Homemade Cracker Jacks Recipe is easy to make and perfect for family movie night. Each bite is loaded with caramel popcorn, peanuts and so much delicious flavor.
Cracker Jacks Recipe is Caramel Popcorn with peanuts mixed in. It is a classic snack and popular at ballgames and more. Flavored Popcorn Recipes are easy to make at home and we are going to show you with these easy step by step instructions.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe
The tasty blend of sweet caramel and salty popcorn and peanuts combine for a delicious treat everyone will enjoy. It is a tasty treat that surpasses many generations but is still enjoyable today.
Ingredients
- Popped Popcorn. Remove any un popped kernels.
- Salted Red Skinned Peanuts. This type of peanuts will most closely resemble Cracker Jacks.
- Brown sugar. The Best Brown Sugar Substitutes.
- Baking soda. Best Baking Soda Substitutes.
- Vanilla extract. Pure vanilla is best.
Find the entire ingredients for this recipe at the bottom of the page.
Variations
- Peanuts. While Red Skinned Spanish peanuts are traditionally used, regular roasted peanuts are fine.
- Skip the nuts in this recipe. You can omit the nuts. It won’t have the same taste as classic Cracker Jacks but it still will be delicious.
- Honey or Maple Syrup. Replace the corn syrup with either honey or maple syrup. It tastes good but just note it will not taste the same as traditional Cracker Jacks.
- Walnuts, Pecans or Almonds. Substitute the peanuts for one of these options for a new taste.
- M&M’s. Mini M&M’s add a pop of color and taste great with the other ingredients. You can use regular or seasonal varieties.
How to Make Cracker Jacks
- Step 1. Preheat the oven. It should be set to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2. Get out a large bowl. Place popped popcorn in the bowl and stir in the peanuts. We used the Spanish red skinned peanuts to most closely taste like Cracker Jacks.
Step 3. Melt the butter and combine the sugar.
Step 4. Then stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
Step 5. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Then boil without stirring for approximately 4 minutes. This step is important so that it sets and results in crispy popcorn.
Step 6. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Combine until everything is well blended. Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn mixture and stir to coat all of it.
Step 7. Then place the popcorn on two lined baking sheets. Bake for about 1 hour. Don’t forget to stir every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.
How to Store Homemade Cracker Jacks?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. The popcorn mixture should be completely cooled before storing.
If stored properly, the popcorn will stay crispy and delicious. However, ours never last that long as we eat it quickly! It is a big hit around here.
What Type of Nuts Are Best?
Spanish red skinned peanuts are traditionally used in Cracker Jacks. However, you can use what you prefer in the recipe.
Regular roasted peanuts that are salted or unsalted can also be used. The recipe will taste great either way.
Recipe Tips
- Popcorn. You can use a popcorn popper, microwave popcorn or store bought. Any of these options will result in tasty Cracker Jacks so use what is easiest for you.
- Remove kernels. Make sure to remove any unpopped kernels before coating in the caramel mixture. You do not want any unpoppped kernels in the caramel mixture that could hurt someone’s teeth.
- Stir the popcorn. The popcorn mixture should be stirred about every 15 minutes while cooking. This will help to make sure it is crispy and baked evenly.
- Perfect for gifts and more. This popcorn is such a tasty gift and everyone will really love it. Simply place in a bag or mason jar. You can use a pretty ribbon or gift tag but it isn’t necessary.
- Line the pan. Prepare the pan with parchment paper before adding the popcorn mixture. It is very sticky before it cooks and this will make clean up easier.
- Boil the mixture and cook for the required time. Don’t shorten the cooking time or add to it. It needs to be precise as this forms the base of the popcorn and makes it crunchy instead of soggy.
- Vanila extract. Use good quality vanilla extract for the best possible flavor. The taste and flavor will be noticeably different with quality ingredients.
More Flavored Popcorn Recipes
- Unicorn Popcorn
- Red Hot Cinnamon Popcorn
- Snickers Popcorn Recipe
- Sโmores popcorn
- Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn Recipe
Try this delicious recipe for Cracker Jacks Recipe. Then please come back and leave a comment.
Cracker Jacks Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 cups Popped Popcorn
- 2 cups Salted Red Skinned Peanuts
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place popped popcorn in a very large bowl and stir in the peanuts.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Then stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
- Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Then boil without stirring for approximately 4 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and then stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and peanut mixture and stir it to coat all of it with the caramel sauce.
- Then place the popcorn in two large shallow baking dishes/ or pans and bake in a preheated oven, for approximately 1 hour (stirring approximately every 15 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.
