Caramel Corn Stalks 

These are the brainchild of Jason. Inspired by a few popcorn balls on sticks and developed into popcorn “corn stalks” complete with husks, they were our favorite feature on our fall dessert table! 

Popcorn Ingredients:
1-1/2 C unpopped popcorn
salt
1/2 C butter (1 stick) + more for non-stick shaping
2 C brown sugar
1/2 C corn syrup
1 15 oz sweetened condensed milk

DIY Ingredients:
wooden skewers
corn husks, hay bale or styrofoam
hot glue gun + glue

candy thermometer

Directions:
Pop your popcorn in whichever method you prefer. You can use microwave popcorn if it is easier. We used brown lunch bags and popped ½ cup at a time in the microwave. Put your popcorn into to large bowls, sprinkle the popcorn with a bit of salt.
In a medium sized sauce pan melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Stir it all around until well blended.
Heat the mixture to boiling. Boil while stirring till it reaches 300 degrees.
Remove from the heat and pour caramel over the top of the popcorn. Stir it up with a large wooden spoon until all of the popcorn is covered.
Allow the popcorn to cool enough to handle comfortably with your hands.
You will need to butter your hands generously in order to shape the popcorn without having a huge sticking issue.
To make the corn shapes, take a handful of popcorn and shape it until it looks like an ear of corn, then insert a skewer in from one end to the other.
Be careful not to make your corns too heavy, we made this mistake and gravity worked against us, sliding our corn off the skewers.
Once you have made them all, place them on a lined baking sheet and set in the fridge until they are firm. The freezer works too if you are in a hurry.
Before serving attach several corn husks to your skewers using a hot glue gun to complete the look. Make sure you attach them far enough down the stick to be out of the safe zone for consumption.
Place your skewers into a hay bail (or Styrofoam block) to serve on your table.