Tipsy Maple Corn Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Halloween

by: thirschfeld

October12,2010

4.7

3 Ratings

Makes 2 quarts

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Author Notes

Cracker Jacks were invented to be served at the 1893 Worlds Fair in Chicago. Since then there have been about as many variations as boxes sold. Not one to let that stop me I jumped right in and came up with my own version. The pancetta is key for the right salty sweet combo so make sure you add all of it. And do you see what we have to deal with around here during our photo shoots. The drive by grab and go while I am looking through the view finder. - thirschfeld —thirschfeld

Test Kitchen Notes

We were initially seduced by "tipsy" in the title, but once we tried thirschfeld's recipe, we fell in love with much more than the Jack-Daniels-infused syrup. There are the peanuts (we used dry roasted) and the tiny dots of pancetta -- neither of which stoops to merely accessorizing the corn. The nuts give the treat heft, the pancetta salt and richness. The most important step is the oven-crisping. Be careful not to burn the edges and don't worry if the popcorn isn't totally crisp when you take it out of the oven -- it will continue to firm up as it cools. We loved this as a Halloween treat, but it would be just as delicious paired with a good movie. - A&M —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved
Your Best Halloween Treat Contest Finalist

What You'll Need

Ingredients

3 ¹/₂ tablespoonsbacon grease, or non flavored vegetable oil
¹/₂ cuppopcorn kernels
¹/₃ cupJack Daniels
¹/₂ cuppure maple syrup
¹/₂ cupunsalted butter
fresh ground black pepper
1 cuppeanuts
3 pieces pancetta, baked until crispy and minced

Directions

Place the bacon grease in a 3 quart dutch oven with a lid. Add the kernels and place the covered pot over high heat. Once the popping begins, gently shake the pot to keep the kernels from burning. Once it is done remove the lid and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In another small pot add the Jack Daniels and heat it to burn off the alcohol and reduce it by half. Add the syrup and butter and heat until the butter is melted. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.
Place the popcorn, peanuts and the pancetta into a large mixing bowl. You want to sprinkle a little of the syrup over the corn a little at a time. You want to stir as you do this. Take your time otherwise the corn will saturate with syrup and collapse and just be gooey.
Once it is coated put it on a sheet tray and spread it out. Then place it in the oven and back in for 20 to 40 minutes. Sometimes it takes longer to crisp that others so just check it and stir it around about every ten minutes.

Tags:

Candy
Chocolate
Bacon
Corn
Halloween
Dessert

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67 Reviews

Chef D. November 22, 2015

great!

JustPoppin B. April 22, 2014

@Doug Hundley - due to the proscribed oven-bake time of 20-40 mins at 350F, you may be able to use raw peanuts and find them done perfectly at the end of the bake. The plus with using raw peanuts is the lack of external oil you'd find with roasted "co*cktail" type peanuts. The external oil tends to cause many of the peanuts to separate from the candy coating process, leaving them at the bottom of the bowl instead of well integrated and stuck to the popcorn. Personally, I'd go with raw Spanish peanuts.

Doug H. April 22, 2014

What kind of peanuts? I'm surprised no one asked. Roasted? Raw? Salted? Maybe in the shell? :) I'm gonna make it w/ roasted b/c a commenter mentioned it, but I'd love some clarification.

JustPoppin B. March 10, 2014

Watching popcorn shrivel and melt is no fun when trying to make caramel corn, but it is pretty common. Try using top quality Mushroom Popcorn kernels instead - they pop into large ball shapes that are much more sturdy and able to withstand the abuse of making caramel corn much better than regular popcorn.

Koda B. February 1, 2014

I just made this and the popcorn dissolved but it had a great flavor. I made another batch with these changes. 1/2 c brown sugar added with butter, boil 4 minutes not stirring, remove from heat and add 3/4 tsp baking soda. Follow rest of directions as written, Yes, I did just combine this recipe with a classic Carmel corn, it solved the problem.

lorie B. December 13, 2013

Another wonderful recipe. I was sprinkling 1T at a time and still watched the popped corn shrivel. Should I be cooling the the syrup before putting it onto the corn? Nevertheless, it turned out great. Ended up adding a bit more popcorn to the end product to get more crunch. This will be an excellent party snack for NYE!

Seana H. November 17, 2012

If I'm making this recipe for a party - can I make it the day before and keep it in a air tight container? Looks so fun for a chili party!

SlowFoodieBear November 8, 2012

Just made this recipe with bourbon instead of whiskey and cashews (because I didn't have any peanuts) and it came out wonderfully! I had never made homemade popcorn before, but this has inspired me to try other flavor combinations. How about rosemary and bacon and garlic? Dos anyone know how you would make a more savory popcorn?