Hi Elise,

I've got some 'munchkins' coming over next week to carve a jack o' lantern and will totally use this caramel corn to keep them on a nice sugar high for the evening :)
Great Recipe (as always)

Sandra

I love love looooove caramel corn. As a kid, whenever someone would send us one of those popcorn trios around the holidays, I would always scarf down the caramel portion first. Yum.

I used to make caramel corn as an after school snack when I was about 12. My mom had me dump it into a Paper bag and shake it to coat. I guess the boiling sugar wasn't as big of a deal as spilling it all over while trying to stir it? Great memory, thanks for the recipe!

That sounds delicious and very reminiscent of home.

Elise, I am trying to make caramel corn with a batch of caramels that I made that came out too soft - when I heat the caramel, mix it with the corn, and put it in the oven it got dark, almost bitter after 45 minutes. It also seemed to melt off the corn. I wonder if it's the fact that I use a copious amount of cream in my caramel. Any thoughts?

BTW, I've read your site for months now, and it's now as much of a staple as williams-sonoma for recipes. Thanks for all the hard work you've put in to this!

Molasses as an ingredient? I'll have to give this version a whirl.

I'm ambivalent about the whole Cracker Jack thing, quite honestly. No matter how many boxes I opened, I always...and I mean ALWAYS...ended up with a cruddy little comic book or useless plastic tchotchke (sp?). It seemed as if everyone else got the tattoos and whistles, but me? Never.

This, I fear, may have done irreversible psychological damage.

Thanks. A therapist would've charged me $200 for that rant.

And if you should ever be in Ocean City, MD, you really must try http://www.fisherspopcorn.com/

The gold standard by which all caramel corn should be judged.

If I were to make caramel popcorn balls, at which point could I form them into balls? Is there a science to it, or is it just when it is cool enough to touch with our bare hands? This sounds like an awesome Halloween Party treat! :) Yum!

For popcorn balls, I think the standard technique is to let the popcorn cool only enough so that it doesn't melt the cling wrap that you use to form the balls. Get a square of cling wrap, put a modest pile of caramel corn (or other) in the middle, then draw the edges up so that you can mold and wrap the ball in one go. Seal with a kiss.

Great, now I'm sitting at work with an insatiable desire for caramel corn. But that just means it looks and sounds amazing! I will be making this.

For popcorn balls, I use this recipe - they stay soft and gooey:

12c air popped popcorn
1/4 c butter
1/2 c sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 c corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

Microwave the butter, sugar and corn syrup 3-4 min. on high. Stir in vanilla and salt, then pour over popcorn and form into balls.

Kids love it when you flavor the candy mixture with Kool-Aid instead of vanilla - you get quite an intense candy flavor that way. Use half a packet per recipe. Be sure to use white sugar, not brown, if you want to do this.

I've also been known to stir a big spoonful of peanut butter and some cinnamon into the candy mixture. Delicious!

Of course I remember Cracker Jack (as in "buy me some peanuts and...") but my grandmother, who is now 91, makes the most delicious caramel corn. It really puts Cracker Jack to shame...

Is there any way to get around using the corn syrup? Fructose makes me sick to my stomach. Could I leave it out or is there a suitable substitute?

Yum! This version sounds delish, and just in time for halloween.

From traumatizing personal experience, I am compelled to share with my fellow Elise fans that when she says the melted sugar will be "very hot," she means it is molten lava that will stick to your flesh like tar and burn right through your skin leaving a scar for years.

So, for heaven's sake, be careful! That photo of the finished corn looks awesome, and I'm definitely going to try this one - possibly wearing gloves throughout. Eek.

You could try honey or molasses! I haven't done it, myself. But the liquid sweeteners can often be interchanged.

My caramel popcorn is in the oven as I type this. Can not wait to eat this with my little munchkin. Quick question. What does the baking soda do? I forgot to add it so I hope that I did not mess it up that much.

This looks incredible. I am fascinated by the addition of baking soda--is this to keep the caramel from getting too hard? A friend that is a pastry chef always puts a pinch in her brittles to keep them from getting to glass/shard-like when eaten. It sounds genius, but I haven't tried it...

Mmmmmm....My Gram used to make these for us on Christmas, they'd be stuffed in our stockings. Your recipe looks wonderful, I'll have to start the tradition with my new son this Christmas.

Mmm, I don't normally like caramel corn, but this looks so good! Seems like it would make a good homemade holiday gift, in nice bags tied with ribbon. Maybe I'll finally take that candy thermometer out of its packaging.

The tattoos were definitely the best Cracker Jack prizes. I used to make my own, with felt-tipped markers and looseleaf paper. I believe I started a craze in my second-grade classroom...

Showing my age by saying that I remember getting Cracker Jack as a coveted treat (it was up there with the little circus wagon boxes of animal crackers!) Thanks for this homemade version.

Everytime you say not to make candy when its humid, I get so sad! No candy for South Floridians I suppose.

Carmel Corn will always be my one true weakness. Once I start, I simply cannot stop. I remember my mother making carmel corn with a recipe like this when I was a child, but have never made it myself b/c it seemed too involved. Then when I was in college I was re-introduced to my Uncle Roger's carmel corn, which is super-easy, utterly delectable, and incorporates ingredients any layperson will have in the pantry.

ROGER'S CARMEL CORN
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
1/3 c. water
2-3 bags of microwave popcorn, popped (I use lite butter)

Directions:
Mix and boil the first three ingredients on medium, stirring continually, until reaching the "softball" stage. Once the carmel is ready, pour over the popped corn and distribute the sugary goodness evenly by stirring with a wooden spoon. If you can't possibly wait a minute longer, dig in immediately! However, I find the popcorn tastes a bit better once the carmel has cooled and set (about 30 minutes).

I made caramel popcorn balls last year, and the next day, the popcorn was all soft...like it was stale. Any ideas of what caused this? I can't remember the recipe I used, off the top of my head, but I'm sure it was similar to this.

BTW, Elise, your short rib stew is baking in my oven right now, and it smells delicious. Thanks for the great recipes!

I hate to be a nitpicker, but wouldn't this be Butterscotch Corn, due to the brown sugar?

This recipe looks fantastic, can't wait to try it.

When I make caramel corn, I throw the popcorn and the hot mixture in a paper bag (the big ones from grocery store) and just toss it around til all the kernels are evenly coated.
this method works great. Trust me :)

We made this recipe and it was incredible! Thanks :)

I made this at the beginning of December using the Perfect Popcorn as the base and it was the best caramel corn I have ever tasted. I took it to work and it was all gone before the end of the day. People that do not eat sweet products had two or three cupfuls. Thank you for posting such a wonderful recipe.