Beaver Nuggets

1 cup butter

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

⅔ cup light corn syrup

1 tsp baking soda

8 oz puff corn (like Old Dutch puff corn, for best crispiness)

In a two-quart kettle, combine butter, brown sugar & corn syrup.

Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a boil.

Once boiling, stop stirring and reduce the heat slightly.

Let the mixture boil for 3 minutes without stirring to develop a rich caramel consistency.

Turn off the heat and quickly stir baking soda into the caramel mixture.

This will cause the mixture to bubble up, so be sure to stir well until fully combined.

Pour an 8-ounce bag of puff corn into a large roasting pan or a stainless steel bowl that is safe for use in the oven.

Pour the caramel sauce over the puff corn and stir thoroughly to ensure each piece is well-coated with the sauce.

Preheat your oven to 250°.

Place the caramel-coated puff corn in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.

After baking, remove the caramel puff corn from the oven and spread it out on two large sheet pans lined with wax paper.

Allow it to cool completely, which will also help the caramel set.

Once cooled, break apart any large clusters and store the caramel puff corn in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy your delicious treat!