I cooked some sugar.
I cooked some sugar and poured it over salted popcorn.
Holy moly. Hot sugar.
I need to talk to you about hot sugar.
I need to tell you that hot sugar on you hand… not cool… at all. Hot sugar on salted popcorn is a dream come true.
If you can’t already tell, I burned myself while making this popcorn… for breakfast. Don’t judge. The burn was totally worth it.
I learned the value of a giant bowl of ice water in the making of this popcorn. I’m just sayin…
Here’s how to cook some sugar and make it even more delicious. Just be careful.. k?
It all starts out innocently enough. Sugar. Water. Heat.
After ten minutes of cooking, the sugar is looking like a lean mean sugar bubblin’ concoction.
Twenty minutes. Watchyoself.
My sugar took about 25 minutes to reach this lovely shade of amber. And then it burned the heck out of me. Sad and true…
and worth it.
Homemade Caramel Corn
makes about 6 cups
adapted from foodnetwork.com
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup roasted almonds
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, depending on how salty you like your life
bowl of ice water
This recipe requires that you work quickly and carefully. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. ok?
First, make the popcorn. Place oil in a medium to large saucepan over medium high heat. Add one kernel of corn and cover pan. When the single kernel pops, add the 1/2 cup of unpopped popcorn and cover. Use a pot holder to lightly shake the pan as the corn pops. When the popping stops, turn of the heat, remove the pot from the burner and shake the popcorn into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 teaspoons of sea salt… depending on how salty you like your popcorn. Set popped popcorn aside.
Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. If you get any hot sugar syrup on your body. Ouch. Stick it in ice water… fast.
Measure out the butter, vanilla extract, nuts and salt. Set aside. In a medium saucepan add the sugar. Pour the water into the pan with the sugar, but pour the water towards the side of the pan… not directly on top of the sugar. Mark an X with your finger through the sugar and water.
Place saucepan over medium-high heat and let cook. Swirl the pan every few minutes Swirl, don’t stir. The sugar and water will cook down and bubble and slowly begin to caramelize. The process takes 20-30 minutes of cooking and swirling. Be patient but keep an eye on it. At the 20 minute mark, you’ll begin to smell caramelization. When the sugar reaches a caramel color, remove from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla extract. The mixture will bubble up. Give it a few good swirls.
Working quickly and carefully pour the hot caramel mixture over the popcorn. If any hot caramel gets on your skin, immediately immerse in the bowl of ice water. Ouch! With two spatulas stir until most of the popcorn is covered in hot caramel. Carefully pour out onto a silpat or foil lined sheet pan. Break up any large clumps with the spatula, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt and let come to room temperature.
88 Responses
Is it so very wrong that I made this using pre-popped Kettle Corn from Trader Joes? Judging by how fast the finished delectation disappeared, no it is not.
I’m sure this would have been delightful, but I checked facebook when it had been bubbling for 10 minutes and it burned at 15 minutes. :-( There’s always next time!
I am definitely going to give this a try. I bought a bag of caramel corn at a bakery last week (it included Chex mix) and we ate it over ice cream. It was so ridiculous!
I made this last week and so happy to report no burns suffered in the easy process and the results were AMAZINGLY YUMMY. My dentist will not be happy with me though as I have since eaten 3/4 of it all by myself.
Thanks for sharing.
Just made this and am having a terrible time waiting for it to cool! Joy, this is so yummy that I can’t stop eating it{editor’s note: I have clearly failed with the waiting while reading comments, but am happy to report that the mix cools quickly.} At least I didn’t tell my co-workers that I was planning on bringing this in tomorrow…shh…don’t tell. In other news I used a ladle for the distributing & dispensing of the caramel (thnx for the burn warning!) and it worked like a charm.
Hugs!
This is the fisrt recipe of yours i have tried, and well i’m sad to report that it didnt go so well. First i popped the popcorn…but i accidently burnt the popcorn.
Then i moved onto the caramel..it was all going…sugar bubbling away. then all of a suden my sugar liquid substance dried up! is that supposed to happen? Jut as i started to freak out about my now once agian hard sugar…it started to melt, and turn a wonderful brown. ya, thats were it started to go down hill fast. i got burned. like blazing hot pain splattered all over my hand! i’m still feeling the burn. the sad thing is after i evebtually got the popcorn covered in caramell and all…it turned out i had burnt the sugar. so now the popcorn wasl burnt and covered in butter caramel! So in pian, with relatively non-edible popcorn i had to now clean everything that was covered in hardened sugar! That was a mission and a half!!!!!
Prhaps next time i will be luckier =D
I just made this and good golly it was amazing. It was a perfect little treat for me and my 4 yr old for our girls night!! Thanks wonderful, you rock!
April 7 is National Caramel Popcorn Day, and seeing as how I’ll take any excuse to try a new kitchen adventure, I made this recipe last night and brought it to work today. Emails from my co-workers so far:
“Cameral corn is delicious. Light, fresh, crunchy, chock full o’nuts! Not gooey or sticky, doesn’t stick to your teeth. A freshly-made homemade batch makes you realize how stale the store bought can be. Only suggestion – make it again.”
“Light, buttery, sweet…this is FABULOUS! I will be back for more…”
I did have to use my bowl of ice water, so thanks for emphasizing the need to be prepared.
I ended up sprinking quite a bit of kosher salt over my finished popcorn. I like this recipe because it’s not too sweet. Next time I might try a slightly higher caramel to popcorn ratio though.
Happy Caramel Popcorn Day!
Yum…I’m going to the kitchen right now!!
hey joy… this looks amazing, and I’m making it right now… I’ll let you in on my secret for not burning yourself with hot sugar – ovenmitts!!!!
LOL! As I read this post about being careful about caramelized sugar, I have a burn on the tip of my index finger from pomegranate molasses I was cooking down the other day. Ouch indeed! Good advice. :)
Looks fantastic. Once I trust myself not to touch hot sugar, I will be trying this recipe.
Oh boy. I’m already in the bedroom right now. And I am almost going to sleep. But I’m really considering getting out of bed and going to the kitchen to make all this deliciousness. Thanks for sharing!
I made this last night for the family. It was so very delicious. I doubled the recipe because I could not stand the thought of having no leftovers. We sat on the deck watching the fire in the chiminea eating this oh so heavenly blend of sweet salty goodness. Thank you for the inspiration !
Sorry about the burn. Yipes!! But the corn does look pretty tasty!
Been there, done that. One year, I made lots of cream pulled candy, and had second-degree burns at the base of both thumbs from handling the stuff. My sympathy!
I always say that in the kitchen, I’m a burner, not a cutter. C’est la vie…I think it’s a small price to pay for being able to create awesomely tasty vittles.
Looks yummy! Well, for some reason February was a month of burns to my hands for me! I’m glad I’m past that! I hope that March is not that way for you. Once is 1 too many times in my book.
Yesterday I came home from a doctor’s appointment terribly upset. So I immediately set to making this caramel corn as the antidote and guess what — it worked!!!
I ate my way into a happy place!! Thank you for this great recipe. It brings back fond memories of caramel corn balls from Halloween when I was a little kid. I didn’t burn myself and, since I’m allergic to nuts, I substituted dry roasted edamame (which my hubby hated but I thought was ok). Doctor? What doctor????
aw! melanie! i’m so glad the caramel corn healed your doctor aches.
This is my husbands favorite. He is going to be so happy!
I just got a new cookbook with loads of popcorn idea in – that one uses caramel over salted popcorn too. With your glowing review of the concept, I’m spurred on to doing it too!
Jessi (57) – stirring it can make the sugar crystallise. Grainy caramel is nasty. Urgh.
Foile ointment is the best for kitchen burns. I have to order it through my pharmacy. I am a clutz when it comes to the kitchen which is a shame, because I love to cook and bake. I can’t count how many times I’ve accidentally touched the oven wire rack, the edge of a pot, or gotten a steam burn, and even the rack for my pizza stone has gotten me.
I was thinking about making caramel, but I think I should wait until my balance decides to return. I made bread the other day and ended up dropping the pan in the oven as I burned my hand on the racks. I can’t imagine what would happen if I attempted caramel right now. Great recipe though. I’m going to add it to my list of things to try.
Now, all I need is a really good salmon recipe for dinner Wednesday and I’ll be good to go.
Your timing is impeccable! I’m having a “Caramel Apple and Flossing Party” this week in honor of getting my braces off – and this will be a perfect addition! :)
Salty Sweet Delight! Thanks!
Question, I’ve made caramel before and always wondered why recipes always require one not to stir the sugar/water mixture. Of course I obey, but I’m just curious how it messes the product up if you stir it. Do you know?
I hope your burn is ok. I totally support caramel corn for breakfast, yum!
Hot sugar will definitely cause pain beyond comprehension…..I learned that while making peanut brittle once. Your caramel corn looks delicious!!!
I love sizzling sugar :P
I’ve had hot sugar on my wrist, SO NOT COOL, but this popcorn is the bee’s knee’s…can’t wait to make it!
wow… a sugar burn is my worst kitchen fear. i’m so glad to know that you survived. the popcorn looks lovely. i can’t wait to (safely) test this recipe!
So sorry about the burn! The last time I burned myself that bad was when I tried wiping up some hot glue with my finer. Stupid I know, but what can I say? Anyway, I’m kind of wondering what marking an X in the sugar/water is all about? Does it have something to do with keeping down sugar crystals, or am I reading too much into it?
I love caramel corn. This is such an easy recipe. Thank you.
Outsch! I once made Florentines, and was silly enough to dip my finger into the melting caramel to see if it tasted right! Baaaaaad idea! Blistering bad! Hope yours was just a red-finger burn! :)
Never made it on my own, but I LOVE caramel corn. Looks fabulous.
For Halloween, I add red food coloring and chili powder, then call it Sweeney Todd popcorn.
I was just today driving home from beautiful Monterey, CA and sharing a small bag of Fat Free Caramel from Trader Joe’s which I thought was good although I was missing the nuts and reminiscing with my friends about Cracker Jacks. What to my wondering eyes should appear but this wonderful recipe with NUTS. Yum! I will make and I will have the ice at hand. I’m a burnee-type! Thanks Jo!
i burnt my hand today too – however it was in a non-hot sugar related incident. your popcorn looks delicious. Yum yum!
YUM!!! One of my absolute favorites! And even better…a wonderful mix of salty and sweet! Sorry to hear about your burn – sending you good thoughts to heal quickly!
I’ve been lucky enough to never receive a burn from hot molten sugar and I hope my luck never runs out! I love anything popcorn and this looks delicious!
Awesome. Caramel corn is one of my all-time favorites, and I’ve been looking for a recipe that doesn’t involve having to bake it. So, I will definitely try this.
So sorry about your burn. :( I hope it gets well soon. Can’t wait to try this yummy recipe! Can you also make the caramel popcorn balls with this recipe??
wow! Looks amazing! Definitely using this for my next movie night!
I have been seeing quite a few of these caramel corn recipes popping up on other blogs, trying to tell me something?? I think so, will make this SOOON, anne
I’m afraid of hot sugar for some reason. I keep wanting to try caramel items (and this one beats the rest, hands down burned or not) but I just haven’t gotten past buying a candy thermometer. Can you come over to walk me through it?
Thank you for posting this! I’ve been hunting for a simple caramel corn recipe for a while, and you found it for me! Thank you! (And sorry about your burn. Burns suck.)
I still make your Kettle Corn for my kids all the time and we love it! Can’t wait to try this, guess I will have to keep the small ones away from the stove for this one. Don’t want any burnt fingers.
Yummy! Sorry about the burn but so glad you are honest to share with us which will hopefully prevent potential injuries to us readers. Be Well.
Okay, I had oral surgery this week, so caramel corn is a no-no, but I guess I’ll make it for my son, and just sample out the caramel parts. or, just eat some and not tell my dentist.
Hi Joy!
Thanks for all the joyful recipes! I’ve made quite some of them and put smiles on all family members and some neighbours too!
Just a little tip, when you burn any pretty part of your body a simple kitchen ingredient cures the burnt skin with magic… Honey! Surprised? I was too… but it worked wonders!!
just smear it over the burn skin and cover if needed…
carmel corn for breakfast? brilliant!
Oh gosh, that looks sooo good. I would have needed it in the cinema yesterday when I watched Alice in Wonderland.
This looks sooo good, I love any kind of popcorn! Had me cracking up with the hot sugar though, that is definitely the worst…
yum. i like popcorn. why havent i had popcorn in such a long time? need to change that… i think this is probably especially nice because you used salted popcorn. what did you use those nuts for though? ;) did you toast and toss’em in the caramel too? coz that would also be nice. its early in the morning and im not making much sense, haha. will have to have coffee now. maybe with a bit of salted peanut brittle… for breakfast. dont judge! ;)
I am not a huge fan of popcorn but I am of the other ingredients. Maybe I can try it on puffed something else…
I guess that’s the caramel corn you wanted delivered last week! Take care of that burn!
How dare you make me hungry at 1:30am. And, the best I can do is a Snickers Bar. Hmmmm….
Sorry about the burn. I feel your pain, Joy. Been there, done that…one week ago. Was baking some raspberry kolachki’s and when I pulled them out of the oven, some of the raspberry pastry filling found the skin on my hand and wouldn’t let go! OUCH! That hurt like Hell. See, bad things do happen to good people. But, like your popcorn, my cookies tasted delicious! It was worth it!
No pain, no gain!
Sure does sound like an amazing breakfast…!
x
looks delish! and my kids will love it :D
Take care of that burn!
saw this recipe and had to visit. this looks so good i will have to try it. thanks for posting
Looks yummy. I made some at Christmas to give as gifts but the recipe I used (off the bag) required less cook time, some brown sugar and baking at a low temp for about 20 minutes. It looks the same as yours but your recipe sounds much easier so I’m going with yours next time! Thanks.
I used to make this for gifts. I’m going to try it again, thanks for sharing the recipe!
I heard a story from an ER worker that may make you feel better about your burned hand:
1.Flaming roasted marshmallow on a stick.
2. Kid shaking stick to put out the flame.
3. Flaming marshmallow soaring through the air meets innocent bystander’s eyeball.
4. Got cornea?
This looks fabulous and I must try it, soon! Thanks for sharing.
How many war wounds you must have! I LOVE popcorn – and I LOVE caramel – and I LOVE anything HOMEMADE that most people never dream of making themselves. THanks for sharing – this looks like a great breakfast!
Hot sugar equals napalm for sure -but thank you so much for sharing the end result! Always keep an aloe plant in your kitchen for future burnings.
I just made this and my caramel got all gritty as soon as I put it on my popcorn. What gives?
I had the same thing happen and I’m guessing we didn’t caramelize long enough. Also I was using a wide shallow enameled Dutch oven and I only used medium heat. Dutch ovens aren’t supposed to be heated over anything higher than medium. If I try this recipe again I’ll use a stainless steal and heat the caramel hotter.
Also I noticed the recipe leaves out when to add the nuts. I assume they were supposed to mixed in with the popcorn and some point.
I’ve heard that’s the nastiest burn ever. So sorry you had that happen…but so glad it rewarded you in the end. :)
Take care, and don’t let it get infected! *hugs*
It’s like you read my mind – I need some caramel corn for breakfast tomorrow! Burns, not so much. I tend to get enough of those already.
sorry about your hand. I’m gonna have to try that – minus the burn
When I burn myself I always end up sitting on the ground sulking, wishing someone would come give me sympathy and burn cream. While I can’t help with the burn cream (only parents own burn cream) I can give you sympathy. There there joy, have some popcorn, it’ll make you feel better, promise.
How timely. A friend and I were just talking about having caramel popcorn for dinner. Thanks!
I am making your Poppy seed cake with blueberry glaze for my son’s girlfriend’s birthday dinner tomorrow night. Can’t wait to cut into it. It was very easy to mix. Thanks for sharing!!!!
That looks 100% awesome! Isn’t it funny how the simplest things can look (and taste) so delish?!
Popcorn Party For One is happening SO VERY SOON! Thanks sister .. Looks Amazing.
Caramel corn is my favorite!! This looks perfect!
Oh man this looks so yummy, I may need to make this for the kids tonight.
I’ve been craving caramel corn lately! This looks so delicious.
Joy, this looks gorgeous. The weather here is starting to cool and today is boring, grey and rainy. I think this will be perfect for spending the afternoon watching reruns of Gilmore Girls! And I hear you in regard to hot sugar on hand. Not cool. Mine was hot sugar on end of finger after I decided to poke it. Seriously… what the heck?!?
I have seen caramel popcorn popping up everywhere! Just last week I made tropical caramel popcorn, which was fantastic.
Sorry about your burn, I have a feeling your caramel popcorn took your mind off of it though!
I’ve been waiting for you to post something like this!! Thank you. Tonight is popcorn night!