Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn with Honey Almonds

You’ll be eating Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn by the handful. This recipe has some freakin’ good homemade buttery, sweet caramel flavors happening. And little slivers of honey-coated almonds. It’s giving you chewy and crunchy feelings both at the same time.

My dietitian friend Cheryl got me hooked on this Smoked Paprika made by McCormick. In the past week, I’ve marinated chicken with it, added it to vegetarian chili, and sprinkled it over quinoa. You know, all the normal things.

Then… THIS:

You should know this about me: I’m a snacker. More than that, I’m a sweet + salty snacker. More more than that, I’m an adventurous, sweet + salty, let’s get our hands dirty in the kitchen, experimental snacker. I’m talking two square meals per day, then snacks all the way baby.

I was feeling the kitchen itch one night. And it was time for my daily sweet + salty snack. And that’s when the experimental kitchen magic happens. This caramel corn hits you with an unexpected smoky flavor on the first bite. You think, “Ehhh…” Second bite, you think: “Hmmm…” Third bite: “…” You don’t have words or even sounds anymore except the noshing and lip-smacking sounds that mean This Stuff is Good. And then you eat 997 more bites to equal 1,000 total bites. And then you need a nap. Trust me on this one. Not that I’ve done it…

It all happens because somewhere amidst bite #2, you realize there’s some freakin’ good homemade buttery, sweet caramel happening. And little slivers of honey-coated almonds. And it’s giving you chewy and crunchy feelings all at the same time. And suddenly, even though you were skeptical of bite #1, you’re totally digging it by bite #4.

Unsure of when it’s acceptable to eat Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn? Here are my top 5 ideas.

1. 1. End of Season Kickball Party? –Pairs well with Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn.
   2. Whiskey Wednesday? –Pairs well with Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn.
   3. Watching Notre Dame football? –Pairs well with Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn.
   4. Out of cereal, but still have a lot of milk? –Pairs well with Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn.
   5. Knee-high snow out there? –Pairs well with Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn

Print

Smoked Paprika Caramel Corn with Honey Almonds

Course Snack

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 8 cups

Author my Bottomless Boyfriend

Ingredients

• 1 standard bag plain popcorn about 8 cups, popped
• 1/2 to 1 cup honey roasted almonds slivers or whole almonds
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon McCormick Smoked Paprika*
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine popcorn and almonds.
3. In a large pot** over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, salt, paprika, and corn syrup. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
4. Stir in baking soda. The caramel will thin get fluffy and almost double in size.
5. Pour over the pop corn. Gently stir to coat well.
6. Bake on a large baking sheet for 1 hour, gently stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to dry.
7. Eat in fistfuls.

Recipe Notes

*Seriously CANNOT remember whether I used 1 tablespoon or 3 tablespoons. In retrospect, 3 sounds like an awful lot, but just add it and taste, add it and taste.
**Your caramel will double or triple in size when you add the baking soda, so you need to use a large pot.

My rating: 5 stars. For all of the above. Did you read the post? You can’t just skip to the ratings!

The BBFs rating: 5 stars. I sent him home with a bag, but I took it back the next day after I had run out. So he couldn’t really elaborate.

Click the link below to buy yourself some Smoked Paprika! I highly recommend getting this two-pack because you will want to put it on everything!