Description
A sweet, crunchy, historically iconic homemade caramel corn recipe inspired by the original treat invented over 130 years ago.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels (about 12 cups popped)
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pop popcorn and place 12 cups in a large heatproof bowl.
- Melt butter in a saucepan. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer exactly 5 minutes without stirring.
- Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will foam.
- Quickly pour caramel over popcorn and toss to coat evenly.
- Spread coated popcorn on baking sheet and bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Cool completely on the baking sheet until crisp.
Notes
Always discard unpopped kernels—nothing ruins caramel corn faster than a hidden hard kernel.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ounce
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
Keywords: caramel corn, homemade caramel corn, popcorn snack, caramel popcorn