Caramel Corn

[4chowpups]

ISO a tried and true buttery caramel corn recipe...TIA!!!!!

[loveskittles]

This is the recipe I use from Betty Crocker's Cookbook and because I bake it for an hour, it creates a nice crunchy glaze over the popcorn rather than a soft caramel coating.

I start by putting 8 cups of popped popcorn in a roasting pan.

For the glaze use:

½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup dark corn syrup
¼ cup margarine or butter
½ tsp salt

Heat brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt to simmering. When it reaches simmering, pour it over the popcorn and stir it so the glaze is somewhat evenly distributed over the popcorn. Bake for an hour in an oven that has been preheated to 250 degrees.

I stir mine every fifteen minutes but that might not really be necessary. Once it is done baking, let it sit in the pan until the glaze hardens (maybe 15-20 minutes).

[4chowpups]

Thank you I will make it this weekend!!! :)

[loveskittles]

If you try it, let me know what you think. I made it again tonight and found that I had some glaze left over so, you might want to use more than 8 cups of popcorn.

[Susan]

I saw Paula Dean make this last year and tried it. It was delicious! Very addictive.

Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...

[Pat Hammond]

This sounds very much like my long, lost recipe. A whole cup of butter is what I remember, and it does make a difference. I toss cashews in with the popped corn. Can't wait to try it on my grandchildren. Thanks!

[4chowpups]

Reporting back on my caramel corn. Loveskittles, I apologize in advance...I printed out the Paula Deen recipe first and that is the one I made and while I was adding the two sticks of butter to the pot and feeling very guilty, I kept wondering what your recipe called for...I will try it next, promise. I loved the caramel in the Paula Deen recipe, it was indeed buttery but I don't know if I over cooked it? I actually timed the 5 minutes called for but it hardened quickly and I also realized after that I need a huge bowl or aluminum roasting dish to stir in (I used 2 jelly roll pans). It was messy and I didn't quite throughly coat the popcorn. It still tastes great and no one but me is as picky so I'm sure my pups will love it when they get home (at dad's for weekend).
Loved the cashew addition...I will have to try that next also!!!!

[loveskittles]

Absolutely no need to apologize!!! I am interested too in your impressions of the Paula Deen recipe as I'm always looking to tweak things. That is what makes this board so fun!

[Murghi]

I'm making loveskittles's recipe right now. It's in the oven. I added toasted almonds, pecans, pistachios and dried cranberries. I'm trying to replicate the Trader Joe's caramel-nut corn...I do notice that glaze in this recipe is much darker that TJ's. Maybe if one used light corn syrup the glaze would be lighter. Well, if it tastes good that's all that matters.

I noticed that Paula Dean's recipe calls for 8 QUARTS of popped popcorn and loveskittles call for 8 CUPS...

anybody have any idea about where the happy medium is?

[loveskittles]

I posted to chowpup last night that I made this again last night with 8 cups of popcorn and had some glaze leftover. I have not made a batch in a couple of years and am not sure what I did with the left over glaze last time. I have also made using light corn syrup and it is much lighter in color and has a somewhat milder taste. Let me know what you think-I hardly ever post recipes and would like an honest opinion of what you think.

[Murghi]

There wasn't too much caramel, but then again, I did not carefully measure the popcorn, so I might have had more corn plus I had the nuts etc. I liked the outcome, but I might have liked it better with light corn syrup. This recipe has a deep rich flavor (hubby thought i might have baked it too long, but i don't think it tastes burned at all). As I say, I'm striving for a TJ's caramel corn knockoff - and theirs is very light and buttery. But have no fear, I'm picking at this batch steadily, and I'm supposed to be bringing it in to work tomorrow. Hope there's something left by then!

By the way, last year when I tried to make something similar I found lots of recipes but all included baking soda as the other recipe on this thread does. I did not at all like that because there was a bitter aftertaste that I attribute to the baking soda. I wonder what it in there for anyway...???

[Fleur]

The recipe from Paula sounds yummy.

We have been getting POPCORN FACTORY caramel corn and Kettle corn.

How does the home made compare?