A few weeks back, the photo shoot took place for my new cookbook, tentatively titled, “The Vintage Baker,” (Chronicle Books, April 2018). I was over the moon about the team Chronicle put together for the shoot: Alice Gao photographed all of the (delicious) sweets and treats and Diana Yen of The Jewels of New York was the stylist. 
I don’t think I need to tell you that the pictures are AMAZING (if you don’t know Alice and Diana’s work, check out their Instagram feeds). And although I wish I could share the photos with you RIGHT NOW, the powers that be require that I wait . . . But what I will share is a recipe for homemade cracker jacks from Diana Yen/The Jewels of New York’s cookbook, “A Simple Feast.” The book is beautiful and it is full of so many scrumptious-sounding recipes. However, I’m a candied popcorn fanatic from always, and so . . . homemade cracker jacks for the win. 
I tweaked the recipe just a tad: substituting Lyle’s Golden Syrup for the light corn syrup and peanuts for the almonds (like the boxed version, I love too much). I added extra salt and vanilla, a bit of baking soda, more popcorn, and I used a candy thermometer, to ensure I pulled the caramel at the right time (my first batch of caramel – made without the thermometer – was a tad overcooked). The recipe is easy and the finished corn, super yummy. Perfect for snacking on while binge watching “You Better Call Saul,” if you must know.
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Find more candy recipes here!
