Old-fashioned stove-top popcorn covered in a sweet, buttery homemade caramel sauce! Make it crunchy or chewy!
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, southern
Keyword brown sugar, caramel, popcorn
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 8people
Calories
Ingredients
3tablespoonsvegetable oil
⅓cuppopcorn kernels
½cupunsalted or salted butter
1cuplight brown sugar, packed
¼cuplight corn syrup
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonvanilla extract
¼teaspoonbaking soda
Instructions
Make the Popcorn
Add oil and 3-4 popcorn kernels to a large, heavy-bottom pot.
Heat the oil until at least 1 of the kernels pop. (oil should be hot but not smoking or sputtering)
Remove from heat, and remove popped kernel.
Spread the remaining kernels in an even layer in the bottom of the pot.
Return pot to heat and cover.
Once kernels start to pop, carefully, and slightly vent the lid to allow steam to escape.
Shake the pot back and forth to encourage more popping.
Once the popping has slowed down to about 3-4 seconds between pops, remove from heat and uncover.
Place popcorn in a very large bowl, large pot or roasting pan (You'll need lots of space to coat the popcorn in caramel) Keep the popcorn warm if you can.
Make the Caramel
In a large pot, over medium-low heat melt butter.
Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.
Bring to a light boil and let boil for 2-4 minutes (may need longer), without stirring, until caramel has thickened. (4 minutes usually does it for me.)
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and baking soda. (Mixture will foam up a little) *Whoops I forgot to put this clip in the video
Immediately drizzle the hot caramel over the popcorn.
Using a rubber spatula, toss the popcorn to coat it evenly in the caramel.
Once coated, spread the popcorn on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
If you prefer chewy caramel corn, let it sit until the caramel has hardened.
If you prefer crunchy caramel corn, Preheat oven to 250 F. and bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Once cooled, break the larger clumps into smaller pieces if desired.