Our Favorite Caramel Popcorn

I intended to post this recipe all winter/fall, but didn’t make it nearly as often this year, with reason. Be forewarned: this popcorn is extremely addicting. But this 35-degree, rainy day in May had ‘caramel popcorn’ written all over it.

I found this recipe years ago on All Recipes, and I don’t make many changes to it. If you use 1 stick of butter instead of 2 (88 fat grams is better than 176, right?), it’s just as good. I also add cinnamon extract with the vanilla extract, sometimes as much as a teaspoon. Oh, and I use the roasting pan I inherited from my great-grandmother instead of two pans. 

I should mention there are 1,540 reviews of this recipe on All Recipes with 5-stars! 

Caramel Popcorn 
(from All Recipes)

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup (I’ve used dark too)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn (I pop mine on the stove and usually make 2 or 3 batches, which measures out to around 10-15 c. and it’s always enough.)

Preheat oven to 250°

Place popped popcorn in pan or pans for baking. I go ahead and stick the popped popcorn in the pre-heated oven so it will stay warm while I make the caramel. If you are using shallow pans, place the popcorn in a separate large bowl for easy stirring, then pour into baking pans. 

In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, syrup and salt. Stir constantly as you bring mixture to a boil. Boil four minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in soda and extract(s). Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before eating (what a joke).