Originally published on October 6, 2016
Is there anything better than caramel? I mean, really, I’d argue that it’s even better than chocolate. After all, we don’t try to get our roasts and vegetables to chocolatize now, do we? No, we want them to caramelize, because only then do you get the buttery, sugary tastiness that only comes from caramel and almost-burnt sugar.
Making salted caramel popcorn is a bit of work, but it’s so worth it. And it’s really more time-consuming than it is manual labour, but at the end of it all you’ll be able to sit back and munch away on a huge bowl filled with salty/sweet snacks. Caramel popcorn balls also make for great teacher’s gifts; not to mention that Halloween is coming up, for those who need to bring party treats. If you want your popcorn to be more caramel-y than salty, just leave out the dusting of salt at the end, and reduce the salt in the caramel sauce to just half a teaspoon.
- 10 – 12 cups popped popcorn
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.) Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the sugar and stir until the sugar is slightly moistened. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, boil for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan to ensure the mixture does not burn.
3.) Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla, 1 teaspoon of salt, and baking soda. The mixture will likely bubbly violently at this point, just keep stirring carefully until a smooth, glossy sauce is formed.
4.) Place the popcorn into a large bowl and pour the caramel sauce over top. Using your hands (if the sauce is cool enough) or two large spoons, stir the popcorn to ensure it gets completely coated with the caramel sauce.
5.) Distribute the popcorn evenly between the two baking sheets. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about one hour, stirring every now and then to break up any clumps.
6.) Remove popcorn from oven and immediately sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to thoroughly combine. Let popcorn cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to one week.
7.) Serve and enjoy!