DB's Caramel Popcorn Bacon Mix

Preheat & Prep: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to prevent sticking. (5 minutes)

Bacon Bliss: Arrange bacon slices closely together and slightly overlapping on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with maple syrup. (5 minutes)

Bake the Bacon: Place the baking sheet in a cold oven; set the temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake until the bacon is crisp, approximately 20 minutes. (20 minutes)

Cool & Crumble: Transfer bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to cool, then crumble into delicious bacon bits. (10 minutes)

Reduce & Re-Prep: Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with fresh aluminum foil. (5 minutes)

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, lightly mix popcorn, rice cereal, wheat cereal, peanuts, pretzels, and crumbled bacon. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets. (10 minutes)

Caramel Creation: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil. (5 minutes)

Boil to Perfection: Boil the caramel mixture, without stirring, for 4 minutes to achieve that perfect caramel consistency. (4 minutes)

Warm the Base: Place the popcorn mixture in the preheated oven to warm it up slightly. (2 minutes)

Caramel Infusion: Remove the butter mixture from heat and mix in vanilla extract and baking soda. The caramel will begin to foam – this is exactly what you want! (2 minutes)

Coat & Combine: Drizzle the caramel in a thin stream over the popcorn mixture, tossing to coat everything evenly. (5 minutes)

Bake & Set: Bake the caramel corn in the oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until the caramel coating is set. This should take about 1 hour. (60 minutes)

Cool & Conquer: Let the caramel corn cool completely before breaking it into pieces. This is the hardest part, but patience pays off! (60 minutes)