This easy homemade caramel corn is a favorite in my family! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and salty AND it doesn’t stick to your teeth! I like making a big batch of this around the holidays to give out as gifts.
Why you’ll love this easy caramel corn:
If you’re a fan of sweet and salty, this popcorn is for you! Using buttery popcorn as the base for this recipe makes the caramel corn way less sweet than traditional recipes. Don’t get me wrong, the caramel is still full of brown sugar goodness- it’s just the perfect balance!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Buttery microwave popcorn
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Light corn syrup
- Baking soda
- Vanilla extract
As long as you have a little time to stir and turn the popcorn while it bakes, this recipe really isn’t too complicated. Once you try it, you’ll never want to go back to the store-bought stuff again!
How to make the best homemade caramel corn:
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Pop your bags of popcorn, then pour them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir continuously over medium heat to dissolve the sugar (3-5 minutes) then turn off the heat and whisk in the baking soda and vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the popcorn, then bake for 1 hour, stirring and scraping up the caramel on the bottom of the pan every 15 minutes (it gets much easier to mix around after 30 minutes in the oven so don’t feel like it has to be perfect)!
- Once the popcorn is cool enough to handle, break up any large clumps using your fingers, then let the caramel corn cool completely.
My top tips for success!
- When making the caramel, I prefer stirring in the baking soda and vanilla extract at the end so that the vanilla flavor doesn’t cook out and the caramel keeps all those air bubbles from the baking soda!
- Feel free to pop your own popcorn over the stove for this recipe. If you do, you’ll need a heaping 1/4 cup of un-popped kernels. I like using the microwave bags of popcorn for the salty, buttery flavor they give the caramel corn as well as for convenience!
- Make sure to toss the caramel corn every 15 minutes while it’s baking! This will make sure the caramel evenly coats the popcorn and nothing burns. Don’s stress about this step being perfect… just try your best to mix the popcorn around!
Caramel Corn
This easy homemade caramel corn is a favorite in my family! It's the perfect balance of sweet and salty AND it doesn't stick to your teeth! I like making a big batch of this around the holidays to give out as gifts.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 bags buttery microwave popcorn
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Pop your bags of popcorn, then pour them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir continuously over medium heat to dissolve the sugar (3-5 minutes) then turn off the heat and whisk in the baking soda and vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the popcorn, then bake for 1 hour, stirring and scraping up the caramel on the bottom of the pan every 15 minutes (it gets much easier to mix around after 30 minutes in the oven so don't feel like it has to be perfect)!
- Once the popcorn is cool enough to handle, break up any large clumps using your fingers, then let the caramel corn cool completely.
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