Caramel Popcorn
Homemade caramel corn isn't hard to make—whip up a batch for your Halloween party or anytime the neighborhood kids are invading your house for the night.
From EatingWell: November/December 1994
Yield: 8 servings, 1 cup each
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 cups popped popcorn, (from 1/3 cup raw kernels), preferably air-popped
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, such as pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts (optional)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread popcorn and nuts, if using, on a baking sheet with sides and set aside.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 250°F and is at hard-ball stage (when a bit of syrup dropped into ice water forms a hard ball), 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and immediately stir in baking soda. Pour the mixture over the reserved popcorn and nuts, stirring until most of the kernels are coated.
- Bake the popcorn for 15 minutes. Stir, coating any kernels that were not coated at the beginning. Continue baking until amber, 5 to 10 minutes longer. (Longer baking produces a deeper caramel color and flavor.) Let cool until the caramel has almost hardened, about 2 minutes. Gently break up large clumps and let cool completely.
Tips & Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.
Nutrition Per serving:
191 calories; 2 g fat (1 g sat, 0 g mono); 4 mg cholesterol; 46 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 198 mg sodium; 27 mg potassium.
3 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 3 other carbohydrates