Old-Fashioned Homemade Crackerjack Candy (Popcorn)

The leaves are turning vibrant shades of red and yellow, the days are getting shorter, Halloween will be here soon, and I’m enjoying autumn comfort foods. Popcorn is the perfect fall snack food – and popcorn coated with a molasses-flavored caramel coating brings back memories of Halloween gatherings in days gone by. I found a hundred-year-old recipe for Crackerjack Candy, which is popcorn coated with a molasses mixture, and decided to give it a try. It is somewhat similar to the Cracker Jack popcorn snack sold in stores, but does not contain any peanuts.

According to Wikipedia, commercially- packaged Cracker Jack has been around since the late 1800s. And, for almost as many years, there have been recipes for making a similar molasses-flavored popcorn. One such recipe appeared in the December, 1925 issue of Farm Journal. The recipe in the magazine spelled Cracker Jack as one word – Crackerjack, and called the coated popcorn a candy.

The homemade Crackerjack was tasty, and had a rich caramel flavor. Similar modern recipes often call for using corn syrup instead of molasses. The molasses is healthier and more nutritious than corn syrup, but it is also more challenging to use. The key to successfully making this snack is to just lightly coat the popcorn with the molasses mixture. If the coating is thick, the crunchy, chewy texture of the coating can become a bit overwhelming.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Crackerjack Candy — Source: Farm Journal (December, 1925)

The recipe says that the syrup should be boiled until “it will harden when dropped in cold water.” I interpreted this to mean that it should be cooked until it reaches the hard ball stage (260° F.)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Crackerjack Candy

Servings: 8 - 10
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
Print

12 – 15 cups popped popcorn

salt, optional

1 cup molasses

1 cup brown sugar

butter

Put the 12 cups of popped corn in a large bowl and set aside. Be sure to remove any un-popped kernels. If desired, lightly salt the popped corn. (Reserve remainder of the popped corn in case it is needed when combining the syrup with the popcorn.)

Using butter, generously grease a baking sheet or other large pan. Set aside.

Put molasses and brown sugar in a pan; stir to combine, then using medium heat bring to a boil. Reduce heat and gently boil until the syrup reaches 260° F. degrees). This will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour over the popped corn in the bowl and stir with the large spoon to coat the popped corn. The coating on the popped corn should just lightly coat it. If the coating is too thick, stir in additional popcorn. Work quickly because the mixture quickly begins to cool.

Spread the coated popped corn on the buttered baking sheet or other large pan. After the coated popcorn cools, break (don’t cut) into small pieces. If it will not be used immediately, store in a tightly covered container.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Honey Popcorn Balls Recipe

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, January 29, 1912: It is hard to study when you don’t feel like it. Don’t know what will become of myself if I don’t get aroused pretty soon.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Perhaps Grandma made a snack while she was trying to motivate herself to study.

Popcorn was a very popular winter snack a hundred years ago. A few weeks ago I made old-fashioned Caramel Popcorn. I enjoyed it so much, that I decided to make another old-time popcorn snack—Honey Popcorn Balls.

Honey Popcorn Balls

approximately 1 1/2 quarts popped popcorn

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

Put popped corn in a large bowl and set aside. Cook honey, sugar, water, and butter to a medium-crack stage (280 degrees). Remove from heat and stir in salt; pour over the corn and stir with a spoon to coat the kernels.

Grease hands with butter. Firmly press coated popcorn into balls. Lay balls on waxed paper until cool. If the balls will be stored, wrap in waxed paper.

These popcorn balls have an awesome rich honey flavor. (They are nothing like the horrid, stale popcorn balls that I occasionally see in stores.)

I used some alfalfa honey that I got at an Amish market to make these balls—but any honey will work. I love the flavor of the light alfalfa honey, but think it would also be fun to experiment and make them again with a darker honey. Maybe next week. . . .

Hundred-Year-Old Recipe for Caramel Corn (Sugared Popcorn)

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, January 7, 1912: Walked to Sunday School this morning though the new fallen snow. I wore my old hat because I didn’t want to get snow on my new one. Miss Carrie was over this afternoon, and we had popcorn by the way of refreshments. By so doing I broke the third commandment for I was the one who did the popping.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Miss Carrie was Grandmas’ friend Carrie Stout. She lived on a nearby farm. I believe that the third commandment refers to “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Today that is generally the fourth commandment, but I believe that some denominations number the commandments differently.

The popcorn that Grandma popped was raised on the Muffly farm. In May 1911 she wrote about planting popcorn. In the fall it would have been harvested and hung to dry. When the corn had just the right amount of moisture for popping, the family would have shelled it and stored it in a glass jar until they were ready to pop it.

Grandma probably popped the corn in a cast iron skillet. I bet that she sometimes “dressed it up” and made Caramel Corn.

Here’s a great hundred-year-old recipe for Caramel Corn that was in the 1912 Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer. (It is called Sugared Popcorn in the book.)

Sugared Popcorn (Caramel Corn)

2 quarts popped corn

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup water

Put butter in saucepan, and when melted add sugar and water. Bring to boiling point, and let boil for sixteen minutes. Pour over corn, and stir until every kernel is well coated with sugar.

I salted the popped corn before mixing with the syrup. This recipe is a keeper. The Caramel Corn turned out perfectly.

How to Make Popcorn in a Frying Pan

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Saturday, November 25, 1911: Just exactly one month yet. I must begin to be good and oh so nice. I was terrible busy this forenoon. This afternoon I studied a bit and popped some popcorn. My first attempt resulted in half or about a third of the contents jumping out of the pan, but the next time I was more successful.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Hmm, I wonder how the popping corn managed to jump out of the pan. People used to pop corn in a heavy frying pan, but they generally put a cover on the pan.

To make popcorn heat vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan until it is hot. Use a medium heat or flame.