I love caramel corn. Every summer when we vacation in Ocean City, NJ, we get some of the best caramel corn I ever had. Then I found this recipe. Oh my…a really good caramel corn recipe that’s so easy, so yummy. Pretty much as good as the stuff I could only get once a year! ITÂ IS as good as the stuff I could only get once a year!! And now I can make it any time I want!!! I don’t know. Is that a good thing? It certainly isn’t helping my diet at all. Oh well, that’s another story. You have to try this stuff. Trust me. You’ll love it, too.
Caramel Corn
(Yields about 8-10 servings)
1/2 cup popcorn kernels, unpopped*
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
*I found this fabulous popcorn at the Shady Maple farm market in the Lancaster, PA. area. It’s sold in the bulk foods section of the store and it’s called Monster Popcorn. Pops into nice big kernels, but any kind of popcorn kernels can be used.
Pop popcorn using your preferred method. (I use a microwave popcorn popper, but I used to just put the kernels in a medium size brown paper bag, fold the end over and push the popcorn button on my microwave.) Place the popped popcorn in a bowl large enough so you’ll be able to toss it around when you pour the caramel on it.
Preheat the oven to 250 F. Next, make the caramel. Melt the butter in a 1.5-2 qt. heavy bottom saucepan, set over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
Once the mixture reaches a boil, lower the temperature slightly and let the mixture continue to boil without stirring, for 4-5 minutes. (Watch it, and smell it…you don’t want it to burn.) Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. The mixture will bubble up and become frothy. Immediately pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and toss thoroughly.
Spread the popcorn onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Bake in a 250 F oven for 40-50 minutes. Pull out and stir the popcorn every 10-15 minutes to distribute any clumps of caramel. (After 40 minutes, test a cooled piece of popcorn. If it is not crispy, bake 10 minutes longer.)
Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the popcorn to cool completely before breaking up and storing in an airtight container. ENJOY!