Description
Sweet and salty caramel corn is a perfect party snack or movie night treat. This recipe delivers crispy, crunchy goodness in every bite.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cups (237 ml) corn kernels
- 2 cups (473 ml) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cups (237 ml) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F (121°C).
- In a large Dutch oven, add oil. Heat over medium heat until melted. Add 3–5 popcorn kernels, cover, and wait until all kernels have popped (1–2 minutes). Remove popped kernels with a slotted spoon and discard.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add remaining popcorn kernels, and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook until there are a couple of seconds between pops (about 2–3 minutes).
- Transfer popcorn to a large roasting pan and set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Stir in baking soda and continue to cook until the mixture is thick. Remove from heat.
- Pour caramel over popcorn and toss to coat evenly.
- Bake popcorn for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until crispy, tossing every 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and pour popcorn onto foil-lined baking sheets.
- Break up popcorn once cool enough to handle.
- Once completely cool, transfer caramel corn to an airtight container for storage (up to 1–2 weeks).
Notes
- For extra-crispy caramel corn, spread the popcorn in a single layer on the baking sheet and ensure even coating with the caramel.
- If you don’t have light corn syrup, you can substitute with an equal amount of granulated sugar, but the caramel may be slightly less glossy.
- To prevent sticking, lightly grease your baking sheets or use parchment paper before spreading out the caramel corn to cool.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven-Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 50
- Sodium: 200
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 50