Peanut Butter Caramel Corn

Caramel corn is one of my favorite snacks. I can eat my way through more than I should in one sitting. Because of this, I rarely make it at home. I whipped up this Peanut Butter Caramel Corn for hanging out with some friends a couple weeks ago. Everyone really enjoyed it.

I used Peanut Butter and Co’s White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter. I think it has a hint of caramel flavor in it and figured it would pair well with the caramel. I think this would be delicious with regular old peanut butter, but I really enjoyed the flavor using the white chocolate PB.

Two Years Ago: M&M Cookies
Three Years Ago: Vegan Chocolate Banana Caramel Cupcakes

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Peanut Butter Caramel Corn

Caramel corn kicked up a notch with peanut butter thrown into the mix.

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and cover. Cook, shaking the pan frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until the popping almost completely stops. Remove the pan from the heat and when the popping stops, remove the cover and add the almonds.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the peanut butter and vanilla. Drizzle over the popcorn and use a rubber spatula to toss to coat.

Spread the popcorn on the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

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27 Responses to “Gooey Bars (aka Cream Cheese Bars)”

  1. #
    1
    Sunshine — January 20, 2010 at 3:44 pm

    These look fantastic!

  2. #
    2
    Jess — January 20, 2010 at 4:33 pm

    my husbands family calls them butter-gooey cake.

  3. #
    3
    Kelly — January 20, 2010 at 7:50 pm

    Hi! These are actually called Gooey Butter Cakes, and they are a Paula Deen recipe (hence the butter and cream cheese!) I love making them with a red velvet cake mix….so good.

  4. #
    4
    Andrew's Mom — January 20, 2010 at 8:59 pm

    Ooey gooey butter cakes have been around for decades – they started in St. Louis – very close to my hometown. I remember making this recipe years before Paula came on the scene. She just made them more famous! Everyone goes nuts when you make them – I make them with all kinds of flavors – pineapple, lemon etc. Yours look great.

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    5
    Jen — January 20, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    Thanks for all the information about where the bars originate from. Wherever they came from, they sure are good. I saw some comments on the allrecipes.com link of variations that people have tried like swirling in some berries and using chocolate cake mix. Kind of like a cheesecake brownie

  6. #
    6
    Dyanna — January 21, 2010 at 12:25 am

    Here in Kentucky they’re called Chess bars and have been around for a very long time. I’m not a native to KY and a coworker introduced me to these. I looked at them and thought “What the heck is that?” but once I tried one I was HOOKED! I just love how simple they are to make.

  7. #
    7
    kitchen koala — January 21, 2010 at 2:07 pm

    Whatever you call them, they’re pretty darned good!

  8. #
    8
    Katie — January 21, 2010 at 3:22 pm

    YUM! Those look really delicious. And I love the colors you always put in the background.; The blue with the orange tint of the abrs is just perfect!

  9. #
    9
    Ingrid — January 21, 2010 at 7:33 pm

    Yours looks like how my first and only batch turned out but I think I’d like them better gooey and with a little less sugar.
    ~ingrid

  10. #
    10
    Julie — January 21, 2010 at 11:46 pm

    Yum…I love these things!

  11. #
    11
    Colleen — January 29, 2010 at 7:28 pm

    These look delicious! And I love using boxed cake mix!

  12. #
    12
    Kasey — March 5, 2010 at 10:03 pm

    I made these for a friends birthday this past weekend and they were a big hit!

  13. #
    13
    Tyler — September 10, 2010 at 7:19 pm

    I just made these today and they are delicious! I left mine slightly gooey and it’s so good!

  14. #
    14
    Lisa @ Cents to Save — April 1, 2011 at 10:14 pm

    I love these bars!

  15. #
    15
    Lindy S — March 15, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    ust made these, yum! But I am curious to know where I can find some variations, i.e., with nuts, chocolate, fruit flavored, etc……I love to experiment!

    • beantownbaker — March 16th, 2013 @ 2:49 pm

      I haven’t had a chance to play around myself with this recipe. I’m sure if you searched online, you’d find some other variations. Let me know what you try!

  16. #
    16
    Britanny — May 13, 2013 at 6:31 am

    My mom used to make them for us when I was little. I am 25 now. And I am pretty sure they have been around for quite some time. Paula Deen probably only highlighted the fact that they were around. But yes Yum!

  17. #
    17
    Stephen — July 28, 2013 at 12:22 am

    Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon everyday.

    It’s always interesting to read through articles from other writers and practice something from other sites.

  18. #
    18
    Kathy — September 26, 2013 at 9:43 am

    How can you make these to taste like pumpkin? If you add in pumpkin, do you need to cut back on something else??

    • beantownbaker — September 26th, 2013 @ 10:33 am

      Oh that’s a great thought… What about using a box of pumpkin cake mix? And then throwing some pumpkin spices in the cream cheese mixture? If you try this variation, definitely let me know how it turns out!

  19. #
    19
    jonay — June 2, 2014 at 2:12 am

    Omg these look amazing cannot wait to try! I will experiment though!

    • beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:08 pm

      If you do, let me know how it goes!

  20. #
    20
    Sheryl — August 21, 2014 at 8:16 am

    This has been around for years and yes it came from a Philly box. Was a family tradition for holidays at our house, but you can make with lemon as well

  21. #
    21
    Judy Seggerman — February 14, 2015 at 5:55 pm

    I have been making these for years…but I dust with powdered sugar when cool. I can’t go to a family function without taking them.We call them Butter Cheese Squares.

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    22
    bida — December 7, 2015 at 9:46 pm

    I have made these for over 20 some years. I mix pecan pieces in the crust. Family just loves them. Making them tomorrow.

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    23
    Leisa McCannon — July 1, 2016 at 9:54 am

    I make mine with Butter Pecan Cake mix and they are awesome. I am trying lemon this weekend.

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