Create a funny and delicious 'dessert person' using sweet, nutty brown butter caramel popcorn. You'll learn how to make a homemade caramel and sculpt it into a character!

Tools

• medium saucepan
• wooden spoon
• large mixing bowl
• baking sheet
• parchment paper

Materials

• popped popcorn (10 cups)
• unsalted butter (1 stick/113g)
• brown sugar (1 cup)
• corn syrup (1/4 cup)
• salt (1/2 tsp)
• vanilla extract (1 tsp)
• candy eyes (6 pieces)
• pretzel sticks (for arms, 4 pieces)
• large marshmallows (for feet, 2 pieces)

Safety

• Adult supervision is mandatory: melted sugar/caramel reaches extremely high temperatures and can cause severe burns.
• Be careful when handling the hot saucepan.
• Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly before handling food.
• Adult supervision required for hot materials. Burn risk.
• Adult supervision required for children under 8.

Steps

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside your large mixing bowl.
2. Place the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Melt it and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns a golden brown color and smells nutty.
3. Stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and let it bubble for about 2-3 minutes until it thickens.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Pour the hot caramel mixture over the 10 cups of popped popcorn in the large mixing bowl. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon until all the popcorn is coated.
6. While the popcorn is still warm and sticky, scoop a large amount into the bowl to form a round ball for the body. Press it firmly with your hands to make it solid.
7. Create a smaller ball for the head and press it onto the top of the body ball.
8. Press two candy eyes into the head and two pretzel sticks into the sides of the body to create arms.
9. Press two large marshmallows into the bottom of the body to create feet.
10. Let the 'Dessert Person' cool and harden completely on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes before playing with or eating your creation.