16 cups popped popcorn (discard any unpopped kernels)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups salted peanuts

preheat the oven to 250 degrees. butter a cookie sheet.

put the popcorn in a very large bowl.

in a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla and bring to a boil over medium heat. remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. working quickly, pour the syrup over the popcorn and stir in the nuts. toss and stir the popcorn with a wooden spoon until it is completely coated.

spoon the popcorn onto the prepared cookie sheet. bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes, until crisp. let cool completely on the cookie sheet.

makes about 16 cups