Caramel Coating

When I was cooking for Halloween, I came across an excellent recipe for a mix of treats covered in caramel. This would be a fabulous recipe for Christmas if you are doing neighborhood gifts, or if you just like to make sweet treats for the Holidays. For my Halloween recipe, I omitted the peanuts and added plain M&Ms instead of candy pumpkins.



Caramel Coating

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup light brown syrup
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a large saucepan combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter; bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; quickly stir in vanilla and baking soda until mixture is light and foamy. Immediately pour over chosen snack mix and toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely before eating.

The Snack Mixture for Halloween was

3 quarts popped popcorn
4 cups Cheerios
4 cups Chex
2 cups salted peanuts
1 package (16oz) candy pumpkins

Mix all ingredients together, except candy pumpkins. Prepare caramel coating and follow the directions. After the mixture has been baked, add candy pumpkins.