Skinny Caramel Popcorn

Skinny Caramel Popcorn

4.4 of 5 (174)
member ratings
Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 18
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 116.7
  • Total Fat: 2.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 6.9 mg
  • Sodium: 116.0 mg
  • Total Carbs: 27.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
  • Protein: 0.7 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Skinny Caramel Popcorn calories by ingredient


Introduction

This lightened-up version of caramel popcorn is our favorite tailgate treat. This lightened-up version of caramel popcorn is our favorite tailgate treat.
Number of Servings: 18

Ingredients

    Cooking spray
    1 cup packed dark brown sugar
    1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
    1/4 cup butter
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    12 cups air-popped popcorn (6 T kernels)

Directions

This recipe is from "The SparkPeople Cookbook"!



Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a large jelly roll pan or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a medium or large heavy bottomed saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring 3-4 times to scrape down the sides of the pan and keep the mixture from bubbling up. If you have a pastry brush, dip it in cool water and use it to brush down the sides of the pan. Be careful; the mixture will burn you if it boils over. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Place popcorn in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture over popcorn in a steady stream, stirring to coat.

Spread popcorn mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven; stir to break up any large clumps. Cool 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Let the popcorn cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Serving size is about 2/3 cup.

TAGS:  Snacks |

Member Ratings For This Recipe


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    Incredible!
    159 of 164 people found this review helpful
    Just a point of interest: I have found that you can substitute agave nectar for corn syrup in any recipe and it comes out fine. Agave nectar has a low glycemic index and is better for you. - 10/31/09


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    Incredible!
    78 of 78 people found this review helpful
    I also threw in a handful of almonds before coating with the caramel sauce. Yummy! - 10/27/09


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    67 of 71 people found this review helpful
    sounds delicious! for those of you worried about eating it all at once, separate it into small snack size ziplock bags and then store them some where in accessible. I keep some of my favorite treats in the trunk of my car so that I have to get dressed and go outside to get them. Less temptation - 10/27/09


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    Incredible!
    55 of 55 people found this review helpful
    fantastic! i burnt the first batch, so i remade it and reduced cooking time to 32 minutes and it turned out almost TOO good. family loves it. i used light brown sugar the second time around. YUM, YUM, YUM - 9/19/09


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    Incredible!
    50 of 50 people found this review helpful
    I made this with Splenda brown sugar blend. It turned out great. Thanks for the recipe. - 1/2/10


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    33 of 40 people found this review helpful
    Sounds perfect for this time of year. Once I had a recipe like this but instead of oven drying, we put popped corn in doubled brown grocery bags(paper), poured cooked syrup over corn, rolled down top and shook it to coat. Micro on high 1.5 min. Remove and shake well, micro another 1.5 min. Cool wax - 10/10/09


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    Good
    31 of 33 people found this review helpful
    My only dislike was the saltiness of the popcorn. I will say that I don't like a lot of salt on things so the recipe as is, is like fine for most. I do plan to try this treat again but next time I'll leave out the salt. - 10/17/09


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    Incredible!
    24 of 24 people found this review helpful
    very good. very easy. Make sure to spray the pan with pam. To help with cleaning. It was so good. Hard to just stop with one serving. The whole family loved it! - 10/11/09


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    Incredible!
    23 of 23 people found this review helpful
    Great fun for the kids! Sometimes food should just be a blast to anticipate, to prepare and to eat. This qualifies. - 10/10/09


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    Incredible!
    22 of 22 people found this review helpful
    Sounded so good, I just had to make some. (And that glaze does make a very tasty caramel sauce!) - 10/10/09


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    20 of 26 people found this review helpful
    Agave Nector is a great substitute-works perfect. Also using Maple Syrup instead of brown sugar is a good idea-although pricier, it's way better for your body to process. - 12/5/09


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    Very Good
    18 of 18 people found this review helpful
    Holy guacamole this stuff is amazing!! 18 servings - no way - more like 4! - 11/2/09


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    Incredible!
    15 of 16 people found this review helpful
    made this today....LOVE IT...I used almost 1 cup of popcorn kernels...and it's just as tasty...but I can eat more!!!! gotta love that...it's not as covered with the caramel...but still good... - 10/31/09


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    Incredible!
    13 of 16 people found this review helpful
    Delicious.........I did substitute Splenda Brown Sugar and Agave and it turned out so good. - 10/10/09


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    13 of 29 people found this review helpful
    Too many carbs . . . but I may try it with a sugar subsitute. Looks so delicious that I'd worry that I wouldn't stop with just one serving! - 10/10/09


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    Incredible!
    13 of 14 people found this review helpful
    Fantastic and so easy to make. - 9/21/09


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    Incredible!
    12 of 12 people found this review helpful
    We added a handful of mixed nuts to the recipe. Even the kids liked it! We really enjoyed this sweet treat. - 1/31/10


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    12 of 32 people found this review helpful
    Corn syrup and over 7g of sugar per serving! Certainly ONLY a once-in-a-while treat. I wonder if you can sub the syrup for molasses or honey - both healthier alternatives. If I were to try this, I'd work on some substitutions and, I'd cut the syrup in half for the same amount of popped corn. :-) - 10/27/09


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    11 of 11 people found this review helpful
    This is a favorite of mine. I would make this for my kids when they were little. They are now grown and ask for it all the time. It is easy to make and so DELICIOUS! - 10/14/09


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    10 of 10 people found this review helpful
    My granddaughter and myself loved it. - 10/10/09


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    Incredible!
    10 of 11 people found this review helpful
    mom's recipe to a tee. She would make batches for Christmas giving. always a favorite with the family - 10/10/09


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    9 of 27 people found this review helpful
    i don't understand the nutritional info. only 7 grams of sugar even though you're using 2 different kinds, and less than a gram of fiber even though it's Popcorn (which is suppossed to be high in fiber, right?)
    It sounds good, and I'll make it, but it'd be much healthier w/o so much salt or sugar
    - 12/5/09


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    Incredible!
    9 of 9 people found this review helpful
    Tried this with the Girls Scouts Juniors and they loved it!!! Each of them was able to do much it by themselves and afterwards sit back watch a movie and eat to their hearts content! :D Had to share the recipe with several mothers aftwerwards but it was worth it. Thanks so much - 11/1/09


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    8 of 8 people found this review helpful
    I like this very much. Thank you! - 10/27/09


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    Incredible!
    8 of 9 people found this review helpful
    oh, gosh this is great - 9/17/09


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    5 of 16 people found this review helpful
    too many carbs & sugar for me sounds wonderful IF i made this i would eat the whole batch at once! - 10/27/09


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    Incredible!
    5 of 6 people found this review helpful
    DS loved this and low fat too - 10/11/09


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    Incredible!
    5 of 5 people found this review helpful
    Delicious! - 10/11/09


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    Incredible!
    5 of 9 people found this review helpful
    I'll be making this for movie time tomorrow night! Just need the dark brown sugar. I found a low sodium caramel flavored popcorn seasoning that I'll use in place of salt too. Thank you, Meg! - 10/10/09


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    5 of 8 people found this review helpful
    this is great. my boyfriend loves caramel corn. danger is in trying to keep to the serving size! - 10/10/09


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    Incredible!
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    This was amazing. The only problem I had with it was that it's TOO good. DH & I ate it all in one night. In the future I'm going to separate the servings into ziplock bags. - 2/4/10


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    Incredible!
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    I never used dark brown sugar, just light brown and it was fine. Next time, I was running out of brown sugar, so I used 2/3 cup brown and 1/3 cup white. The results looked lighter, but darkened nicely in the oven & tasted wonderful.
    - 1/31/10


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    Incredible!
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    This is a great recipe. I even upped the popcorn a bit to make the caramel go further. Didn't miss the extra butter called for in my previous favourite recipe. - 1/3/10


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    4 of 9 people found this review helpful
    Will the recipe still turn out good if Splenda brown sugar is substitued for the (regular) brown sugar? - 10/10/09


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    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    I made this recipe for Superbowl night and it was absolutely delicious! The hardest part of this recipe is limiting yourself to a 2/3 cup serving - almost impossible! - 2/25/10


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    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Easiest and best caramel popcorn I've ever made!!! - 12/22/09


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    Incredible!
    3 of 11 people found this review helpful
    I had been meaning to make this; when a potluck came up and I was asked to make a vegetable. I modified the glaze to make a crock pot of sweet potatoes and they were awesome. Vanilla became 1 T. cinnamon. Added 1/2 c. rice milk so they would not dry out in crock. Used honey instead of corn syrup - 11/3/09


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    Very Good
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    made this for halloween and it went fast!! My problem was stopping with only 1 serving (which I didn't do) but for a once in awhile splurge this was wonderful!! - 11/1/09


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    3 of 5 people found this review helpful
    It seems great to me for numerous occassions one especially when we have family game night! Then I can make some-thing and we all can have a special treat and I won't mess up my days diet! Thank you! - 10/11/09


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    3 of 7 people found this review helpful
    looks like a way to sooth my husbands sweet tooth. - 10/10/09


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    3 of 8 people found this review helpful
    my daughter will love making this for her class party at school. Thank you! - 10/10/09


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    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    My kids absolutely loved this treat!!!!!!!!! Thanks! - 4/23/10


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    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Amazing! The only problem is stopping at 1 serving. - 2/8/10


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    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    made it, ate it, loved it...won't make it often, but will make it again, because I did eat wayyyy too much of it, but even so, it's a great once in awhile splurge! - 1/27/10


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    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Great for the whole family. Added nuts for extra crunch. - 1/2/10


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    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Added some nuts. Soooo good. - 12/11/09


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    2 of 5 people found this review helpful
    Yummy! - 10/10/09


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I just eat caramel rice cakes.....lol But this looks good I'll have to try it... - 2/2/13


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Ok, so this is no different than any other caramel popcorn recipe I've made. It's exactly the same! Making the serving 2/3 of a cup to get the calorie count down is bogus. Who eats 2/3 of a cup of popcorn, I ask?! Let's be honest...we eat it by the handful. - 9/29/12


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I just eat Cracker Jacks. One box is 120 calories. - 9/29/12


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    Bad
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    This recipe has over 23 grams of sugar PER SERVING! SP doesn't seem to think sugar is bad. You seldom see it mentioned. A bit behind the current research. They should at least LABEL the grams of SUGAR in everything. - 9/29/12


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    ok, first I was kind of freaked out with the amount of sugar. But it was really yummy. - 1/2/12


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I found it ironic to use air-popped popcorn and then to spread it with all that sugar. Sounds wonderful even if you use regular popcorn. - 12/21/11


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    Bad
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    CORN Syrup? Are you serious? Maybe an alternative to this highly processed sugar source could be found in agave nectar but I'd still be cautious of using that if you're a diabetic. - 12/20/11


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Thank you, Arartist1. I wasn't going to make this because of the corn syrup. I will try it with the agave nectar. - 12/20/11


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Ooohhhh, my favorite food. Now Chef Meg has made it more healthy and I can enjoy it without feeling guilty.

    Renie
    - 12/20/11


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    This was excellent. I brought the recipe to the beach so that I was armed when my family went out for caramel popcorn on the boardwalk. Nobody left the house. They all ate mine. - 7/17/10


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    Good
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    great snack - 3/24/10


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Yummy - 3/12/10


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I LOVE THIS STUFF! - 2/16/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    loved loved loved it........me and my mom's fav! - 12/31/09


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    Incredible!
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    I made a very close variation of this recipe this and it was great. I haven't made caramel popcorn in years. - 12/28/09


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    Very Good
    1 of 4 people found this review helpful
    Omit salt - 12/23/09


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Wow!!! This is scrumptious. Too good to save for just Hallowe'en. - 10/29/09


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    wow nice yummy treat (for me lol) - 10/27/09


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    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Has anyone tried this with Splenda Brown Sugar? - 10/27/09


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    1 of 4 people found this review helpful
    I love popcorn! I'm hesitant to make this though cause I may eat the entire 18 servings! - 10/11/09


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    1 of 8 people found this review helpful
    going to try - 10/10/09


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    Nice! - 6/12/21


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    Incredible!
    Very good
    - 5/31/21


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    Great! - 4/21/21


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    Very Good
    A little to sweet for me but I am a salty girl - 3/16/21


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    Very Good
    tasty - 3/1/21


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    Too many carbs for me! - 2/22/21


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    Bad
    Too much sugar for me🌺 - 1/12/21


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    Very Good
    Love it like this, but also changing it up with member suggestions - 1/10/21


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    Yummy snack!!! - 1/2/21


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    Incredible!
    OMG!!!!! That's All. - 12/28/20


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    Incredible!
    YUMMY - 12/28/20


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    Very Good
    This is good but I at way way too much so I won't make it again. - 12/28/20


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    Nice recipe - 12/17/20


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    Yummy - 12/9/20


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    O.K.
    ok - 12/9/20


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    tasty - 12/4/20


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    Very Good
    Tasty - 11/1/20


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    My mouth is watering. - 10/25/20


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    So yummy - my new favourite snack - 10/16/20


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    yummy - 7/6/20


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    Incredible!
    This is great! Very hard to stop at one serving though... - 5/25/20


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    Very Good
    It was gone before it left the cookie sheet! - 5/4/20


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    It's so hard to stop with one serving, this is best left as a contribution to a group. - 4/1/20


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    Incredible!
    I make this occasionally for our movie night - 12/3/19


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    Very Good
    Thanks for sharing - 11/25/19


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    Delicious but watch those carbs. - 11/8/19


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    Incredible!
    yum - 10/21/19


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    Exactly how is this recipe "skinny"? There is a cup of dark brown sugar and 1/2 of light colored corn syrup. I noticed the percent of sugar content was not available. I'm sure it tastes wonderful, but it certainly is not healthy. - 10/19/19


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    Good
    good - 9/28/19


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    Incredible!
    Delicious but very fussy to make. - 8/9/19


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    I love caramel corn! - 5/24/19


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    Incredible!
    This came out perfect and so good! - 4/25/19