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

  • A dry air popping popcorn maker – mine is a big, rotating blade popper.
  • 160g popping corn kernels – pop them, makes a big bowl
  • 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).
  3. Preheat oven to 110°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, glucose syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.
  5. Once it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes — DO NOT STIR during this time.
  6. Put the popped corn on the bench nearby – best not to carry boiling sugar across the room.
  7. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in vanilla and baking soda. The caramel will foam up and increase in volume — this increase in volume is the secret to an even coating!
  8. Pour the fluffy caramel over the popcorn and toss until it cools and starts to harden. Don’t worry if coverage is uneven at this stage.
  9. Spread popcorn across the 2 lined baking trays, silicone sheets work best because they will cope with the regular turning. Bake for 60 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. The caramel will remelt during the first few tosses, coating the popcorn more evenly.
  10. 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: 75g kernels gives full caramel coverage — very sweet, 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.

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

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