The Amish make the best, melt-in-your-mouth caramel corn. With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip up this simple holiday treat in about 1 hour.
This is my go-to recipe for every Thanksgiving and Christmas get-together. Homemade Caramel Corn is a classic. It’s also makes for an excellent gift. I like to fill up those big decorative popcorn cans and hand these out to family, friends, teachers, the bus driver, you name it.
Everyone loves caramel corn. In fact, I often have to hide it around the house. Otherwise, my family would devour it in just a few days.
You can also store it in Ziploc baggies and send it off with the kids in their lunchbox. Pretty sure this gets me some extra hugs around the holidays.
How long can caramel corn be stored?
Popcorn is one of those foods that seems to last forever! In fact, popcorn (including caramel corn) doesn’t spoil or go bad. It just loses its flavor and crispiness over time. But when you store it in an airtight container, it should last up to 3 months.
But if you’re like our family, it’s usually gone within a week. You can also fill up some Ziploc bags and pass them out as gifts.
Why is my caramel corn so sticky?
If you find that your caramel corn is excessively sticky, it hasn’t been cooked properly. Temperature and timing are very important when it comes to making the perfect batch of homemade caramel corn.
Be sure to bring it to the correct temperature. This ensures that when it cools, it dries as a shiny coating rather than a sticky sauce. Also, be sure to take your time when you bring the mixture to a boil. If you’re like me, I tend to get a little impatient. But it’s important that you keep the heat on medium and allow it to come to a boil naturally. You want a nice SLOW bubbling boil.
Tips & Tricks for Making Homemade Caramel Corn
If you use one of those large disposable aluminum pans, clean up is soooo much easier.
You can also make this with molasses instead of light corn syrup, it tastes just like the old-time Cracker Jack caramel popcorn.
Or you can use maple syrup instead of corn syrup if you prefer. Both are equally delish!
I also like to use 1 bag of plain popped corn and 1 bag of regular salty popcorn to give it a sweet-savory combo.
By using this recipe as a base, you have lots of options for mixing up the flavors! You can even add a bit of cayenne pepper to make it spicy.
2cupsslivered almonds (Can also use dry roasted nuts, honey rosated peanuts, cashews, Macadamia nuts, or pecans)
2cupsbrown sugar
1/2cuplight corn syrup
1tspsalt
1cupbutter
1tspbaking soda
1tspvanilla extract
Dash of cayenne pepper
Instructions
Cook 2 bags of popcorn in the microwave. Two 3.5oz bags of microwave popcorn equals 7 quarts of popped corn.
Place the popped popcorn into (2) shallow greased baking pans. Sprinkle the slivered almonds or nuts of your choice on top. Set aside. You can also use roasting pans if you prefer, which makes it a bit easier to stir without any popcorn falling out.
Preheat the oven to 240 degrees F. While the oven is heating, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Note: It’s important not to get in a hurry and bring everything to a boil too quickly. You want a nice SLOW bubbling boil.
Once the mixture begins to boil, continue boiling for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the baking pans. Stir to coat.
Bake for 1 hour. But be sure to remove them from the oven and give them a good stir every 15 minutes.
After it’s done baking, line the countertop with waxed paper. Pour the popcorn out onto the waxed paper. Allow the popcorn to cool completely.
Store in airtight containers. It can be kept for up to 3 months.
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The baking soda reacts with the acid in the recipe (i.e., brown sugar) to create an airier, more brittle texture that's not as sticky as the recipes without it. The charms of caramel corn finally made sense. Once coated, the popcorn goes into the oven for about half an hour.
The caramel hardens as it cools. Once cool enough to handle, you can break apart any large clusters. Cover the popcorn tightly once cooled. This caramel corn stays fresh for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container, so it's a great recipe to make ahead of time.
To ensure a perfectly crisp coating, the caramel needs to reach a specific temperature, typically around 250-300°F (120-150°C), known as the “hard crack” stage. If you don't cook it to this point, the caramel can remain soft and sticky, resulting in soggy popcorn.
To keep your caramel corn fresh, be sure to store it in an airtight container or resealable bag (making sure to press as much air out as you can). The better you seal your container, the longer it will last. You can store it at room temperature on your counter for up to 2-3 weeks.
Like dry caramel, you want to gently move the sugar mixture in that same side-to-side paintbrush-like fashion until the sugar dissolves. Then, as soon as the mixture comes to a boil, it should not be stirred, as the agitation can cause crystallization.
Either yellow or white popcorn kernels will work great for this recipe. Air-popped popcorn will yield the best results. If you prefer you can use organic corn syrup. Be sure to stir every 15 minutes so each piece of caramel corn gets fully coated.
Unopened, it can last several months past its "best by" date if stored properly in a cool, dry place. Once opened, it's best to follow the storage instructions on the packaging, but generally, it can last a few weeks to a few months in the refrigerator.
Identify the Cause: Grainy caramel sauce typically results from sugar crystallization during the cooking process. This can happen if sugar crystals form on the sides of the saucepan or if the sugar syrup is mixed too much while cooking.
To thicken a caramel sauce, use one tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca starch (sometimes known as tapioca flour) and one tablespoon of water per cup of caramel. Then simmer the caramel, stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick.
If the temperature gets too hot and the caramel becomes too hard as it cools, you can put it back in the pan with a couple of tablespoons of cold water to try and save it.
If you want a thickener that will not alter the glossy color of the caramel, try tapioca flour (not pearls). Simply add small amount to your sauce to thicken it.
Generally, the caramel will have a higher 'water activity' than the popcorn. As a result, if you leave the popcorn for a while, moisture from the caramel will migrate into the corn. This causes the popcorn to lose its 'crunch' and become soft and chewy.
If you like gooey/sticky caramel corn, give it a sprinkle with a good pinch of kosher salt, let it cool and start eating! If you like it crunchy, keep going. To make crunchy caramel popcorn, pour it (pile it) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Flavored kernels, like caramel popcorn, could be more prone to attracting germs due to additives and sweeteners that can allure mold, bacteria, and insects. Most of the time, eating stale popcorn won't lead to significant short- or long-term problems.
The baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda) heats up and when it does that, it releases a gas that gets trapped in the caramelized honey and sugar. This results in bubbles that resembles actual honeycomb from bees!
Baking soda makes the onions more alkaline, which speeds up the browning reactions necessary for properly caramelized onions. But it also weakens the pectin that holds the onion's cells together, turning what should be soft but distinct pieces of browned onion into a nauseating stew of pea-green mush.
When the baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is mixed into the hot sugar, another chemical reaction occurs. The baking soda breaks up, or decomposes, into sodium carbonate, water, and carbon dioxide. The water vapor and carbon dioxide gases get trapped in the sugary mixture, leaving behind these bubbles.
Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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