Ingredients

For the Caramel
(find original recipe here)
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Corn Syrup
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

For the Popcorn
3/8 Cup Un-popped Popcorn Kernels (or 8ish cups of popped popcorn)

For the Cookie
1 Cup Butter (cold)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Vanilla
2 Eggs
3 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
3/4 Tsp Salt
Popcorn

Instructions

Pre-make Caramel: Put all ingredients in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly, bring to a boil, and continue stirring as it boils for 5 minutes. If using a gas stove, continue cooking and stirring for an additional 2 minutes, then turn off the stove. If using an electric stove, turn the stove off after the original 5 minutes, and continue stirring mixture on the now turned off burner for 2 or 3 more minutes. Allow caramel to cool (I find sticking it in the fridge helpful to speed the process up).

Prep the Popcorn: you do this however works best for you. For me, I get a pan on the stove and put 2 Tablespoons of oil in with 2 kernels of popcorn. Heat the oil until the kernels pop, then add the rest of your kernels, put a lid on your pan, then shake kernels back and forth until all are coated in oil. Keep shimmying the pan back and forth occasionally and turn the stove off once all the new kernels start popping. Lift the lid occasionally to release some steam. Once the popcorn is done popping, wait for it to cool, then transfer handfuls into a new bowl, making sure to leave behind any un-popped kernels in the pan. Now I like to crunch up the popcorn into smaller pieces with my hands the best I can, trying to get rid of any possible hard to chew bits.

Make Cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut butter into cubes and mix in stand mixer until only little chunks remain. Mix in sugar and brown sugar just until incorporated. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated and until you can only see very little chunks of butter. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until half incorporated, then add popcorn and resume mixing. Continue mixing until the dough pulls together and little to no butter chunks remain. Put 3-ish Tablespoon chunks of dough a couple inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until you can touch the cookie and feel a thin crust formed on the top. After the cookies are cooled, spread caramel on top and enjoy!