I love making homemade candies and have been playing with caramel in a variety of recipes this past month, and one of my favorite creations is this deliciously addictive Sea Salt and Vanilla Caramel Corn. To get started, you will need a candy thermometer, a heavy-bottomed pan and some basic staples from the pantry, including popcorn, white and brown sugars, corn syrup, water, butter, vanilla extract and your favorite flaky sea salt (mine is the Icelandic sea salt sold at the Stabo Scandinavian boutique in downtown Fargo). Once the caramel reaches the hard-crack stage, I remove it from the heat and quickly stir in a splash of pure vanilla extract, which enhances the creaminess of the caramel.