perfect day for baked caramel corn

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perfect day for baked caramel corn

Imagine a crisp, cold day with caramel-scented air. A bowl of fresh caramel corn evokes nostalgia. This baked caramel corn is excellent for movie nights, family gatherings or when you want something sweet and crispy. Homemade popcorn with a rich caramel coating that crisps in the oven is delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients

  1. Popped popcorn (10 cups, 1/2 cup unpropped)
  2. 1 cup unsalted butter
  3. 1 cup packed brown sugar
  4. 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  5. 1/2 tsp salt
  6. 1/2 tsp baking soda
  7. 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions in detail

1. Pop popcorn

  • Pop your popcorn first. You can microwave, air pop or stovetop popcorn without butter or salt. Put 10 cups of popped popcorn in a large heatproof bowl. Avoid unpleasant surprises by removing unpropped kernels.

2. Heat the oven

  • Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). A large baking sheet needs parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to avoid sticking.

3. Make Caramel Sauce

  • Heat unsalted butter in a medium pot. Add salt, brown sugar and light corn syrup after melting. Mix until sugar dissolves and ingredients are properly mixed.
  • Stir regularly while gently boiling the mixture to avoid burning. Once boiling, stop stirring and let it cook for 4-5 minutes. A somewhat thicker, bubbling caramel is desired.

4. Add Vanilla and Baking Soda

  • Stir baking soda and vanilla essence into the saucepan immediately after turning off the heat. Foaming is typical and helps aerate the caramel, making popcorn coating simpler.

5. Coat popcorn

  • Cover the popped popcorn in the large bowl with hot caramel sauce. Carefully swirl and toss the popcorn with a spatula or wooden spoon to coat each piece with caramel sauce.

6. Bake caramel corn

  • Evenly distribute caramel-coated popcorn on the baking pan. Bake the baking sheet for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent scorching.
  • The caramel corn will crackle and crunch as it bakes.

7. Cool and Separate

  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven after 45 minutes and let the caramel corn cool fully. Break caramel corn into pieces after cooling.

Tips for Perfect Baked Caramel Corn

  • To ensure even coating, toss the popcorn well after adding the caramel sauce.
  • Low & Slow Baking: caramel corn crisps without burning when baked at a low temperature for longer.
  • For a fun twist, add nuts like almonds or pecans to the popcorn before coating it with caramel or drizzle with melted chocolate after it cools.

Serving Ideas

  • Delicious caramel corn can be eaten in numerous ways:
  • Movie Night: A huge bowl makes a great movie snack.
  • Gift Idea: Put handcrafted gifts in pretty bags or containers.
  • Set up bowls for guests to snack at your next party.

Conclusion

  • Classic Baked Caramel Corn warms and sweetens any day. Crunchy texture and rich caramel flavour make it a wonderful snack for any occasion. Making it at home is fun and guarantees the correct sweetness-crunch ratio. If you want a cozy, homemade snack, try this baked caramel corn recipe.

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