But first, there’s a short story behind this addictive stuff. When I was visiting Kendall Jackson Winery a few years ago, I was involved in a series of vigorous food/wine pairings and tastings. Eventually all of it sort of finally made sense to me. Certain foods really bring out the flavor in the wine, and vice versa. When we came to dessert though, I was skeptical. They served us this caramel corn- this very recipe I’m sharing with you today- and paired it with their Late Harvest Chardonnay. I ate and I sipped. And then bells rang all over the place in my head telling me that I really do like sweet wine in cases like this. Cases where caramel corn tastes so very good with it. This stuff is hard to put down. I’m not kidding. Take a bite and put the rest away. I dare you!
How to Make Caramel Corn:
Melt the butter in a big pot.
Add brown sugar.
And then add a small amount of corn syrup.
Bring that mixture to a bubble. Then turn it down to a simmer and leave it alone for 4 minutes without stirring. Resist the urge to stick your head over the pan and get mesmerized by those bubbles. They pop, and then… well, that’s bad news for you and your face now, isn’t it?
Finally you can stir it, and then you’ll continue to cook it for about 5 more minutes– stirring quite often until it has turned deep golden and pretty.
Turn off the heat and add kosher salt. Lots of it. This is like a salted caramel popcorn. You’ll be afraid that it’s too much salt, BUT IT’S NOT. The salt is kind of what makes the flavor of this caramel corn special.
Then add a smidgen of baking soda.
And a bit of vanilla.
Stir it up and it should look like this.
Pour in 12 cups of popped popcorn. I use popcorn that I pop on the stove.
Use a spoon (a wooden one works great) to spoon that caramel syrup up and over the popcorn.
Keep stirring and getting that syrup off the bottom of the pan until the popcorn is covered in caramel and there is none of that good stuff stuck in a puddle on the bottom of the pan. You don’t want to leave any of it behind!
Spread the caramel corn on a greased baking sheet.
Bake it for 15 minutes or so (stirring every so often). The color will deepen and the caramel corn will become crispy in texture.
Move this good stuff to waxed paper to cool completely.
EAT.
So now you know How to Make Caramel Corn! It should last a week or so if it is kept in a sealed container. Package it into gifts or snack baggies. Make it for football-watching Sunday nibbling. Make it for Halloween. Or make it just to make it. Big warning though: You’d better have some friends around or you might just eat the whole batch. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that or anything, but if you have one of those form-fitting Halloween costumes that you’re trying to fit into… like Spiderman or French Maid or Sexy Devil Suit, you’d better pace yourself with the caramel corn intake. Oh dear, have I convinced you not to make this now? I hope not. This is really good stuff. If you’re looking for more fall treat recipes, you might also enjoy my Frito Snack Mix or these Cinnamon Popcorn Balls. Chocolate Acorns and Easy Pumpkin Patties are fun fall treats too!
