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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers

    Caramel Corn

    Published by Melissa on July 25, 2022 | Updated July 29, 2022 | 26 Comments

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    This soft caramel popcorn recipe has a light buttery flavor that stays softer after it cools and is a great recipe to take to a party! via @barbarabakesThis soft caramel popcorn recipe has a light buttery flavor that stays softer after it cools and is a great recipe to take to a party! via @barbarabakesThis soft caramel popcorn recipe has a light buttery flavor that stays softer after it cools and is a great recipe to take to a party! via @barbarabakesThis soft caramel popcorn recipe has a light buttery flavor that stays softer after it cools and is a great recipe to take to a party! via @barbarabakesThis soft caramel popcorn recipe has a light buttery flavor that stays softer after it cools and is a great recipe to take to a party! via @barbarabakes

    This caramel corn is sweet, sticky, and so delicious! A great recipe for a movie night, party, or just because. This buttery caramel corn is a great recipe for a crowd. 

    There are different ways to enjoy caramel. Whether it is crunchy, tacky, or gooey. This recipe for caramel corn stays nice and chewy, even when cooled. It is a quick and easy treat to enjoy with a cold glass of milk. 

    close up of sticky caramel corn

    Caramel Corn Recipe

    My recipe for the party is a caramel corn recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook I received 30 years ago. We have often taken this caramel corn to parties over the years and it is always a big hit. It has a light buttery caramel flavor and stays a little bit chewy.

    Recipe Ingredients:

    • Popcorn: you’ll want unpopped popcorn kernels and you can pop them on the stove, in the microwave, or with an air-popper
    • Granulated and brown sugar: these are the sweet in the recipe and when they cook they also add to the stickiness of the recipe
    • Corn syrup: this helps the caramel come together really nicely and helps the caramel to stay sticky
    • Butter: this adds great flavor and texture to the caramel

    How to make caramel popcorn:

    1. Start by popping your popcorn and take a little extra time to remove any unpopped kernels, biting into one in the caramel corn is a real tooth breaker.
    2. Make your caramel by adding everything but the butter to a small saucepan.
    3. Cook the mixture until it reaches 260 degrees F on a thermometer.
    4. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
    5. When the butter melts, drizzle the hot caramel over the popcorn and stir to combine (careful it’s hot!).
    6. Spread the caramel corn on a wax paper lined cookie sheet to cool and then serve.
    ingredients for sticky caramel corn

    Why do I need a candy thermometer?

    As caramel and other candies cook, they change textures. They go from liquid to a thick sauce, to sticky and tacky, and then a hard candy. Keeping track of the temperature of your caramel ensures that you end up with the nice chewy texture.

    How long is caramel popcorn good for? 

    If stored in an airtight container, caramel corn can last up to 3 weeks, though I do think the texture is best the first day or two. 

    a top view of a bowl of sticky caramel corn popcorn

    Can I add other toppings to my caramel corn? 

    Adding other toppings to caramel corn can take your popcorn experience to a whole other level. After coating your popcorn in caramel, you can add toppings such as nuts, candies, or drizzle melted chocolate on top. There are endless possibilities of ways you can make your caramel corn to your liking.

    caramel being drizzled over a bowl of popcorn

    More recipes for you:

    • Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn
    • Easy Rocky Road Popcorn
    • Microwave Caramel Popcorn
    • Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

    If you’ve tried this caramel popcorn recipe or any other recipe on Barbara Bakes, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.

    close up of sticky caramel corn
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    Caramel Corn

    Caramel popcorn made with a simple stove top caramel that stays sweet and soft and sticky.
    Prep Time30 mins
    Course: Appetizers and Snacks
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 140kcal
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    Ingredients

    • 8 cups popped corn about ⅓ cup unpopped
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • ¾ cup brown sugar packed
    • ½ cup light corn syrup
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ cup butter

    Instructions

    • Measure popped corn into large bowl.
    • Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, vinegar and salt in 2-quart saucepan.
    • Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook, stirring constantly, to 260º on candy thermometer (or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball).
    • Reduce heat to low; stir in butter until melted.
    • Pour syrup in thin stream over popcorn in bowl, stirring until popcorn is well coated.
    • Spread mixture on wax paper lined baking sheet. Cool.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    pin that reads "quick caramel corn recipe" and has an image of sticky caramel corn in a bowl

    You’ll love this classic caramel popcorn recipe and how easy it is to make. This is a party favorite and makes a big batch so make sure you are ready to share with friends!

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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. RecipeGirl

      January 31, 2009 at 7:07 pm

      Oh, I wanted you to find out the old-fashioned way, but I suppose it was exciting to have people come by and offer their congrats!! I imagine you were surprised! Yay for you! Now you’ll get to go shopping with that great gift card. It’s a good blog contest to win, isn’t it? I’ll be sending your address along to the Sam’s Club folks and they will send you the gift card directly. Hopefully it won’t be long before you have it in your hands. Be sure to let me know when it arrives! Have a great weekend!

      Reply
    2. newlyweds

      January 31, 2009 at 3:56 pm

      Congratulations! Barbara!

      Reply
    3. LilSis

      January 31, 2009 at 3:47 pm

      Congratulations Barbara!!
      I’ll have to try your caramel corn. Have fun with your gift certificate!
      LilSis

      Reply
    4. Mandy

      January 31, 2009 at 3:35 pm

      yum! I came over from the recipe girl’s site and this looks fantastic. I’ll have to make it with my kids, this would be great for a movie night!!:)

      Reply
    5. newlyweds

      January 30, 2009 at 4:31 pm

      Ohh, this looks so good, I love caramel popcorn, but never thought to make it myself! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    6. Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella

      January 28, 2009 at 9:56 pm

      Thankyou so much for sharing your recipe for Caramel Popcorn! I’ve always bought it but thought that home made would taste so much better 🙂

      Reply
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