it's boiling, reduce the heat so it stays at a simmer and stir for 3 minutes (it should be bubbling the whole time).  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and condensed milk.  Make sure it's mixed well.  Pour over popcorn and toss until everything is coated and gooey!  Watch your family as they turn into piranhas and fight over the bowls, devouring as they go!

Tips:

• We used about 3 cups of uncooked popcorn- you may use more or less depending on how gooey you like it.  
• I know there's a lot of butter, but how often do you really make caramel corn?  So, like 3-4 times a year.  Enjoy it- this stuff is worth making, and it makes a lot of popcorn.