Delicious Cracker Jack Caramel Crispix

As all kids do, my kids change their food preferences often and without warning. So, stocking up on something when it’s on sale is a risk you must evaluate before taking. Case in point, my son only ate Crispix cereal for the longest time. And at one point, it was difficult to find. Thus, when it went on sale, I bought more than one box. Cut to two months later and he no longer eats it and has moved on to another favorite. An alternative to making bags and bags of party mix, I decided to make caramel popcorn, but with Crispix. Luckily, it turned out pretty well!

You will need ...

Crispix Cereal, 6-7 Cups
Roasted & Unsalted Peanuts, 1 Cup
Brown Sugar, 1 Cup
Unsalted Butter, 1/2 Cup
Molasses, 1/4 Cup
Salt, 3/4 tsp
Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp
Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp (not pictured)

Step One

(Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F).

First, make the caramel. In a heavy bottomed pot, place the butter, brown sugar, molasses, and salt. On low heat, stir until melted and combined. Place a candy thermometer in the pot and watch for the temperature to reach firm ball stage (about 248 degrees F). Immediately pull the pot from the heat.

Step Two

Next, pour in the baking soda and the vanilla extract. It will begin to bubble a little. Quickly stir until combined. The mixture will become light and foamy looking.

Step Three

Then, pour the caramel on top of the cereal in the bowl. Stir to coat. Pour in the peanuts and stir to combine. The caramel likely wont stick to the peanuts. Spread the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Step Four

After about 20-25 minutes, pull the tray from the oven. The sugar on the cereal will look less glossy and more frosted. This is how you know the caramel has cooked long enough to not be sticky.

Step Five

Finally, within the first few minutes of it being out of the oven, take a large spoon and stir the mixture a bit. Do this for about 1-2 minutes. This will prevent it from clumping. If you prefer the clumps, just leave it be and the clumps will form as it cools. The image on the left is unstirred, the image on the right is stirred.

The Mom Touch