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Caramel Popcorn Recipe

fresh batch of caramel popcorn in a kitchen bowl
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This old fashioned caramel popcorn recipe is easy, rich, and nostalgic—perfect for holidays, snow days, or movie nights. Sweet, sticky, with just the right crunch!

Ingredients

Scale

5 quarts popped popcorn

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup (or maple syrup for a no-corn version)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 250°F (120°C). Toss all your popped popcorn into a very large bowl.
  2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring it to a boil while stirring constantly.
  4. Let it boil (no stirring now!) for about 4 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda. It’ll foam up—don’t panic, that’s good!
  6. Pour the caramel slowly over the popcorn, stirring as you go so it coats evenly.
  7. Divide the caramel-coated popcorn between two large, shallow baking pans.
  8. Bake for 1 hour, giving it a gentle stir every 15 minutes.
  9. Let it cool completely before breaking it up into bite-size pieces.

Notes

  • Want that chewy style? Bake it less—maybe 30 to 40 minutes.
  • No corn syrup? Try maple syrup or honey. It’ll change the flavor a bit, but it’s still tasty.
  • Make it spicy with a dash of cayenne, or fancy with a drizzle of melted chocolate.
  • This stuff makes a killer holiday gift—bag it up and tie it with ribbon.
  • Got leftovers? Store it in an airtight container so it stays crunchy (if it lasts that long).

Nutrition

Find it online: https://learnenglish100.com/cooking/caramel-popcorn-recipe/