Rapadura Carmel Popcorn

My daughter Emma invented this recipe on movie night last fall, and since it’s similar to a candy recipe, with specific instructions on boiling, I didn’t expect it to work with rapadura and honey – but it did!  Good job, Emma – it’s a real treat!  (And I never would have thought of it.)

8 cups popped popcorn

3/4 cup rapadura

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Butter 2 9×13 baking pans and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place the popcorn in a large mixing bowl.

In a heavy saucepan mix the butter, honey and rapadura.  Cook and stir over medium heat until it boils.  Then turn the heat down a little and continue boiling, without stirring, for 5 more minutes.

Remove the pan from heat.  Stir in the baking soda and vanilla, and pour the whole mixture over the popcorn, stirring to coat.

Pour the popcorn into the prepared 9×13 pans and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the pan onto buttered foil to cool.   Makes 8 cups.