There was a time when a box of Cracker Jack came with a prize worth keeping and popcorn that didn't taste like it'd been stored in a shoebox since 1983. This homemade recipe? Golden, sticky, peanut-studded perfection with just enough crunch to wake the neighbors- and maybe your childhood memories, too.
Table of Contents
- 🍿 This ain't your average homemade snack recipe
- 🧾 Ingredients for Copycat Cracker Jack
- 📖 Recipe
- 🔪 How to make homemade cracker jack (without the box or the boring)
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 👩🍳 Copycat Cracker Jack side quest: because questions happen
- 📚 More sweet snacks you probably shouldn't be left alone with
- 💬 Comments
🍿 This ain't your average homemade snack recipe
This isn't just sugar-slapped popcorn in a paper sack - it's buttery, molasses-kissed, peanut-poppin' nostalgia with a rebellious streak. It's the flavor of baseball games and back porches, minus the stale box and disappointing prize. One bite and you'll wonder why we ever trusted store-bought snacks in the first place.
Oh, and just for fun? Buy a bunch of little toys at Amazon, Michael's, or Hobby Lobby and bury them in the bowls you serve the Cracker Jack in.
🧾 Ingredients for Copycat Cracker Jack
You don't need a candy thermometer or a degree in snackology - just a handful of pantry staples and a little attitude. Butter, brown sugar, molasses, peanuts, popcorn... and a touch of something spicy if you're feeling bold. It's kitchen alchemy with a Southern twang, and it all comes together faster than you can say "don't burn the sugar, Brenda."
- Popcorn - freshly popped, not the microwave kind with "butter flavoring" from the underworld
- Peanuts - honey roasted, spicy, or plain roasted - follow your snack heart
- Dark corn syrup - for that glossy, sticky finish
- Brown sugar - dark or light, depending on how moody you're feeling
- Butter - salted or unsalted, but real butter only
- Molasses - adds that old-fashioned depth and sticky-sweet richness
- Salt - just a pinch, unless you're feeling dramatic
- Vanilla - the real stuff, please
- Chipotle powder (optional) - for a smoky little kick that says "surprise, darling."
Want all the sweet secrets in one place? Grab the free printable Cracker Jack Kitchen Cheat Sheet PDF with pro tips, FAQs, clever swaps, and storage hacks-because nothing ruins homemade glory like soggy popcorn and unanswered questions. Keep it handy, spill butter on it, tape it to the fridge like a snack-fueled love letter. You're one click away from snacktime superiority.
📖 Recipe
Copycat Cracker Jack
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 11 cups popcorn, popped, not kernels
- 1 cup spicy roasted peanuts, may use plain salted or honey roasted
- 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¼ cup dark corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch chipotle powder, optional, for extra kick
Instructions
- Heat oven to 250°F.
- Spread popcorn in the bottom of a large roasting pan and scatter the peanuts on top.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and salt over medium-high heat.
- Whisk constantly until smooth and bubbling. Cook 2-3 minutes until thickened and caramel-like.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (and ground chipotle if you're using it).
- Pour hot caramel over the popcorn-peanut mix. Stir well so everything's coated-dig deep so no peanut gets left behind.
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so it crisps evenly.
- Spread onto parchment in a single layer to cool completely. Break into clusters and store in an airtight container… if it lasts that long.
Notes
- Use fresh popcorn - Stale popcorn makes sad snacks. Pop it right before you make the caramel or be haunted by chewy regret.
- Don't skip the molasses - It's what gives this recipe that classic Cracker Jack flavor. If you leave it out, you're just making caramel corn with peanuts.
- Watch your caramel like a hawk - Burnt sugar smells like betrayal. Keep it to a gentle bubble and don't walk away. Not even for TikTok.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪 How to make homemade cracker jack (without the box or the boring)
Because store-bought could never. This step-by-step walk-through gets you from plain popcorn to glossy, peanut-studded perfection in about an hour - no prize toy required.
- Melt the good stuff: In a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, dark corn syrup, molasses, and salt. Bring it to a slow bubble over medium heat, stirring like you mean it.
- Whisk it smooth: Let the mixture boil gently for about 4-5 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla - and chipotle, if you're feeling spicy.
- Pour and stir like a snack goddess: Pour the hot caramel mixture over the popcorn and peanuts. Stir it all together until every fluffy kernel is dressed for the occasion.
- Bake until golden and glorious: Spread the coated popcorn onto a baking sheet and bake at 250°F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Let it cool, then try not to eat the whole tray.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Use a big bowl - Bigger than you think you need. You're about to stir molten caramel over popcorn. This is not the time for dainty cookware.
👩🍳 Copycat Cracker Jack side quest: because questions happen
Got questions? Of course you do. This isn't your first snack rodeo. Here are the most common ones, answered with love - and if you want the full list (plus pro tips, swaps, and storage), grab the free printable PDF and keep it close. Like… glove compartment close. Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
I mean… technically, yes. But don't. The fake butter coating messes with the caramel and your self-respect. Use air-popped or stove-popped for best results unless you use plain microwave popcorn with literally nothing on it.
Make sure you bake it long enough and stir every 15 minutes. Let it cool completely before storing or it'll trap moisture faster than a rain-soaked picnic.
Yes, Felicia. That's what gives it that old-school, Cracker Jack flavor. If you skip it, you'll end up with caramel corn - and we're not here for that today. (But I have that recipe, too, and it smacks!)
📚 More sweet snacks you probably shouldn't be left alone with
If this homemade Cracker Jack situation has awakened something dangerous in you (like the urge to hoard sugar-coated snacks in decorative tins), don't worry - you're not alone. I see you. I am you.
Try the caramel corn if you want the classic, no-peanuts, no-prize version that's still sticky-sweet and totally addictive. S'mores puppy chow is what happens when snack mix goes feral at a campground - it's messy, chocolatey, and probably illegal in five states. And spiced candied pecans? Listen, if you're not eating those straight off the sheet pan at 11 p.m. like a crunchy little goblin, are you even living?
There's just something magical about making your own Cracker Jack - no stale popcorn, no weird mystery prizes, just sweet, buttery, peanut-packed goodness that actually tastes like you remember it.
Whether you're baking up a batch for movie night, edible gifting, or just to hide in your pantry and eat by the handful, this recipe's got you covered. Print it, pin it, and maybe double it - because the first batch? Yeah, it won't last.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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