Homemade Cracker Jacks & A Baseball Party

Last month, Spud turned 6!

He had just finished up his first summer of t-ball, so he wanted a baseball themed birthday!

We obviously needed peanuts & cracker jacks, so it was the perfect opportunity to make my own!  I tackled Bacon Caramel Corn a couple years ago and the concept is pretty similar, so I was excited to try!

The cracker jacks were the perfect balance of salty and sweet!

Along with the cracker jacks, we had plenty of peanuts, and a hot dog stand!  And of course a baseball stadium cake (check out Amy’s Confectionery Adventures for more cake details!)

We also put together a few games!  We had a can toss, a small baseball field (Hubs mowed the grass extra short just for the party), and a bean bag toss (again, Hubs is awesome and made it himself!)

It was the perfect party for our little slugger!

Recipe Notes:

*Use any plain popcorn for this recipe.  I used an oil popper, but air poppers or even plain microwave popcorn will work!

Homemade Cracker Jacks

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

About 10 cups freshly popped popcorn

1 ½ cups lightly salted peanuts

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup corn syrup

2 tbsp water

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Place the popcorn and peanuts in a stock pot or large heat safe bowl and toss to combine.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt.  Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt.  Increase heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring frequently until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees F.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda.  Immediately pour over the popcorn and stir to mix.

Pour the coated popcorn onto the prepared baking sheets, pressing the popcorn into more or less a single layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.   Cool slightly, then break into small chunks.  Cool completely and serve.

For best results, eat within 3 days.