Do-it-yourself Caramel Corn – My Baking Habit

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

Do you say “care-uh-mel” or “car-mull”? Once I’m speaking, I all the time say “car-mull” – however generally pronounce it the fancier means once I learn it in my head.

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

And we will’t overlook in regards to the final movie-night snack: caramel corn.

Basic selfmade caramel corn

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

However there actually is one thing particular about selfmade caramel corn. And yeah, okay, it takes a bit little bit of time to make, however the excellent news is that it makes an enormous batch so there’s a lot 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 obtained that excellent crunch that you really want from the caramel coating. 

Tips on how to make this selfmade caramel corn

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

Substances you’ll want

To make this traditional caramel popcorn, you have to:

• 2 baggage microwave popcorn, popped 
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups frivolously packed gentle brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup gentle corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon nice 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 have to pop about 2/3 cup of popcorn kernels. 

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

Including baking soda helps to aerate the caramel so that you get a pleasant crispy crunch within the ultimate caramel corn, relatively 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, try 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 giant rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.

Calmly spray a really giant 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 it is going to be quite a bit more durable to take them out as soon as the caramel is added. And nobody needs to interrupt a tooth on one whereas consuming the completed caramel corn! 

If you happen to don’t have a bowl that’s sufficiently big to carry the entire popcorn and stir the caramel into it, strive utilizing a paper grocery bag (frivolously 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 finished.

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

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

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 whenever you add these elements, so be sure to stand again a bit.

Instantly pour the recent 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 finest you possibly can. A few of it can 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 giant 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 have to to pop ⅔ cup kernels. If you happen to depart the popcorn unsalted, enhance the salt within the caramel recipe.

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

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

For added crunch, you possibly can 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, similar to M&Ms, are enjoyable as properly. However wait so as to add something that may soften, similar to chocolate, till after the caramel corn has cooled.