Cracker Jack Party Mix Recipe
I love making easy gourmet popcorn and, frankly, this cracker jack party mix recipe is one of my ultimate favorites! It’s simple to make but the flavor is really spectacular.
Oh, you’re here for a whole party instead of just a recipe for baseball party mix?! Don’t worry! I have all the best boy baby shower ideas gathered up for you so you can make your popcorn and eat it too!
It’s the magic of the salty peanuts and smooth creamy caramel, it’s amazing – and a super classic flavor that takes you back to that iconic cardboard box and childhood. But the fact that you can make this at home?! Mind. Blowing.
I don’t know why this isn’t something I have made before now – it’s so simple and the kids, well, they love it and I barely had enough popcorn leftover to take photos, they demolished the bowl of it so fast!
So, get ready to make a double batch, if you know you have a whole lotta folks prepared to eat your treats – because you’re going to need it!
Cracker Jack Party Mix Recipe
Regular popped popcorn is great, but when you combine it with brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla…that’s just so perfect.
And it doesn’t seem like it would be super easy, but it REALLY is! Seriously, while your popcorn is in the popcorn popper, you can pop your saucepan over medium high heat. In the pan, combine your sugar, corn syrup and salted butter, remove from heat then stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Then you’re ready to coat your popcorn.
Let it dry and you’re done. Sometimes, recipes call for baking for 1 hour, but that’s really not necessary. You can even use microwave popcorn if you want – done in 15 minutes!
What Can You Add to This Baseball Party Mix?
Besides popcorn and peanuts, for the true classic cracker jacks popcorn recipe, you can absolutely add more things, if you want.
Some of my favorite add-ins are:
- Chocolate Chips
- Honey Roasted Almonds
- Pretzels
- Peanut Butter Candies
Specialty Ingredients:
The following ingredients are affiliate links on Amazon because they may be a bit hard to find in your normal store. I wanted you to be able to see exactly which things we are using.
Reminder, not all ingredients in the baseball party mix recipe are linked above, just the ones that may be a bit difficult to find or that you might be unsure of what to look for.
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Must Have Resources:
When making baseball party mix at home, you really need to have the following Amazon affiliate tools on hand.
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Make it a Meal:
Nothing can be more time consuming and frustrating than trying to create a meal plan when you’re not confident in the skill. Seriously, I get it. It took me years to feel like I could build a meal plan my whole family would love. Good news for you, I have a quick and fun meal plan that goes with this cracker jack recipe!
Main Dish: Spaghetti Pie
Vegetable Side: Frozen Asparagus Recipes
Starch Side: Oven Steak Fries Recipe
Refreshing Drink: Hawaiian Blue Mocktail
Best Party Treat Recipes:
Not going to kid you, once you’ve made this homemade cracker jacks popcorn, you’re going to have trouble keeping up with the stampede of feet coming your way to clear the serving platter. You’ll want some other party treats to keep the guests from getting rowdy. Good news for you, I’ve pulled together some of the best party treat ideas ever:
I love having a couple of different party treats and this pink puppy chow is so tasty, I try to make sure this or a version like it, is on my party tray at every event!
Cracked pepper cheesecake Triscuts are a fantastic treat to pop on the table and really get people into your appetizer game.
This trick to make your own homemade rock candy is more than just a yummy treat, but also a quick science experiment the kids will love!
I can’t wait to make these cherry brownies with chocolate ganache for my next party dessert table.
Chocolate lasagna is a fantastic treat to serve for a party – especially if you can make it in individual cups for easy of distributing it!
I will never not recommend making a sugar cookie dip for all the get-togethers ever. So easy and SO YUM!
Easy baseball themed cupcakes are so simple and straight-forward to make, you’re going to love having them at the ready!
Other Baseball Baby Shower or Party Ideas:
- Whether you’re throwing a baseball party or a baseball baby shower, make some fun invite using these baseball baby shower invitations, an easy print and cut project for your Cricut!
- Then, when it’s time to throw-down, break out these baseball baby shower decorations – not overly baby, so they’re perfect for a more open-ended party.
- And add to the decorations with this fun baseball centerpiece idea that will knock your party out of the park!
More Gourmet Popcorn Recipes:
Cracker Jack Party Mix Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10-12 Cup(s) Air-Popped Popcorn
- 1 Cup(s) Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup(s) Salted Butter
- ¼ Cup(s) Light Corn Syrup
- 1 tbsp Water
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup(s) Honey Roasted Peanuts
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250-degrees and pop your popcorn.
- Spread a sheet of parchment paper over a cookie sheet and lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray oil to facilitate stirring. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pot, combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat. Bring the mixture to 250-degrees then remove from heat.
- Add water, vanilla and baking soda and mix together well.
- Place popped popcorn in the greased bowl then pour the brown sugar mixture over the popcorn.
- Stir to combine, then add the peanuts and spread the mixture over the prepared parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
- Allow the popcorn to cool completely then serve!
Nutrition
I can’t tell you how much I love this easy recipe, but I get it – sometimes you’re not ready to make a treat when you stumble on it. So, just pin this to your favorite easy snack recipes board on Pinterest so you can find it again fast when you’re ready for a flavor-packed experience!
