How to Make Caramel Corn Crispy Again

The ultimateCaramel Popcorn! With a thin, crispy, fifty-fifty coating of caramel on every piece, this caramel cornstays crispy for weeks. Caramel corn can exist made with or without corn syrup – I've discovered the perfect substitute that works 100% perfectly!

Terrific grazing dessert for gatherings. And considering it stays fresh for weeks, it makes for a sensational food souvenir!!

Caramel Popcorn

I make caramel popcorn a LOT all throughout the year. I brand information technology for:

gifting – just a pure act of kindness without any ulterior motives;
bribing – when I'chiliad trying to sway decisions / go far or stay in someone's good graces. (This happens more than I care to acknowledge 😂); and
dessert for gatherings – it'due south a brilliant grazing choice for dessert so your family and friends don't demand to commit to a huge piece of chocolate cake because they're stuffed full from dinner!

The reason it makes such a regular appearance around here is considering it ticks a lot of boxes:

long shelf life – 100% crispy for 2 – 3 weeks;
is low effort to make a fair volume (this makes about xi – 12 cups);
information technology's gluten gratis (useful for gatherings / gifting); and
everybody loves it – young and sometime!

This stuff is CRAZY addictive!! UPDATE: This twelvemonth (2020) I've also made special Christmas version of Caramel Popcorn called Christmas Popcorn Candy, flavoured with classic warm festive spices and almonds!

Why this is THE Caramel Corn recipe

If you've always made caramel popcorn and concluded up with uneven globs of caramel on the popcorn which ends up stuck in your teeth – I feel your pain.

I've been there and washed that, and it was many years before I discovered the clandestine to perfect, crispy, evenly coated caramel corn:

BAKING SODA (aka bi-carbonate soda, or bi-carb for curt); and
Baking.

Baking sodais the underground to an even, thin blanket of caramel on the popcorn. When information technology'south added to the caramel, it makes it foam up so it increases in volume and makes it easier to coat the popcorn more evenly.

The blistering part serves two purposes:

Glaze popcorn evenly – initially, the caramel remelts so when you toss the popcorn, it coats the popcorn more evenly and thinly (cheers to the blistering soda!); and
Crispy caramel and popcorn –during the second half of baking time, the caramel and popcorn dries out, making the thin caramel coating AND popcorn super crisp. This caramel corn stays crispy for WEEKS!

What you need for Caramel Popcorn

Here's what y'all demand. Not very much stuff!!

For those of you outside of the Usa and Canada who can't go corn syrup,don't fret. Glucose is a 100% perfect substitute. I brand caramel popcorn quite regularly (food gifting!) so I stock up on corn syrup when I visit united states. Just I e'er run out.

Then Ihad to find a substitute. And later on making dozens and dozens of batches with glucose, I am happy to report that glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup!

(If you're wondering why you need corp syrup, its purpose is to ensure the caramel doesn't crystallise ie instead of turning into liquid, you cease up with saccharide grains. Caramel is easy but tin can be temperamental. Corn syrup makes information technology a sure thing. 🙂 )

How to brand Caramel Popcorn

Pop your popcorn kernels using your method of option – stove or popcorn maker, if you have one (I do, just for some reason excavation it out of the back of the closet seems like more than endeavour than cooking the popcorn on the stove);
Make caramel – simmer butter, sugar and corn syrup or glucose;
Whisk in blistering soda to make the caramel foam up!
Toss popcorn with caramel – just do the best you tin can here, the caramel volition harden every bit it cools. Don't worry if information technology'due south non evenly coated, we practise this in the side by side step;
Bake 45 minutes , tossing 3 – four times – this makes the caramel coat the popcorn evenly, so makes the caramel and popcorn well-baked and so information technology stays crispy for two+ weeks!

Caramel warning: handle with care because that molten goodness is mighty hot! Then don't be tempted to stick your finger in for a taste test!

Total coverage vs lighter coating

The popcorn you see pictured in the photos and in the video hasfull caramel coverage. Significant, the ratio of caramel to popcorn is such that it'southward intended that every piece of popcorn is coated with caramel.

Total coverage caramel popcorn is very sweet! It'southward fabricated with 1/3 loving cup kernels, x cups popcorn, and is literally like processed. If you consume it by the handful similar Butter Popcorn, chances are you volition regret it….unless you accept a major sweet molar (otherwise try my Calorie-free 'n Salty Butter Popcorn)!

I unremarkably go full coverage when I'k gifting to people I don't know that well (ie usually work related bribing😈) because information technology looks better.

For my ain personal purposes, for my family and friends, for gifting to people I know, I do a lighter coverage. Lighter coverage popcorn has visible white splotches because you don't go full coverage. It's made with 3/4 cup kernels and it is definitely withal sweet and indulgent.

No one has e'er had my Lighter Coverage caramel popcorn and said "that'southward not sweet enough"! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

More Popcorn recipes

Flick Popcorn – buttery, yellow and it stays crisp for days!
Spicy Parmesan Political party Popcorn

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Servings 8 - 12

Recipe video above. The secret to a corking caramel popcorn that's evenly coated with caramel with a thin, crispy coating of caramel (rather that globs of sticky caramel) is blistering soda and baking the popcorn to dry out it out. This caramel corn stays crispy for 2+ weeks!!!

CARAMEL COVEREAGE: Use 1/3 cup kernels for full caramel coverage (very sweet, similar candy pieces), 3/iv cup for "normal" (see in post for photograph and description).

For the popcorn

▢ 1/iv cup (60ml) vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
▢ 1/three cup popping corn (10 cups popcorn, Note 1 for lighter caramel coverage)

For the caramel

▢ 100g / 7 tbsp butter , unsalted
▢ i cup (220g) dark-brown sugar , packed
▢ i/2 cup (170g) corn syrup , lite (sub glucose, Note 2 more subs)
▢ 1/2 tsp salt
▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
▢ ane/two tsp baking soda

Popcorn

Estrus oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add together a few pieces of popcorn and await until it pops, so apace remove.
Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid. Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, milk shake the pot gently in one case.
Remove from estrus when the popping stops (when y'all can count to 3 betwixt pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl. You lot need 10 cups of popcorn.

Caramel:

Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F.
Cook butter in a saucepaan over medium heat.
Add carbohydrate, corn syrup and salt. Stir until but combined.
When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes - Practise Non STIR!
Remove from estrus then speedily whisk in vanilla and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increment in volume.
Quickly pour straight over popcorn, toss until caramel cools and starts to harden.

Baking to crisp:

Spread popcorn on ii blistering trays.
Broil for 45 minutes, tossing every ten minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the first ii-three tosses - tossing coats popcorn more evenly with caramel. (If using glucose or dear, broil farther 15 minutes).
Remove from oven, leave to absurd. Gently intermission into pieces and serve. Stays crisp 2 - 3 weeks!

1. Caramel coverage -i/iii loving cup popcorn kernels will give youfull caramel coverage on each popcorn. This makes the popcorn like processed - it's very sweetness! I use iii/4 cups popcorn for "normal" coverage - information technology'southward withal sugariness, but not intensely sweet where every piece feels like you're eating candy. Run across in post for photo comparison.

2. Corn Syrup is chosen for to stabilise the caramel to ensure saccharide crystallisation doesn't occur. Corn syrup is a common grocery item in the Usa and Canada - I stock upwardly every fourth dimension I go! It can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (here).

Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrupwhich is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with beloved consistency). However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer (considering glucose as college water content).

More substitutions - the post-obit will alter flavor slightly (because corn syrup and glucose are flavourless) simply in terms of blanket and crispiness, they work perfectly:

beloved (bake fifteen minutes longer)
treacle
golden syrup

I don't recommend molasses because the flavour is bit as well intense. Haven't tried with maple syrup because it's much thinner, it will need to boil for longer which makes flavour dilute.

3. Storage - stays 100% crisp and fresh for 2 - three weeks in an airtight container!

Serving: 46 g Calories: 210 cal (xi%) Carbohydrates: 27.6 g (9%) Protein: 0.8 g (ii%) Fat: 11.seven 1000 (xviii%) Saturated Fatty: seven.three k (46%) Cholesterol: 30 mg (10%) Sodium: 663 mg (29%) Potassium: half-dozen mg Fiber: i g (4%) Sugar: 23.ane g (26%) Vitamin A: 400 IU (8%) Atomic number 26: 0.2 mg (1%)

Keywords: caramel corn, Caramel popcorn, nutrient gift ideas

Originally published May 2014, updated September 2019 with new photos, new video and slight improvements to recipe!

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Source: https://www.recipetineats.com/salted-caramel-popcorn/