Has there ever been a time when you thought you would never be that person who would do a certain thing? Well, that was me! I never thought I would be making caramel corn. Who would ever need to? The commercial brands that you buy in the store are so darn delicious who would ever want to make it? Right, …wrong!
Everything is better when it’s homemade. This Caramel Coated Nutty Popcorn is no exception! I love this stuff, and it’s so easy to make. You need just six ingredients popcorn, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Thus, easy to make but, so hard to stop eating.
Consequently, this is the best stuff to have for family game night. As a result, your family will love you once they taste how good this is. They will demand that you supply Caramel Coated Nutty Popcorn for all the family’s games and events.
How To Make Carmel Coated Nutty Popcorn
This couldn’t be easier. So, gather three sandwich bags. Now, place a 1/4-cup popcorn in each bag. Fold the top of the bag down several times. Place one bag at a time into the microwave. If your microwave has a popcorn setting use it to pop the corn. It should make about 5-1/2 quarts or 18 cups of popcorn.
Clearly, this is not what you want to happen! Burnt popcorn. Don’t use the full amount of time for the popcorn setting. Pop the corn 1-minute less than the suggested time. If you don’t use less time the popcorn could burn! Your house will smell like burnt popcorn for days. As the popping slows down to just a few pops, remove the popcorn from the microwave immediately.
Another alternative is to use a hot air popcorn popper or prepackage popcorn that could be made in the microwave as well. Try not to include un-popped kernels, because they could be uncomfortable to bite into.
Now, pour the popcorn into a very large bowl, pan, or use two large bowls as I have done.
The caramel takes less than 15 minutes to make. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Gradually mix the ingredients together. Continue to stir constantly. Next, bring the mixture to a boil for five minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. Lower the temperature then, add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix it evenly throughout the caramel. Then remove from the heat.
Add caramel and your favorite nuts to the popcorn. Or skip the nut all together if you like. My family loves nuts, so I make a batch of caramel with peanuts and another batch by adding pecans. Get creative use other nuts, dried fruits, or other small candies.
Why Bake Caramel Coated Nutty Popcorn?
Next, the final step of making Caramel Coated Nutty Popcorn is to bake the caramel corn to reduce stickiness.
Start by preheating the oven to 250 degrees. Place the mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the caramel popcorn out on the baking sheet in a thin layer. Use a spatula to turn the mixture every 6 to 7 minutes to prevent the caramel from burning. Bake the caramel for at least 45 minutes. Remove the caramel from the oven and allow it to cool.
Serve or store the Caramel Coated Nutty Popcorn in an airtight container. If you don’t eat most of the caramel corn during preparation. It’s just that good. Enjoy!
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- 3 lunch bags
- ¾ cup popcorn to be microwaved (18 cups COOKED popcorn or 5-1/2 quarts popcorn)
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pre-heat oven 250 degrees
- Next, microwave ¼ cup popcorn in each bag. Fold the top of the bag down several times. Place one bag at a time into the microwave. Then, cook on the popcorn setting on minute less than the suggested cook time so the popcorn doesn't burn.
- Meanwhile, remove seeds and set aside in a bowl.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment or non-stick foil.
- In a saucepan combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Gradually mix the ingredients together. Continue to stir constantly. Next, bring the mixture to a boil for five minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. Lower the temperature then, add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix it evenly throughout the caramel. Then remove from the heat.
- Pour caramel and nuts over popped popcorn and stir.
- Spread the caramel popcorn out on the two baking sheets in a thin layer. Use a spatula to turn the mixture every 6 to 7 minutes to prevent the caramel from burning. Bake the caramel for at least 45 minutes. Remove the caramel from the oven and allow it to cool.
