I was gearing up for New Year’s Eve when I made this addictive Spicy Bacon Popcorn Crack - one simply cannot stop eating it! Make a double batch if you've got lots of bacon and spicy/sweet lovers coming over.
1-2lbs.bacon, cooked until crispy, crumbled into small pieces
8cupscrispy rice/crunchy corn cereal, such as Crispix
3cupscheese crackers, such as Cheezits
1cuppacked dark brown sugar
2/3cupunsalted butter
1/2tsp.red pepper flakes
1/2cuplight corn syrup
1/2tsp.baking soda
1/2cupgranulated sugar
2tsp.ground cinnamon
2-3cupscinnamon popcorn, such as Cinnamon Cashmere Gourmet Popcorn, a delicious Kansas-made product
2-3cupscaramel corn, such as Caramel Crunch Cashmere Gourmet Popcorn, a delicious Kansas-made product
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty foil; spray well with nonstick baking spray.
Place cereal and cheese crackers into a very large, heat safe mixing bowl. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar; set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring brown sugar, butter, red pepper flakes, and corn syrup to a boil; simmer for one minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and whisk in baking soda.
Pour prepared brown sugar mixture over cereal in mixing bowl and toss until well coated; spread cereal out over prepared foil-lined baking sheet, then sprinkle cereal evenly with cooked bacon pieces, pressing them into the warm cereal slightly with a mixing spoon or spatula; sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over the top of cereal and bacon.
Bake 5 minutes, then remove from oven and slide sheet of foil with cereal mixture off the baking sheet onto a couple of hot pads on your counter; spread mixture apart over foil and let cool completely.
When cool, gently break cereal/bacon mixture apart into pieces and toss with popcorn; store your Crack in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Enjoy!