Do-it-yourself Caramel Corn – My Baking Dependancy

Do-it-yourself caramel corn is the last word movie-night snack! This recipe is good, salty, crunchy, and makes an enormous batch – excellent for sharing with buddies and neighbors or making for a celebration.

Do you say “care-uh-mel” or “car-mull”? After I’m speaking, I at all times say “car-mull” – however generally pronounce it the fancier manner after I learn it in my head.

And contemplating that this web site is my full-time job, I spend a variety of time fascinated about caramel. Whether or not it’s salted caramel sauce, salted caramel brownies, or pecan caramel clusters, I positively take into consideration caramel greater than most individuals.

And we are able to’t neglect in regards to the final movie-night snack: caramel corn.

Basic do-it-yourself caramel corn

I really like caramel corn and I’m probably not choosy about it. I’ll eat a field of Cracker Jack, a bag of Garrett Popcorn after I’m in Chicago, even the stuff that you simply get within the huge spherical tins at Christmastime. 

However there actually is one thing particular about do-it-yourself caramel corn. And yeah, okay, it takes somewhat little bit of time to make, however the excellent news is that it makes an enormous batch so there’s loads to go round.

This recipe is fairly easy and makes caramel corn that’s simply the suitable stability of candy, salty, and buttery. Plus it’s received that excellent crunch that you really want from the caramel coating. 

How one can make this do-it-yourself caramel corn

When you’ve by no means made caramel corn at dwelling earlier than, don’t stress. I do know that making your personal caramel sauce sounds scary, however I’m gonna make this one straightforward for you. 

Components you’ll want

To make this traditional caramel popcorn, you’ll need:

• 2 baggage microwave popcorn, popped 
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups calmly packed gentle brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup gentle corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon high quality sea salt

I like to make use of common ol’ butter microwave popcorn for this recipe. If you wish to use stove-popped or air-popped popcorn, you’ll must pop about 2/3 cup of popcorn kernels. 

Baking soda would possibly sound like a bizarre ingredient so as to add to caramel sauce, however I promise that it’s needed right here. Don’t skip it!

Including baking soda helps to aerate the caramel so that you get a pleasant crispy crunch within the remaining caramel corn, moderately than a tough, overly chewy texture.

If you’re out of brown sugar, whip up a easy brown sugar substitute to make use of on this recipe as an alternative. In case your brown sugar hardened within the pantry, take a look at my ideas for softening brown sugar and save your self a visit to the shop. 

Making this recipe

Earlier than you begin making the caramel sauce for the popcorn, go forward and line two massive rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.

Calmly spray a really massive bowl with nonstick spray and add the popped popcorn. 

I like to recommend eradicating any un-popped kernels from the popcorn now, in any other case will probably be quite a bit tougher to take them out as soon as the caramel is added. And nobody desires to interrupt a tooth on one whereas consuming the completed caramel corn! 

When you don’t have a bowl that’s sufficiently big to carry all the popcorn and stir the caramel into it, attempt utilizing a paper grocery bag (calmly sprayed with nonstick spray) as an alternative.

Lastly, measure out each the vanilla and the baking soda and set these apart. You’ll want to have the ability to seize them shortly as soon as the caramel is nearly achieved.

To make the sauce, add the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt to a big saucepan. Deliver the combination to a boil over medium-high warmth, stirring continually.

As quickly because the combination involves a gentle boil, set a timer for five minutes. Proceed boiling for the 5 minutes, nonetheless stirring continually.

As soon as the 5 minutes are over, take the pan off the warmth and instantly add the vanilla and baking soda, stirring vigorously to mix. The caramel goes to bubble up and hiss once you add these elements, so be sure you stand again a bit.

Instantly pour the new caramel over the popcorn. Fastidiously stir to coat the popcorn evenly with the caramel, then divide it between the ready sheet pans. 

Unfold the popcorn into even layers on the pans as greatest you’ll be able to. A few of it would nonetheless clump collectively – that’s okay.

Bake at 200°F for 45 minutes, stirring each quarter-hour.

Let the caramel popcorn cool on the baking sheets, breaking up any massive clumps because it cools. Retailer in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as every week.

Recipe substitutions and variations

I like to make use of traditional butter microwave popcorn for this recipe. If you wish to use stovetop popcorn or air-popped popcorn, you’ll need to pop ⅔ cup kernels. When you depart the popcorn unsalted, improve the salt within the caramel recipe.

Honey works effectively within the caramel sauce instead of the corn syrup, and provides a little bit of a unique taste to the caramel corn.

For a richer taste, attempt utilizing darkish brown sugar as an alternative of sunshine brown sugar, or swap out the high quality sea salt for a flavored salt, like my pal Megan does in her smoked salt caramel corn.

For added crunch, you’ll be able to add as much as 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts (or your private favourite nuts) to the popcorn earlier than including the caramel sauce. 

Different mix-ins, reminiscent of M&Ms, are enjoyable as effectively. However wait so as to add something that may soften, reminiscent of chocolate, till after the caramel corn has cooled.