R is for Recipes: Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Caramel Corn Recipe
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Sweet, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth caramel corn! Yum! This recipe has been in my family for years and is always a big hit. It is simple to make and can be made in big batches for a crowd. Homemade caramel corn is perfect to serve at parties or to package up to give to friends and neighbors at the holidays. I even used this recipe to make favors for my wedding. This classic caramel corn is sure to become a favorite. Are you ready to make this great recipe? Here we go:
Ingredients
- 15 cups popped popcorn
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Lightly spray the baking pans with non-stick cooking oil and divide with the popcorn evenly between the two pans.
- Combine the sugar, margarine, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan big enough to allow for expansion when the baking soda is added. Cook and stir until the mixture becomes bubbly around the edges. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Make sure the ingredients are well combined and allow it to become foamy (about 1 minute).
- Use a large ladle to gently pour the caramel over the popcorn.
- Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring gently every 15 minutes. Do not over bake.
- Remove from the pans immediately to prevent sticking and allow to cool. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 15 cups popped popcorn
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Lightly spray the baking pans with non-stick cooking oil and divide with the popcorn evenly between the two pans.
- Combine the sugar, margarine, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan big enough to allow for expansion when the baking soda is added. Cook and stir until the mixture becomes bubbly around the edges. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Make sure the ingredients are well combined and allow it to become foamy (about 1 minute).
- Use a large ladle to gently pour the caramel over the popcorn.
- Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring gently every 15 minutes. Do not over bake.
- Remove from the pans immediately to prevent sticking and allow to cool. Enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Buy good quality popcorn – it really makes a difference to the finished product.
- If popping your popcorn with an air popper, do not just dump the whole bowl of popcorn into the baking pan. Instead gently lift the popcorn out by the handful to avoid transferring any unpopped kernels at the bottle of the bowl.
- Coat all of your utensils with non-stick cooking spray to keep the caramel from sticking. We use a wooden spoon for stirring the caramel, a ladle to pour the caramel over the popcorn evenly and a silicon scraper spoon for gently stirring the caramel corn while baking.
- A silicon scraper spoon like THIS is perfect for stirring the caramel corn without breaking it.
- Pay attention to your baking time to be sure that you don’t over bake the recipe.
- Make a double batch using roasting pans instead of 9×13 baking pans. It is easier to stir the caramel corn in the bigger pans and who couldn’t use extra caramel corn?
- Package in tins, boxes or bags to give as perfect gifts or party favors!
It is no wonder why we continue to make this recipe year after year in our family. It is simple to make and oh-so-delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. Let me know how it turns out for you and what creative ideas you have to package it in the comment section. Enjoy!
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