Vegan Salted Caramel Corn

Vegan caramel corn… why didn’t I think of that?  I was thrilled to stumble upon this recipe because I love caramel so much… but I always seem to forget that it’s made with a TON of butter and heavy cream. So, here’s another recipe for all of my lactose-intolerant/vegan friends out there!

The maple syrup adds a unique flavor, and I would have to say that this stuff tastes just as good, if not better than, the non-vegan version.  Another holiday gift idea?

Vegan Salted Caramel Corn
makes 12 cups of popcorn

12 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup kernels)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup brown rice/maple syrup (I used maple)
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

1/4-1/2 tsp good sea salt

Pour the popcorn in a large bowl and set aside while making the caramel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and lightly oil two baking sheets.
In a medium sized pot combine sugar, brown rice syrup, and margarine over medium heat.

Stir together and bring to a boil. Let boil for five minutes, stirring once.

Remove from heat and add baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Immediately pour over the popcorn slowly while mixing it in with a spatula. Once well combined spread out into single layer onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with a couple pinches of good sea salt and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven and stir once more. Let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe from The Sweet Life

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

WARNING: This recipe is dangerous.

Before you proceed, please know that salted caramel pretzel bark may induce random spells of uncontrollable snacking, intense sensations of euphoria and heightened protective instincts (over your share of the pretzel bark, of course).

I’m kidding, sort of.  But this recipe really is special.  My housemate actually said that she is “going to get pregnant one day and crave this stuff”… it’s THAT good (and she also usually comes up with crazy hyperboles like this).  Another one of my housemates told me that I should probably hide it from the rest of the house (I took this advice).

The best part is, you probably already have all of these ingredients in your kitchen.  It takes about 15 minutes to whip together, and the end result will impress all of your friends.  I just have pictures of the end product here, but the pin (as in Pintrest) I found the recipe on has a very nice picture guide if you prefer a visual step-by-step guide. You can find the link here.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

1/2 bag mini pretzel twists
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 bag of chocolate chips
Sea salt

Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper (NOT wax paper) and spread pretzels evenly over the bottom (mine didn’t overlap, I arranged them in neat rows).  Now, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Set aside, and melt butter and sugar in a medium sauce pan on medium heat.  Bring to a boil, and stir continuously until mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan and forms a smooth caramel.  Let it bubble and get nice and thick before you pour the caramel evenly over the pretzels.

Place jelly roll sheet in oven for 5 minutes, remove, sprinkle chocolate chips over the top, and place back into the oven for 1 more minute.  Spread the chocolate around with a spatula until it is mostly melted, then sprinkle generously with sea salt. Let the pan sit on counter top for about 5 minutes, and then place in the freezer to harden for at least two hours.

Break bark into piece with your hands, and try not to finish the whole pan in one night! This is best stored in an air-tight bag in the freezer.