Microwave Caramels

I'll admit that I found a recipe online & tweaked it. Well, let's say I had to "fix it". My first attempt @ Microwave Caramels was a bit of a disaster. I mean, they tasted good, but ended up more like a Sugar Daddy. Definitely yummy, but way too hard to chew. I looked at some other recipes online to find out a better idea of how long they should take to cook. Well, I decided to give it another go, but cut WAY back on the cook time. They turned out FANTASTIC! I was thrilled. They came out delicious, soft & chewy. Mmmm...this recipe is definitely a KEEPER!
1 C. Butter (2 sticks)
2-1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Line a 12 X 7 X 2 inch pan with buttered aluminum foil. Set aside.

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave butter until melted.

Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk & salt. Cover with plastic wrap, venting one corner. Microwave for 6 minutes. Mixture should be bubbly. Stir, recover & cook 3 more minutes.

Uncover, stir well. Cook 3 more minutes. Stir again & cook 3 more minutes. Basically, the caramels have now cooked for a total of 15 minutes. If you want to check the consistency, drop a little into a bowl of ice water. If done, it should hold together when cooled, but still be chewy. If the mixture doesn't hold together, is too soft, or dissolves immediately...cook longer. I would probably only do 1-2 minutes at a time.

When caramel mixture is cooked, stir in the nuts, and pour into the prepared pan. Allow the caramels to cool. Then cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap.

Microwave Caramel Popcorn

1/2 C butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C light corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
You need about 16 C popped popcorn. I used 2 bags of microwave popcorn - which is a little less I think.

Put the popped popcorn into a paper grocery bag.

Place butter, tsp salt, brown sugar & corn syrup into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high 1-2 minutes until caramel mixture bubbles. Stir, then cook 3 minutes more - stirring after each minute.

Add baking soda & vanilla and stir. Pour mixture all over popcorn in paper bag. Fold the bag down several times (so it fits back in microwave) & cook on high 1 minute. Shake the bag.
Cook 1 minute more, then shake.
Cook 30 seconds, then shake.
Cook 30 seconds more & shake again.
Then pour out on the counter to cool (on foil or waxed paper).