What’d You Do Last Weekend?
Enjoy summer throughout the year by preserving a pinch of it in your salt.
Homemade Cracker Jack
It was 40 degrees outside and I was craving a hot fudge sundae with salty roasted peanuts on top. Spanish peanuts.
I dug through the freezer and found the peanuts, but there was no ice cream, and I was too lazy to make it and the hot fudge sauce from scratch. Jonesing for salty and gooey, I settled on homemade Cracker Jack, sprinkled with Secret Stash Salt vanilla salt. Just the thing. If I'd had any leftover, I'd have gone to the store for vanilla bean ice cream and folded it all in.
Homemade Cracker Jack (adapted from Yumsugar.com)
1/2 - 3/4 c Spanish peanuts
4 T butter
1/2 c corn syrup
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1 - 2 T molasses (depending on how dark you like it)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
10 c popcorn (this is about 1/2 - 2/3 c unpopped corn + 2 T olive oil, popped on the stove)
1/2 - 1 tsp Secret Stash Salt vanilla salt
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a sheet pan or line with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Toast the peanuts until they are golden and hot. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, molasses, and Kosher salt.
- Cook for approximately 5 minutes on medium high until the sugar is completely melted and the caramel is smooth. You can cook this longer if you prefer a darker caramel.
- Pour the caramel over the popcorn and quickly add the peanuts. Toss to coat.
- Spread the mixture onto the sheet pan and sprinkle with the vanilla salt (to taste).
- Crisp in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, if possible.
- Cool briefly before eating, and store the extras in an airtight container.
