Caramel Puffed Wheat

If you love caramel popcorn you might like caramel puffed wheat. I love caramel popcorn but hate popping the corn and sifting it to make sure there isn't any unpopped kernels. I know it's easy but laziness gets to me sometimes.

Here's a quick alternative. Try puffed wheat cereal. It's ready to go. Just dump the box of cereal in a bowl. I also like using puffed wheat because it's safer for children and it doesn't get stuck in my teeth like popcorn kernel "shells" do.

Then, make the best caramel ever. This recipe is from Allrecipes. It's the best I've tried yet! Follow it exactly.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
3. Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Put the first 4 ingredients into a saucepan.

Heat it through until it begins to boil. Boil for 4 minutes. This is important. If it isn't boiled for the full 4 minutes, you risk your final product being grainy.

Add the baking powder and vanilla in after the 4 minutes and remove from heat. It will puff up and turn a really light color.

Pour over your puffed wheat.

Toss to coat.

Pour coated puffed wheat onto a baking sheet. (I used parchment paper on the bottom for easy cleanup.)

Bake at 250 for 1 hour. *See note below.

Stir every 15 minutes.

After an hour of baking and stirring every 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Stir it one more time and then let it cool. You'll have sweet puffed wheat.

You can eat it straight from the bowl or add some milk for an amazing cereal! Yes, it's just like Honey Smacks or Sugar Puff cereal. This is my husband's favorite way to eat it.