Best 5 Old Fashioned Caramel Corn Recipes
Indulge in the sweet and crunchy goodness of Old-Fashioned Caramel Corn, a timeless treat that evokes memories of carnivals, county fairs, and cozy movie nights. This classic confection combines the irresistible flavors of buttery caramel and fluffy popcorn, resulting in a delightful snack that satisfies your sweet tooth and leaves you craving more. With just a handful of pantry staples and a few simple steps, you can easily recreate this nostalgic treat in the comfort of your own kitchen. This recipe collection offers variations to suit every taste, from the classic version to decadent chocolate-drizzled caramel corn and even a healthier alternative made with air-popped popcorn and natural sweeteners. Get ready to embark on a sweet journey with these irresistible recipes that are sure to become family favorites.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
OLD FASHIONED CARAMEL POPCORN
This is so yummy, an old family recipe. I use it at christmas as gifts. I place it in old but decorated coffee tins and give it to teachers and bus drivers as gifts, not to mention my Mom, brother and Grandma who wait for it. My kids love this stuff and it makes a great Friday night movie treat it you want to try something different. You can add nuts, but I never do!!
Provided by Erica_Hildebrand
Categories Dessert
Time 30m
Yield 2 ice cream pails worth
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- In a saucepan mix butter brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 5 to 6 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda until the mixture has puffed up.
- Allow 1 minute to rest.
- Placed popped popcorn in a large baking dish.
- (I use my very large turkey roasting pan without the lid.) Pour mixture over popcorn and stir until well coated.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Stir well to make sure the bottom doesn't burn, Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Pour onto a large surface to cool.
- (I cut a green garbage bag in half and cover my dining room table with it before pouring out the popcorn onto it. It saves on clean up.) Break apart to serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 3999.9, Fat 138.8, SaturatedFat 80, Cholesterol 325.3, Sodium 1660.1, Carbohydrate 675.9, Fiber 51.4, Sugar 348.3, Protein 47.1
CARAMEL CORN II
We always made this for Christmas. This could be made into 20 popcorn balls if desired.
Provided by Juanita Peek
Categories Desserts Candy Recipes Popcorn Candy Recipes
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a 4 quart saucepan, and heat over high heat. When oil is hot, add 1/2 cup of popping corn. Keep pan moving constantly. When corn stops popping, remove from heat. Repeat until all corn has been popped. Place popped corn into a buttered bowl.
- In a 3 quart saucepan, combine sugar, salt, butter, dark corn syrup, and water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in vinegar. Boil sugar mixture to hard ball stage, 248 degrees F (118 degrees C). Remove caramel from heat. Stir in soda. Beat to thoroughly dissolve the soda.
- Pour hot caramel over popcorn, and quickly stir into popcorn; work quickly for the caramel sets up fast. Spread out on wax paper to cool. Store in a tightly covered container.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 243.2 calories, Carbohydrate 47.5 g, Cholesterol 6.1 mg, Fat 6 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 2.5 g, SaturatedFat 1.9 g, Sodium 121.2 mg, Sugar 24.6 g
OLD FASHIONED MOLASSES "CARAMEL" CORN
Back in the day, down South, cooks didn't have corn syrup on their shelves, they had sorghum molasses as it was cheaply and locally produced. It's an old fashioned taste I love and candy made w/ molasses is far more flavorful than candy made w/ corn syrup. My Granny cooked her candy till 'hard crack' on the stovetop and poured it over the corn, but doing it that way takes a lot more babysitting and using this method you won't burn or undercook it because it hardens in the oven.
Provided by Weewah
Categories Candy
Time 1h15m
Yield 14 Ziplock sandwich bags, 14 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Pre-heat oven to 250 deg.
- Place butter in a medium pot, on medium heat.
- While the butter's melting, pop the corn and put it in a large roasting pan. I used a disposable aluminum pan and a hot air popper (you won't need to butter the pan).
- Keep an eye on the butter and add the sugar, molasses, and salt to it as soon as its melted.
- Bring the candy to a boil and stir and cook it only till the sugar melts and the butter blends in entirely - just a couple minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir the vanilla and peanuts into the candy.
- Quickly add the baking soda and stir untill it's well mixed. It foams to make a lighter, more delicate candy.
- Pour the candy over the popcorn and toss untill it's evenly coated.
- Put the popcorn in the oven for 1 hour, tossing every 15 or 20 minutes.
- Let it cool completely before breaking up and putting into an airtight container.
- I developed this recipe by hacking others because I couldn't find another to suit me. I made this for Christmas treats and it was INHALED, you'll find it tastes like Cracker Jack; that candy is made with molasses, not corn syrup, I got a box yersterday to compare.
- You can easily double this, but double the baking time too.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 312.9, Fat 10.5, SaturatedFat 6.3, Cholesterol 26.1, Sodium 359.4, Carbohydrate 55, Fiber 2, Sugar 40.7, Protein 1.9
CLASSIC CARAMEL CORN
Sweet and crunchy, this caramel corn is easy to make and tastes better than the county fair's.
Provided by Karo Corn Syrup
Categories Trusted Brands: Recipes and Tips ARGO®, KARO®, FLEISCHMANN'S®
Time 1h
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Spray large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250 degrees F oven while preparing caramel.
- Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; mix well.
- Pour syrup over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 395 calories, Carbohydrate 52.4 g, Cholesterol 30.5 mg, Fat 21 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 16.7 g, SaturatedFat 8.8 g, Sodium 567.3 mg, Sugar 32.3 g
MY AMISH FRIEND'S CARAMEL CORN
This recipe comes from an Amish family who package this treat for gifts to friends and neighbors every Christmas. It is truly the tastiest, easiest, and most foolproof caramel corn recipe you'll ever find!
Provided by ANITALOUISE
Categories Desserts Candy Recipes Popcorn Candy Recipes
Time 1h15m
Yield 28
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
- Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 238.4 calories, Carbohydrate 21.9 g, Fat 16.3 g, Fiber 1.7 g, Protein 3.4 g, SaturatedFat 2.6 g, Sodium 387.6 mg, Sugar 12.2 g
Tips for Making Perfect Caramel Corn
- Use fresh popcorn. Stale popcorn will not coat well with the caramel and will be more likely to burn.
- Make sure your sugar is completely dissolved before adding the butter. If the sugar is not dissolved, it will crystallize and the caramel will be grainy.
- Cook the caramel over medium heat. If the heat is too high, the caramel will burn.
- Stir the caramel constantly. This will help to prevent it from burning and will also help to evenly distribute the sugar.
- Add the popcorn to the caramel as soon as it is done cooking. The longer the popcorn sits in the caramel, the more likely it is to become soggy.
- Spread the popcorn out on a baking sheet to cool. This will help to prevent it from clumping together.
- Once the popcorn is cool, break it into pieces and store it in an airtight container. Caramel corn will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Conclusion
Caramel corn is a classic treat that is perfect for any occasion. It is easy to make and can be customized to your own liking. With a little practice, you can make perfect caramel corn that will impress your friends and family. Here are some additional tips for making caramel corn:- If you want your caramel corn to be extra crunchy, bake it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you want your caramel corn to be extra sweet, add an extra 1/2 cup of sugar to the recipe.
- If you want your caramel corn to have a nutty flavor, add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the recipe.
- If you want your caramel corn to have a chocolate flavor, add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the recipe.
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