Why Yes, I DO Have Room For Caramel Corn!

This past weekend, my family and I had some fall fun. We went to the pumpkin patch, had chili in the slow cooker, and I made my first batch of caramel corn of the season.

Until last year, I was too afraid to make homemade caramel corn, because people had told me it was hard to make, and took FOR-EV-ER. (That's right, I'm talking "The Sandlot" For-Ev-Er.)

But I decided to give it a try, none the less. And oh man, did I make the right decision!

I found the recipe online and in my old Betty Crocker cookbook, and changed a few things here and there. That's what I love about Allrecipes.com, because you get real pointers, from people who have actually tried the recipes.

That's how I decided what to cook the caramel corn in. A roaster pan!

This is what I use.

To start out, I heat my oven to 250, and then I pop 1/2 cup of un popped popcorn, in my air popper. (I couldn't tell you how much popcorn comes out of a microwave pack, so to me, this is the best way.)

I mean, you can do it that way, but you would have to make sure you get 5 quarts from it.

1/2 cup un-popped corn = 5 quarts popped corn.

After I pop my corn, I grab it by handfuls and place it in the heavily sprayed with non-stick cooking spray  roasting pan, making sure all un-popped kernels stay out.

When all the popcorn is in the pan, place it in the preheated oven. (The warm popcorn makes it easier to stir when it's time.)

While that's in the oven, you can start making the caramel mixture.

First, melt 1 cup of butter in a medium size sauce pan.

Next, stir in 2 cups of light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of corn syrup.

Stir constantly until it boils.


Let it boil for 4 minutes without stirring.

After the 4 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in 1/2 tsp of baking soda, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Remove your popcorn from the oven, and poor the mixture over the top in thin streams, stirring in between coatings.


I stir it with a long wooden spoon, so I'm less likely to get burnt by hot caramel. The first time I made it, I used a rubber spatula with a short handle, and got a pretty bad burn. Instant water blister.

If you do decide to use a rubber spatula, just make sure to spray non-stick spray on it first.

After you have all your caramel mixed into the popcorn, put it in the oven.


Now, you're going to pull out the pan every 15 min. and stir it. You'll be stirring it every 15 min. for an hour. (I sometimes even let it go for an extra 15 min. at the end.)

After it's done, let it cool for a few minutes before you grab a handful. (Which you will, because it's awesome!!)

Make sure you put it in an airtight container!:-)

I promise you it's delicious!! I used to like the caramel corn that comes in the big tins at Christmas, but ever since I've started making my own, I can't go back. This is just too yummy to give up!

I hope you give it a try!:-)