Caramel Pops!

 

Oh man, these are THE BEST!!!

If you love caramel corn, then you will {LOVE} caramel pops!

They are just as tasty (or maybe even more so!), but there are no kernels and no popping is required.

To make this tasty treat, you need to find Corn Pops (or something similar - Cheetos brand makes something similar).  They are basically puffy Cheetos with butter flavor instead of cheese:

The only grocery stores in my town that have this brand are Albertson's and Lin's.  And they always sell out fast so as soon as I see them, I buy a few bags.  'Cuz I really like these.  A lot.

Since I buy the big bags, you just double the recipe that is on the back of the bag.

But I'm going to share the recipe here, just in case you can't find this brand of corn pops.  You could also try this caramel recipe on popcorn.

 

Here's the recipe for an 8 oz bag (double it if you have a big bag or two 8 oz bags):

Caramel Pops

1 stick butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

Over medium heat, melt the butter, corn syrup and brown sugar on the stove.  When it gets bubbly around the edges (this usually takes me around 7-10 minutes), remove from heat and add baking soda.  This will help the caramel sauce to "grow" so that it can cover all of the pops.

I mix my pops and caramel sauce in garbage bags, especially since I usually double or quadruple the recipe (I don't have a bowl big enough to mix it together in).  So take two large garbage bags (the one's you buy for your kitchen garbage can) and double bag them.  You don't want to burn your hands and you don't want the caramel sauce to melt through the bag.  Empty the contents of your Corn Pops into the bags.  When the caramel sauce is ready, pour it straight into the bags onto the Corn Pops.  Twist bag shut and shake, shake, shake!

My husband usually does this part, and he usually wears a hot pad (the glove kind) on one hand so he doesn't get burned - that caramel sauce is super hot!

Once you are done shaking, this is what you should have:

Perfectly and evenly coated!

Next, spread out wax paper on your counter (preferably a large space like an island or your dining room table) and pour pops onto the wax paper to cool.

 {We quadrupled the recipe, so we needed our whole island to spread them out on}

The recipe actually calls for you to cook the pops, but I like mine a little gooey, not crunchy.  If you want yours crunchy, you can put them on a jelly roll pan and cook them at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Then lay out on your wax paper to cool.

 

We gave these out as neighbor gifts.  Everyone always loves them!

I will warn you, once you start eating these, you can't stop!