Easy Caramel Popcorn Recipe, sweet, crisp, and delicious. Only requiring a few ingredients- you will make this caramel corn recipe time and time again.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 45cups (3 bags of popped popcorn)
Calories 108kcal
Author Lisa
Ingredients
3bags of popped popcorn
1cupbutter
1cupbrown sugar
½cupcorn syrup
½teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonvanilla
1teaspoonbaking soda
Instructions
Line 2 baking sheets with foil or parchment paper and preheat oven to 250°F.
Pop bags of popcorn in the microwave. (3 bags of buttered popcorn)
Remove unpopped kernels by placing a cooling rack over a baking sheet and pouring the popcorn onto it. The kernels will fall through but not the popped popcorn. Divide popcorn between prepared baking sheets.
Melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in sauce pan, bring to a boil stirring constantly. (1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup corn syrup, ½ teaspoon salt)
Once at a boil let boil 5 minutes* without stirring*. For high altitude instructions see notes below.
Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. The caramel will foam up a bit- this is normal. (1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla)
Pour over popcorn (half goes on each tray) and stir to coat the popcorn.
Bake for an hour stirring every 15 minutes.
Once done baking, allow to cool and then enjoy! *
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
*If you are at high altitude, I recommend reducing the time spent boiling by 30 seconds for each 1000 ft above sea level. So, for me, I live close to 4000 ft above sea level and boiled my sugar mixture for only 3 minutes.
If you don’t reduce the time and live at high altitude your sugar/caramel mixture will be thick and grainy. It will taste good but not have the smooth finish. See post above for photo examples.
*Stop stirring once the mixture starts to boil. This prevents the sugar from crystalizing and the caramel from becoming grainy.
* Store any leftover caramel corn in an air tight zip lock baggie.