Salted Caramel Corn (Homemade Cracker Jack)

I have been eating handfuls of this since I made it....its extremely addicting! It satisfies both a sweet and salt craving while at the same time bringing your mind back to childhood memories of looking for a prize within the Cracker Jack box.  I am not responsible if you eat all of this in one day!

INGREDIENTS:
12 cups plain popped popcorn
2 cup pretzels
1 cup salted peanuts or pecans
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 - 2 teaspoons coarse salt (I prefer 2)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda




DIRECTIONS:

preheat oven to 300' F.

Toss together the popcorn, pretzels and peanuts in a 9 x 13 pan

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, corn syrup and butter; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking without stirring for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully stir in vanilla and baking soda.

Pour the salted caramel mixture over the popcorn, pretzel and peanut mixture and quickly stir together until all of the popcorn, pretzels and peanuts are coated with the caramel mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes stirring the mixture half way through the baking time.  Pour mix onto a large sheet of parchment paper to cool.  Pull apart into pieces and enjoy!