Best 7 Classic Caramel Corn Recipes

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Caramel corn is a classic sweet and salty snack that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. This beloved confection has been around for many years and has become a popular treat at fairs, carnivals, and movie theaters. While you can buy caramel corn from stores, making it at home is a fun and rewarding experience. With a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can create your own delicious batch of caramel corn that is sure to impress your family and friends.

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

CLASSIC CARAMEL CORN



Classic Caramel Corn image

Sweet and crunchy, this caramel corn is easy to make and tastes better than the county fair's.

Provided by Karo Corn Syrup

Categories     Trusted Brands: Recipes and Tips     ARGO®, KARO®, FLEISCHMANN'S®

Time 1h

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 8

Mazola Pure® Cooking Spray
4 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
½ cup butter OR margarine
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract

Steps:

  • Spray large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250 degrees F oven while preparing caramel.
  • Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.
  • Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; mix well.
  • Pour syrup over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 395 calories, Carbohydrate 52.4 g, Cholesterol 30.5 mg, Fat 21 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 16.7 g, SaturatedFat 8.8 g, Sodium 567.3 mg, Sugar 32.3 g

ALMOST-FAMOUS CARAMEL CORN



Almost-Famous Caramel Corn image

Baseball and Cracker Jack (yes, it's Jack, not Jacks!) go way back: The caramel popcorn and peanut mix, introduced in 1893, hit the big time in the early 1900s when "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" became baseball's unofficial anthem. Today, baseball fans still sing the song (chanting "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack") during the seventh inning stretch, and the snack is still sold at stadiums around the country. Frito-Lay keeps the original recipe a secret, but Food Network Kitchens created this great copy.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 35m

Yield About 8 cups

Number Of Ingredients 8

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the baking sheet
1/3 cup popcorn kernels (preferably mushroom kernels)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons roasted peanut oil
Kosher salt
1/2 cup raw peanuts

Steps:

  • Put the vegetable oil and a few test popcorn kernels in a large pot. Heat over medium-high heat until the kernels pop, then carefully add the remaining kernels in a single layer. Cover and cook, shaking the pot, until there are several seconds between pops. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
  • Wipe out the pot, then add the sugar, corn syrup, molasses, peanut oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the peanuts. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until a candy thermometer registers 290 degrees F, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the popcorn until coated. Transfer the caramel corn to the prepared baking sheet and let cool, then break into small pieces.

CARAMEL CORN



Caramel Corn image

Sweet and salty, this crunchy caramel corn is so delicious!

Provided by Kat Hertzler

Categories     Snack

Yield 7 quarts

Number Of Ingredients 7

7 quarts popped popcorn ((I airpopped mine))
2 cups Golden Barrel light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup Golden Barrel Light Corn Syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda

Steps:

  • Coat 2 baking pans with coconut oil or if using roaster, spread inside pan with coconut oil. Spread popcorn on sheets. Preheat oven or roaster to 225 degrees F.
  • Place brown sugar, butter, salt, and corn syrup in medium saucepan on medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Remove from heat; add vanilla and baking soda, stir until light and foamy, about a minute. Pour over popcorn; stirring well to coat.
  • Bake at 225 for 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool on pan. Store in airtight container.

THE EASIEST AND BEST CARAMEL CORN I'VE EVER MADE



The Easiest and Best Caramel Corn I've Ever Made image

Oh LORD, have mercy! LOL! This stuff is the kind-of snack you sit down in front of the tv with and you look down and it's all gone! The best part about this recipe is (other than the end product) the fact no candy thermometer is necessary.

Provided by Redneck Epicurean

Categories     Lunch/Snacks

Time 1h10m

Yield 1 1/2 gallon bag

Number Of Ingredients 7

2/3 cup unpopped popcorn
2 tablespoons oil (for popping)
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 200°.
  • Spray your largest cookie sheets.
  • Pop the popcorn in the oil and set aside. I do this in two batches. Place in a very large bowl. (Plastic bowls work really well because the caramel won't stick; you could also spray the bowl with a bit of Pam).
  • Over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar, salt and syrup. Bring to a rolling boil.
  • When it starts to boil, boil a full 5 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. (I used a plastic spatula and ended up sacrificing it)
  • Remove from the heat and add the soda. Pour caramel directly on the popcorn and stir to coat completely.
  • Pour popcorn onto the sheets and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool and break into pieces. Store in zip-top bags.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 2664.2, Fat 141, SaturatedFat 80.1, Cholesterol 325.4, Sodium 3554.4, Carbohydrate 369.1, Fiber 0.5, Sugar 311.9, Protein 2.1

OVEN CARAMEL CORN



Oven Caramel Corn image

This classic caramel corn is perfect as an everyday snack or packaged as a homemade gift for your favorite foodie.

Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens

Categories     Gifts & Decor

Time 1h25m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 7

12 cups popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups walnut or pecan halves or 1 1/2 cups unblanched whole almonds
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 200°F. Divide popcorn and pecans between 2 ungreased rectangular pans, 13x9x2 inches.
  • Heat brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around edges. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Stir in baking soda.
  • Pour mixture over popcorn and walnuts; stir until well coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 310, Carbohydrate 32 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Fat 4, Fiber 2 g, Protein 3 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 220 mg

CLASSIC CARAMEL CORN



Classic Caramel Corn image

This recipe I really liked, but I found it a little sweet for my taste. However, I liked how much corn it covered. Reminded me a little of popcorn balls.

Provided by AmyZoe

Categories     Dessert

Time 1h

Yield 16 cups, 16 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

cooking spray, to taste (I used my butter wrapper insides instead)
4 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup or 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps:

  • Spray large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. I used my butter wrappers instead of spraying. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250 degree oven while preparing caramel.
  • Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, butter, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. I skipped the salt because I was using salted popcorn, but your personal preference here. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.
  • Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla and mix well.
  • Pour syrup over warm popcorn and stir evenly to coat.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (I skipped the cooking spray here too).
  • Cool and break apart. Store in tightly covered container. (I think the purpose of the tightly covered container is so you can't open and eat it as quickly).

Nutrition Facts : Calories 165, Fat 6.1, SaturatedFat 3.7, Cholesterol 15.2, Sodium 173.8, Carbohydrate 27.9, Fiber 1.2, Sugar 16.3, Protein 1.1

CARAMEL CORN I



Caramel Corn I image

This caramel corn is great for Monday night football. The assortment of nuts makes it deluxe caramel corn. It takes a bit of time, but is more than worth it.

Provided by Terri McCarrell

Categories     Desserts     Candy Recipes     Popcorn Candy Recipes

Yield 25

Number Of Ingredients 11

5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ½ cups unpopped popcorn
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanuts
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup almonds

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
  • Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a 4 quart saucepan, and heat over high heat. When oil is hot, add 1/2 cup of popping corn. Keep pan moving constantly. When corn stops popping, remove from heat. Place popped corn in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all corn has been popped. Set aside.
  • Melt margarine or butter in a medium saucepan, and then stir in brown sugar, syrup, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly; boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Stir baking soda, vanilla, peanuts, pecans, and almonds into brown sugar mixture. Quickly pour nut mixture over warm popcorn, and toss until well coated. Spread on greased cookie sheets.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, stirring well every 15 minutes. Cool on aluminum foil, and store in an air-tight container.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 346.7 calories, Carbohydrate 40.1 g, Cholesterol 19.5 mg, Fat 20 g, Fiber 4.5 g, Protein 5.5 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Sodium 180.5 mg, Sugar 19.8 g

Tips:

  • Use fresh popcorn. Stale popcorn will not produce the same light and airy texture.
  • Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. If the sugar is not completely dissolved, it will crystallize and the caramel corn will be gritty.
  • Cook the caramel corn over medium heat. High heat will cause the sugar to burn.
  • Stir the caramel corn constantly. This will help to prevent the sugar from burning and will also help to coat the popcorn evenly.
  • Spread the caramel corn out on a baking sheet to cool. This will help to prevent the caramel corn from sticking together.
  • Store the caramel corn in an airtight container. This will help to keep the caramel corn fresh and crispy.

Conclusion:

Caramel corn is a delicious and easy-to-make snack that is perfect for any occasion. With just a few simple ingredients, you can make a batch of caramel corn that is sure to please everyone. So next time you're looking for a sweet treat, give caramel corn a try.

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