Caramel Popcorn

I made this caramel popcorn last week, using the oven rather than a fry pan made it just so crunchy, but does take a fair commitment in the time invested in regularly turning the sticky corn and cleaning up the mess it leaves in the trays and in the saucepan. It did, however all get eaten, there was no need to worry about it needing to last.
The trick to getting that perfectly crispy, even coating — instead of the usual sticky clumps — is a little baking soda in the sugar mix to make it fluff up and able to spread out and coat the popped corn, and a stint in the oven where regular turning is essential. You could also bag it up for the best homemade gift around.

Ingredients

After the first batch you will probably want to double these quantities, it keeps for at least 2 weeks, if you can hide it well enough!)

• A dry air popping popcorn maker – mine is a big, rotating blade poppe, or you can pop in a saucepan)
• 160g popping corn kernels – pop them, makes a big bowl (see note, use less popcorn for more coating)
• 100g butter
• 200g brown sugar
• 150g glucose syrup (Queen brand from Woolworths)
• 1 tsp salt
• 5g vanilla extract
• 1tsp carb soda

Method

1. Pop the corn in whatever machine you have.
2. Remove from heat when the popping stops — when you can count to 3 between pops. Transfer to a very large stainless bowl (not plastic), and place it on the bench next to the cooktop, best not to carry boiling sugar across the room.
3. Preheat oven to 110°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and is add a silicone liner on top, just keeps everything a bit easier to turn.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, glucose syrup and salt. Stir until just combined. (I use a huge saucepan, big enough to fit all the popped corn into but if you don’t have one then the sauce gets tipped onto the corn in its steel bowl.)
5. Once the caramel mix starts to bubble, let it simmer for 4 minutes — DO NOT STIR during this time.
6. Remove from heat and quickly whisk (metal whisk, I use a Danish dough whisk) in the vanilla and bicarb soda. The caramel will foam up and increase in volume — this increase in volume is the secret to an even coating!
7. Pour the the popcorn into the fluffy caramel and toss for a few minutes (Danish dough whisk) until it cools and starts to harden. If you don’t have a large pan then pour the caramel into the steel mixing bowl. Don’t worry if coverage is uneven at this stage.
8. Spread popcorn across the 2 lined baking trays, silicone sheets work best because they will cope with the regular turning. Bake for 60 minutes. Every 10 minutes remove each pan from the oven and stir and break up lumps. Swap the shelves each time.
9. The caramel will remelt during the first few tosses, coating the popcorn more evenly.
10. Eventually the caramel stops pooling on the sheet and distributes onto the corn. If it needs a bit extra time that’s fine. Keep stirring every 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely. Gently break into pieces and serve. It will still be soft until it cools, when the true snap happens.

Notes

Caramel coverage: fewer kernels gives full caramel coverage — 75g gives very sweet popcorn, almost like candy. Use 165g kernels for a lighter coating that’s still deliciously sweet but not quite as intense.

Glucose syrup substitutes: Honey, golden syrup, and treacle also work well —  Maple syrup has also worked for some, though results may vary. In America they use corn syrup – just cook it for 15 minutes less. We can get Queen brand glucose syrup from places like Woolworths.

Problem – Chewy instead of crispy? Make sure your oven is at the full 110°C (not lower on fan-forced) and bake for at least the full time. Humidity can also affect crispness.

Storage: Stays 100% crisp in an airtight container for 2–3 weeks.