This recipe makes the perfect crunchy, buttery caramel corn. Popcorn and peanuts are coated in a simple brown sugar caramel and baked until crispy. It is perfect for movie night, game night, and more.
If you like Cracker Jacks, you are going to love this baked caramel corn recipe. It gives you the same sweet crunch, they only thing it’s missing is the prize!
It comes together quickly and then bakes to the perfect finish. It is a must make for movie night, parties and game day!
When we decided to throw a baseball themed baby shower for my little sister, we knew we had to have all of the bases covered. (Ha! See what I did there?!)
We needed to have peanuts, hot dogs and nachos. We wanted plenty of pennants and of course we needed caramel corn.
After all, you can’t have a day at the ballpark without something along the lines of Cracker Jacks, can you? I was immediately volunteered for the role of caramel corn maker.
I have been making my husband’s grandma’s recipe for the last few years and it is always a hit.
I knew I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I didn’t worry too much about it. That is until I went to make it!
You see her recipe for microwave caramel corn requires putting everything in a brown paper grocery sack. You give it a few shakes and finish it off in the microwave.
So I went to the cabinet where we keep the paper bags and it was bare! We almost always bring cloth bags to the grocery store, but I try to remember to get paper bags every so often.
I do like to use them to keep track of the paper for the recycling bin and of course to make an occasional batch of caramel corn. But it looked like the recycle bin had been the lucky recipient of the last bag… and I needed to make caramel corn!!
So I went back to the classic way to make crispy caramel popcorn, the oven. And while I was at it, I figured I would share the recipe with you.
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Because maybe you need caramel corn and don’t have a paper bag too. We need to be prepared for any situation!
Carlee’s Tips For Making Caramel Corn
Use a bigger pot than you think you need to make the caramel. It bubbles up quite a bit when you add the baking soda, and you don’t want a mess.
You can use any popcorn you would like as the base. Two or three bags of microwave popcorn will work, or you can pop some corn on the stove or in an air popper.
Make sure you remove any unpopped popcorn kernels from the popcorn before you coat it. I find it easiest to do this by just transferring the popcorn from one bowl to another with my hands.
The kernels will drop to the bottom of the first bowl, so they are easy to leave behind. This keeps you from accidentally biting into any tooth breaking surprises.
I like to bake the caramel corn on two large rimmed baking dishes. That gives it plenty of room to heat evenly and get nice and crunchy.
Why do you add baking soda to caramel popcorn?
The alkaline baking soda reacts with the acid from the brown sugar and corn syrup in the caramel to make lots of little carbon dioxide bubbles. That is why the mixture foams up so much.
Those bubbles also allow the caramel to have a nice crisp texture without being tooth-breakingly hard.
Storage
You can make caramel corn ahead of time if you are wanting it for a party. Just keep it sealed in an airtight container away from heat and humidity, and it will hold for a week or two.
Or so I’ve heard. I’ve never actually managed to keep it around that long. But, I know it does keep for at least 5 days.
The key is to make sure it is completely cooled before you transfer it to your storage containers. Putting it away hot can result in it losing some of its crispy texture.
So go ahead and make a batch, or maybe go ahead and make two. You might as well!
Baked Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 5 quarts popped popcorn
- 2 cups peanuts or as desired
- 2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F and grease a couple of rimmed baking sheets.
- Put 5 quarts popped popcorn and 2 cups peanuts in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, cook 1 cup butter, 2 cups light brown sugar, ½ cup light corn syrup and ¼ teaspoon salt until it begins to boil.
- Boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and carefully stir in ½ teaspoon baking soda.
- Pour hot caramel over popped popcorn and peanuts to coat. Spread over the greased baking sheets.
- Bake for 45 minutes at 250°F, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
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This is my favorite caramel corn.
isn’t it good?!
I’ve never made or even read a recipe for caramel corn. Very interesting. By the way, I like the way you included the ingredients after each step. Very convenient!
You have to give it a try, homemade caramel corn is so good!
I must be blind, I do not see the amount of salt.
Thank you
Sorry about that! A pinch or about a 1/4 tsp will do it. There will be plenty of salt from the peanuts as well to give you that sweet and salty flavor.
I've never thought to make my own caramel corn, that's awesome! #MerryMonday
Oh my goodness, you have to try it! It is sooooo good!
Kind of embarrassed to say this, but I still have never made caramel corn! Maybe it's because I am afraid of eating it all!
Seriously though, this sounds delicious!
Oh my goodness!!! March into the kitchen and make some right now! The fear of eating it all is real, though. I don't trust myself with a batch unless there is a group to share it with.
Who doesn't love to munch on some good popcorn :D…And buttery caramelly popcorn is even better!! Definitely need to try this recipe soon :). Thanks for sharing Carlee!
Isn't caramel corn the best? I hope you love it!