Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn {Recipe}

I made this Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn Recipe from A Cozy Kitchen for our backyard movie night last weekend.  My first thought was that it sounded too good to be true.  Sweet, salty, bacon, caramel?  All in one recipe?  My second thought was, “wow that’s a lot of sugar!”  This almost derailed my plans, especially because I’m doing a pediatric endocrine rotation right now and I’m seeing a ton of kiddos with Type I diabetes that are counting carbs right now.  In the end, bacon won out and I proceeded with the recipe.  I didn’t make too many changes, other than increasing the cayenne pepper, which gave my popcorn the deeper brownish color and made it even spicier!

In other news, I am going to be doing my next blog giveaway this week!  Stay tuned for more details!!!!

Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn

Adopted from A Cozy Kitchen

6 slices of bacon
3 T vegetable oil
5 c. of popped popcorn (1/2 c. kernels)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (originally 3/4 tsp)
3 c. sugar
3 T unsalted butter
2 tsp fine sea salt

1. Line bacon side-by-side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, until crispy and brown.  Remove and place on paper towels to drain.  Press the tops with another layer of paper towels.  When cool, cut into small pieces.

2.  Mix the baking soda and cayenne pepper and set aside.

3.  Prepare a large mixing bowl (I used my kitchenaid bowl) by spraying generously with cooking spray.  Also coat two spatulas with cooking spray.  Dump the popcorn in the bowl.

4.  Combine sugar, butter, salt, and 1/2c water in a medium saucepan.  Cook without stirring on high heat, until it becomes light golden-yellow caramel.  This takes about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the soda/cayenne mixture.  Careful, as the mixture will bubble up!  Add the bacon bits.

5.  Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and toss until coated evenly.  Pour the popcorn onto a large baking pan and flatten and separate into small pieces.  Cool to room temp and store in a well-sealed airtight container.

6.  The popcorn will keep up to four days in the fridge.

The verdict?  In moderation, it was worth.every.teaspoon of sugar!  Holy tastebud overload!