From the Kitchen of Angie St. John
Popcorn…is there a better treat? Well, you could throw caramel on it! This recipe is a go to every holiday season. My family loves to gift it in paper bags, decorated with a holiday stamp and tied with festive twine. Make a bowl of this yummy caramel corn popcorn for movie nights and parties too, everyone is sure to enjoy it. Follow each step and you’ll be a caramel popcorn making expert in no time!
As a side note, if you want to make several batches, make this recipe in a few batches rather than doubling the recipe. You can reuse the same bag for all your batches.
You will need:
1/2 cup popcorn kernels or plain microwavable popcorn
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (we used unsalted)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
paper lunch bags
Directions
*This may seem like a lot of steps, but once you get poppin’, it's surely is worth it and great to give as gifts!
1. Pop the popcorn kernels and set aside. Transfer popped popcorn to a paper bag.
2. Place the stick of butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts to boil. The mixture will get really hot in the cooking process so make sure it's in a bowl that can really handle the heat, such as a Pyrex bowl. You can also do this process on the stovetop, just make sure to watch it carefully so it does not to burn.
3. Carefully remove from microwave and stir in the baking soda to create the caramel. Use caution as this is very hot.
4. Carefully pour the hot caramel over the popcorn inside the paper bag.
5. Roll the bag closed and give it all a good shake to thoroughly coat the popcorn then place bag inside into the microwave (re-roll top of bag again if needed) and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
6. Remove bag and shake it up again.
7. Place bag back into microwave and microwave for an additional 1 1/2 minutes.
8. Remove from microwave. Pour popcorn out onto parchment paper or a sheet pan to cool.
9. Once the popcorn is cool, it can be stored in an airtight container and it will keep for several days.