Caramel Corn
This easy homemade caramel corn is perfectly crisp, salty-sweet, and made with simple pantry staples — no candy thermometer required!
Foto: Gimme Some Oven — Ali
Ingredients
- 10 cups popped popcorn (about ½ cup unpopped kernels), plain and unsalted
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Steps
-
Heat oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Spread the popped popcorn out in an even layer and remove any unpopped kernels.
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In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir until combined, then bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Once bubbling, cook without stirring for 4–5 minutes until the caramel is smooth and slightly thickened.
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Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla and baking soda. (The mixture will foam up — this is normal and helps create crisp caramel corn!)
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Quickly pour the caramel evenly over the popcorn. Use a silicone spatula to gently toss until as evenly coated as possible.
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Transfer the popcorn to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to help it crisp and coat evenly.
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Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you’d like. Let the caramel corn cool completely, then break into pieces.
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Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for up to 1–2 weeks.
💰 Cost Estimate
📋 Price Breakdown (13% ingredients detected)
| Ingredient | Amount | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| popped popcorn | 10 cups | - | - |
| 1 cup | - | - | |
| packed light brown sugar | 1 cup | - | - |
| light corn syrup | 0.25 cup | - | - |
| fine sea salt | 0.5 teaspoon | - | - |
| baking soda | 0.5 teaspoon | $0.50/100g | $0.01 |
| vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | - | - |
| optional | - | - | - |
*Estimated market prices, may vary by region
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