Homemade Salted Caramel Popcorn
This homemade salted caramel popcorn is so easy and makes for the perfect sweet & salty snack for movie night or as a holiday gift!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 40 g (3 tablespoon) olive oil
- 162 g (¾ cup) corn kernels
- 213 g (1 cup) brown sugar
- 113 g (½ cup) salted butter
- 113 g (½ cup) heavy cream
- 1 ½ tablespoon (1 ½ tablespoon) kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large pot, add the olive oil and corn kernels. Place over medium heat and cover with a tight lid. The kernels will start popping after a few minutes. Once popping slows, check to make sure most of the kernels have popped, then place the lid back on and remove from heat.
- While the popcorn is popping, make the caramel. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, and 1 tbsp salt.
- Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue boiling until it reaches 250 degrees F. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Remove two heaping cups of the popcorn and set aside. Spread the rest of the popcorn onto the prepared baking sheet. Pour the caramel on top and use a rubber spatula or your hands to gently mix until evenly coated.
- Spread the popcorn back into an even layer, then bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Once the popcorn comes out of the oven, mix in the reserved plain popcorn and ½ tablespoon salt.
- Allow to set for about 15 minutes, then break apart & enjoy!
Notes
- Use kosher sea salt. Not all salt is made equally! Some are saltier than others and may have additives, like anti-clumping and anti-caking agents. I highly recommend using a coarse kosher sea salt, like Celtic Sea Salt.
- Reserve some plain popcorn.To balance out the sweet & salty flavors, reserve two cups of plain popcorn and mix it in with the finished batch!
- Use a candy thermometer.To ensure the caramel sets up to the right consistency, use a candy thermometer to bring it to the exact temperature of 250 degrees F.
- Bake the popcorn at a low temperature. Baking the popcorn at a low temperature and stirring often ensures that the caramel bakes slowly and evenly without burning.
- Break up the baked popcorn. Allow the popcorn to cool just a few minutes after it comes out of the oven, then use your hands to break it up (unless you'd like giant clumps of caramel popcorn!).
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 968mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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