Caramel Corn
You can make caramel corn at home in just one hour, and the flavor is just like old-fashioned Cracker Jacks when there were lots of peanuts to search for.
🍽️ Recipe Name: Caramel Corn
⏰ Ready In: 1 hour
⏳ Prep Time: 15 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 45 minutes
👥 Serves: 12
🥕Main Ingredients: Popcorn, butter, molasses, corn syrup, salt, vanilla, baking soda
🍳 Special Equipment: Dutch oven or large saucepan, rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Tastes like old-fashioned Cracker Jacks with plenty of peanuts, stays crunchy for days, and is surprisingly easy to make at home.
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
It’s an old-fashioned recipe that is sold at carnivals, county fairs, and festivals. I was recently reminded of it while shopping at a Mennonite festival near me. Once I’d tasted it again, I knew I had to make some for myself.
What Is Caramel Corn?
Caramel corn is popcorn coated with a crunchy caramel candy coating and baked until crisp. This old-fashioned treat has been popular at carnivals, county fairs, baseball games, and festivals for generations. It tastes like pure nostalgia.
Homemade caramel corn has a rich buttery flavor and a satisfying crunch that is difficult to find in store-bought versions. This recipe includes peanuts and molasses for a flavor similar to classic Cracker Jacks.
Why Make Homemade Caramel Corn?
Homemade caramel corn is surprisingly easy to make with pantry ingredients. The combination of brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and molasses creates a sweet coating that stays crisp for days.
Making it at home also lets you control the amount of peanuts and caramel on every batch. It’s perfect for movie nights, holiday gifts, game days, parties, and family gatherings.
What You Need
- Popcorn: Choose your favorite method of popping the corn, air-popped, stovetop, or microwave.
- Butter: Butter adds a wonderful creaminess and mouth-feel to the popcorn.
- Corn Syrup: Light corn syrup forms to base of the caramel sauce.
- Brown Sugar: I used dark brown sugar for a darker color and more molasses flavor.
- Molasses: Molasses provides a unique flavor that is in the original Cracker Jacks recipe.
- Salt: A bit of salt balances out the sweetness of the popcorn.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda starts a chemical reaction that will keep the caramel crispy for longer.
How to Make It
Pop the popcorn. Sort out the unpopped kernels. The best way to do this is to add all of the popcorn to a large bowl or colander and grab handfuls of the popped corn. The kernels will sink to the bottom.
Add the butter, corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and salt to a large Dutch oven. The reason you want to use a large pot is two-fold. The baking soda will make the caramel foam up quite a bit. It’s also very easy to mix the popcorn and nuts with the caramel, so you only dirty one piece of equipment.
Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook the caramel until it reaches softball stage. Roughly 248°F.
Remove the caramel from the heat. Add vanilla and stir. Then add the baking soda. Be aware that it will bubble up. Add the peanuts and popcorn to the caramel and coat each piece as best you can.
Spread the popcorn out in a single layer on two parchment-covered cookie sheets.
Bake in a 250°F oven for about 45 minutes until the caramel is a bit dry. Turn with a large spatula every 15 minutes to ensure that all sides dry.
To test for doneness, let a few pieces cool down for a minute or two. Taste them to see if they are crunchy. If they are, they are done. The drying process takes about 45 minutes to one hour.
Pro Tips for Your Success
- If you don’t have two rimmed baking sheets, dry the popcorn in batches. Note: A roasting pan will work too.
- Don’t be concerned to see butter on the parchment paper. It will still taste delicious.
- If you don’t have a large Dutch oven or saucepan, use a 4-quart medium saucepan. If you use a smaller saucepan, you’ll need to pour the caramel mixture into a large bowl over the popcorn and peanuts.
How to Store Homemade Caramel Corn
Store the caramel corn in airtight containers in the pantry for about a week for the best crunchiness. Do not freeze.
More Fair and Carnival Recipes
Tools That Make This Recipe Work
If you don’t already have these, this is where most people struggle
- Baking Sheet: Large rimmed baking sheets help the caramel corn bake evenly and keep every piece contained while stirring during the drying process.
- Dutch Oven: A large Dutch oven gives the caramel plenty of room to bubble up safely when the baking soda is added, and makes coating the popcorn much easier, and saves dishes because you can mix the caramel corn in the pot.
- Parchment Paper: Parchment paper prevents sticking and makes cleanup quick and easy after baking.
- Candy Thermometer: Getting the caramel to the proper temperature is the secret to crunchy caramel corn. A candy thermometer takes the guesswork out of the process.
Try this homemade caramel corn for your next movie night, party, or family gathering. The sweet caramel coating and crunchy peanuts make every bite taste like a trip to the county fair. Once you see how easy it is to make, you’ll never look at store-bought caramel corn the same way again.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 10 cups popcorn
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Pop the popcorn. Sort out the unpopped kernels. The best way to do this is to add all of the popcorn to a large bowl or colander and grab handfuls of the popped corn. The kernels will sink to the bottom.
- Add the butter, corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and salt to a large Dutch oven. The reason you want to use a large pot is two-fold. The baking soda will make the caramel foam up quite a bit. It’s also very easy to mix the popcorn and nuts with the caramel, so you only dirty one piece of equipment.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook the caramel until it reaches softball stage. Roughly 248°F.
- Remove the caramel from the heat. Add vanilla and stir. Then add the baking soda. Be aware that it will bubble up. Stir to combine. Add the peanuts and popcorn to the caramel and coat each piece as best you can.
- Spread the popcorn out in a single layer on two parchment-covered cookie sheets.
- Bake in a 250°F oven for about 45 minutes until the caramel is a bit dry. Turn with a large spatula every 15 minutes to ensure that all sides dry.
- To test for doneness, let a few pieces cool down for a minute or two. Taste them to see if they are crunchy. If they are, they are done. The drying process takes about 45 minutes to one hour.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky's Amazon Store!Notes
- If you don’t have two rimmed baking sheets, dry the popcorn in batches. Note: A roasting pan will work too.
- Don’t be concerned to see butter on the parchment paper. It will still taste delicious.
- If you don’t have a large Dutch oven or saucepan, use a 4-quart medium saucepan. If you use a smaller saucepan, you’ll need to pour the caramel mixture into a large bowl over the popcorn and peanuts.
