I am guessing that not everyone knows what Fiddle Faddle is. So incase you don’t know, I’ll tell ya!

It’s the most delicious caramel popcorn and peanuts all mixed together and it taste like my childhood.

My dad always, ALWAYS, had a box of Fiddle Faddle in our pantry and I loved it as a kid. It was sweet, and salty and crunchy, and sticky, and peanutty perfection!

After not thinking about fiddle faddle in probably 25 years, I suddenly began craving it the other day. This is especially odd because I am not a big popcorn eater. Movie theater popcorn has made me sick to my stomach my whole life. I have either myself been in braces, or 2 of my 4 kids have been in braces at some point over the last 7 years, so we don’t eat a lot of popcorn in this house. ( popcorn is a big NO when wearing braces)

But, as of last month nobody is wearing braces (hallelujah!!! but we still have 2 kids to go) and I decided my kids needed to learn the joy of box of Fiddle Faddle. But, like most tasty treats from my childhood, Fiddle Faddle is not vegan. And like most tasty treats from my childhood, it was my responsibility to try and veganize them so my kids could know the same happy joy.

I would love to claim I made this, but it was actually my super talented 14 year old daughter who played with a caramel recipe until it was just right. She takes charge where all things vegan baking and sweets are concerned. She is beyond gifted and a natural in the department! I was pretty much just in charge of popping the corn and not starting a fire. That is a story for another day.

This caramel is perfect. Not gritty (like the first attempt) but crunchy and chewy, and just right. The peanuts make this caramel corn extra special and they are my favorite part. Again, I don’t love popcorn on its own that much, but add peanuts and salty, sweet buttery caramel, and I’m all in.

So if you are a long time Fiddle Faddle fan who has also been craving a box, or you just happen to love caramel corn and needed a vegan recipe, this Vegan Fiddle Faddle recipe should be just the fix you are looking for.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons vegan butter (we used Earth Balance)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 to 1 1/4 cups shelled peanuts
10 cups popped popcorn ( 1/2 cup pre popped kernels)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Begin by popping the popcorn. I heat a large dutch oven over medium heat with the teaspoons of a neutral flavored oil. Add two or three pop corn kernels to the pot and wait for them to pop. Once they have popped add the 1/2 cup of kernels to the pot and reduce the heat to medium/low. Place a lid over the pot and wait until you hear no more popping. I often shake the pot around while it’s popping to avoid burning the pop corn. Remove the pot from the heat but leave the lid on so any stray kernels that may still pop stay put. (you could also just pop a few bags of microwave popcorn if you are not into loose kernels or use whatever popcorn popping machine you may have….we are pretty old school poppers in this house)
In a medium sized pot, over medium heat add sugar and water. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the peanuts to the pot.
Increase the heat to medium/ high and let cook until the mixture turns an amber/brown color, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let the mixture get too dark, as this will mean you burned the sugar. Depending on the kind of pot you are using, this could take 5-7 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the butter, vanilla, and pinch of salt and stir well. It might look separated and like its not going to come together, but once the butter heats up, it will mix together.
Carefully pour the mixture over the pot of popcorn. Using a large spoon, stir the best you can, trying to evenly coat all the popcorn.
Lay a large sheet of parchment paper out on your counter top and pour the popcorn out to cool.
Store cooled caramel corn in an airtight container at room temperature.

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