Homemade Caramel Corn
Buttery, sweet, crispy, and crunchy! This homemade caramel corn is exactly like the kind you buy at the state fair and harvest festivals! Naturally gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 14 cups popped popcorn
- 1 cup almonds toasted*
- 1 cup pecans toasted*
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225ºF, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the popcorn and nuts evenly over both baking sheets; set aside.
- Place the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Allow caramel to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Caramel will foam and bubble up.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce over the popcorn/nuts, and toss lightly to evenly coat everything.**
- Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. While popcorn is baking, place a couple of sheets of parchment paper onto the counter.
- After caramel corn is done baking, remove from the oven*** and pour out onto the parchment paper. Immediately separate the popcorn into individual pieces as it cools. Be careful not to burn your fingers while doing this.
- Allow caramel corn to cool completely before eating! Store cooled caramel corn in ziplock bags or airtight containers.
Notes
*Feel free to substitute with other kinds of nuts!
**I found a silicone spatula to be the best tool to evenly toss/coat the popcorn in the caramel sauce.
***I ended up leaving one baking sheet of caramel corn in the oven, while separating the clumps of the other baking sheet of caramel corn. That way the second baking sheet didn't harden while working with the first baking sheet.
**I found a silicone spatula to be the best tool to evenly toss/coat the popcorn in the caramel sauce.
***I ended up leaving one baking sheet of caramel corn in the oven, while separating the clumps of the other baking sheet of caramel corn. That way the second baking sheet didn't harden while working with the first baking sheet.