Amish Caramel Corn
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- 13 x 9-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounce bag plain microwave popcorn ( popped about 10 cups)
- 1 cup honey-roasted peanuts
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 250°F, and line a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Place the popped popcorn into the prepared dish, spreading it evenly.
- Make the caramel. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a large saucepan. Then, bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow it to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring until slightly thickening. Be careful not to let the mixture boil over or burn. Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and cinnamon until fully combined.
- Pour. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and stir until the popcorn is evenly coated. The mixture may be sticky, but it will become easier to stir as it bakes.
- Bake. Bake the caramel corn for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes to make sure it has an even coating. After baking, remove the parchment paper with the caramel corn from the baking dish and let it cool completely on the counter before storing.
Notes
Before you start, make sure your popcorn is freshly made and dispose of unpopped kernels. These hard bits can catch you off guard and ruin the snack, so check your popcorn carefully before you add the caramel.
Stick to plain popcorn for this recipe because the caramel and peanuts will add all the flavor and salt you need. Don’t use buttered or salted popcorn because it might overwhelm the taste and make it too salty.
When baking, spread the popcorn in a flat layer on your baking sheet. If you pile it up, the caramel might not cover everything evenly, and you could end up with some soggy or overly sticky spots.
Keep the oven door closed, but stir the popcorn every 20 minutes to keep it cooking evenly. This will help coat each piece in caramel and prevent any big clumps.
If you don’t have parchment paper to line the pan, it’s okay. Just soak your pan in hot water later for easier cleaning.
Feel free to add extra chocolate chips or pretzels, but wait until the caramel corn has fully cooled down. Adding them when it’s hot might make them melt or go soft.
If you’re making a big batch, use two baking dishes to avoid overcrowding.
Always let the caramel corn cool down before storing it to make sure it gets nice and crispy and doesn’t stick together.
Nutrition
Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 251IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 273kcal