Caramel Corn for my Valentines

There's nothing I want more than a bag of caramel corn...except a bag of caramel corn with white chocolate drizzled all over it! That's right. I said it. I'm obsessed. This year, I tinted the white chocolate PINK to make it into a Valentine's Day treat. Nothing says, "I love you" better than THIS!

The recipe is adapted from the LA Times a few years ago. It is not difficult to make, but you do have to babysit it a little.

14 cups popped popcorn. I use microwave popcorn: Homestyle.
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Remove un-popped kernels. Place the popcorn in a metal bowl or large disposable aluminum baking pan and keep it warm in a 200 degree oven.
In a heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Boil, without stirring for 5 minutes. Use a candy thermometer and see that it reaches 255 degrees.
Remove the mixture from heat and add the baking soda. The mixture with foam up. Stir it well. Pour over the popcorn and toss with forks to distribute the mixture evenly.
Spread onto 2 baking sheets.
Bake at 200 degrees for one hour.  But stir them every 15 minutes!!
Let the caramel corn cool completely.
If you want to drizzle chocolate, make sure the popcorn is cooled first.
This makes about 3 1/2 quarts of popcorn.
I store it in the freezer. It's so good right out the freezer, but that's just me!
You can store it tightly covered at room temp. But it's best the first day or two. But don't worry, it won't last longer than that anyway;)