About the Recipe
Are you looking to elevate your movie nights with an absolutely delicious treat? Look no further! This caramel popcorn recipe is a game-changer that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more. With just a few simple ingredients, you can create an irresistible snack that everyone will love. So, gather your friends and family, grab your favorite movie, and get ready to indulge in this mouthwatering treat!
Ingredients
For mushroom popcorn:
1/2 cup mushroom popcorn kernels this equates to about 4 quarts of popped mushroom popcorn. Highly recommend mushroom popcorn (find on Amazon) as its round shape allows the caramel to adhere better. It also has a lower moisture content. If using traditional popcorn, air dry in a 250° oven for 10 minutes
For the caramel:
2/3 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the popcorn. Ideally you will pop the mushroom popcorn in an air popper. It does not have to an expensive or complex air popper - the $20 version at big box stores works just fine. If you do not have an air popper, Heat 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in the stovetop popcorn popper to 400F. If you don't have an IR thermometer, just throw in three kernels together with the oil and wait for all three to pop. Once they do, the popper is ready for popping. Once the oil is ready add the 1/2 cup of uncooked popcorn and shake occasionally until all the popping sounds stop.
Step 2
Put the popcorn in a fairly large bowl. You want the popcorn to not fill more than 2/3 of the bowl. Half way is ideal. Otherwise it will be very hard to stir it without some popcorn spilling out. If you don't have one of the required size, do it in two batches.
Step 3
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla.
Step 4
Pour over popcorn in a thin stream, stirring to coat.
Step 5
Place the coated popcorn in one large (12 x 18 inch) baking pan lined with parchment paper. If you don't have one, use two smaller pans.
Step 6
Transfer to the oven and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour.
Step 7
Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes until still very warm but manageable to handle. At this point start quickly separating the popcorn into individual pieces and spreading them out. It helps to do it on a large table so you have enough space. Don't let the popcorn cool completely before doing this otherwise the pieces will stick together and will break when you try to separate them.
Store in an airtight container for up to a couple of weeks (but trust me . . . it won't last that long!)