Texas Longhorn Crunch

Some of my favorite memories as an adult were spent living in the Tennessee Valley with my husband. The scenary was absolutely gorgeous and the seasons were long and beautiful. Every Fall, my parents would drive up from Texas and spend a week when the leaves were beginning to change. They loved it so much they would even take the 15 hour drive back in a couple of weeks to spend Thanksgiving week with us. Mom and Dad would come bearing homemade goodies like Daddy's lipsmacking bbq sauce or Mom's CinnaMOMsters, and they always had 20+ pounds of good ol' Texas pecans for cracking. Each Fall visit my Daddy could be found on my back porch cracking pecans for our holiday baking while enjoying the beautiful mountain scenary. Sometimes I wonder if he ate as many of those pecans as he gave...hmmm. Those are my precious memories and I wouldn't change a single one. My Daddy passed away Father's Day weekend 2007. I have no regrets, he knew how very much I loved him. This beautiful Fall weekend, I just had to make one of my Daddy's favorite Fall treats, homemade Caramel Corn. The basic recipe for the caramel corn is my mom's recipe. I hope you will try this recipe and will make many memories with your family popping the corn and waiting with a watering mouth as it roasts away! Enjoy! (Later tonight I will be posting my grand finishing touch to make this my famous Texas Longhorn Much!)

Caramel Corn Ingredients:
1 cup popcorn kernels (popped to make 5 quarts of popped corn)
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups toasted nuts
Pop corn and keep warn in large roasting pan in oven.

Combine remaining ingredients except baking soda and nuts in a large 2-quart heavy pan over medium heat. Stir until brown sugar dissolves and continue to boil to firm ball stage (248 degrees).


Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Pour hot syrup over popped corn and toasted nuts, stirring to combine well.

Return to preheated 250 degree oven for 15 minutes, stir corn and repeat heating and stirring two more times. Cool thoroughly and store in air tight container.

Optional: Texas Longhorn Cruch Version

1 cup semi sweet, milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

Melt chocolate chips and shortening in bowl in microwave for one minute, stir, and return to microwave for 15 more seconds, stir until smooth. After caramel corn has finished cooking, pour out two to three cups and dip in melted chocolate. Place chocolate dipped caramel corn on wax covered cookie sheet and chill in fridge until set. After set, mix with remaining undipped caramel corn. Delicious!