Homemade Caramel Corn
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 45 minutes
- Total 55 minutes
Homemade Caramel Corn is a dessert recipe on Avoteb. Plan on 55 minutes from start to plate. The amounts and the method are both on this page.
Ingredients
- 10 cups popped popcorn (about ½ cup unpopped kernels), plain and unsalted
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Method
Prep the popcorn. Warm oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Spread the popped popcorn out in an even layer and remove any unpopped kernels.
Make the caramel. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over a medium burner. Tip in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Whisk until combined, then bring the mixture to a gentle let it bubble gently. Once bubbling, cook without stirring for 4–5 minutes until the caramel is smooth and slightly thickened.
Finish the caramel. Lift from heat and immediately mix in the vanilla and baking soda. (The mixture will foam up — this is normal and helps create crisp caramel corn!)
Coat the popcorn. Quickly pour the caramel evenly over the popcorn. Take a silicone spatula to gently toss until as evenly coated as possible.
Roast low and slow. Move the popcorn to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to help it crisp and coat evenly.
Cool and break apart. Lift from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you’d like. Let the caramel corn cool completely, then break into pieces.
Plate or store. Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for up to 1–2 weeks.
