How to Make Perfect Caramel Popcorn
Popcorn is a favorite snack. People have experimented with adding different toppings to popcorn to create new snack flavors. One of the popular popcorn toppings is caramel. If done wrong, though, adding caramel to popcorn can turn out horrible.
One thing about popcorn is that it is fragile. You know when pouring a liquid over hot popcorn it tends to shrivel the flakes. Pouring hot caramel over popcorn will result in a mass of sticky goop. You have to learn the correct way to make caramel corn if you want an edible treat in the end.
To begin you will need some popcorn. You can make your popcorn however you wish - microwave, stovetop, popcorn machine. Just make a large batch since it is guaranteed you'll eat up a lot of caramel corn.
Now you need the caramel. You can buy caramels and melt them if you wish, but making a caramel topping is simple and worth giving a try at least once.
To make caramel you will need butter, water and brown sugar. Melt about a tablespoon of butter (real butter, not margarine) in a pan. Add in two or three tablespoons of water andcup of brown sugar. Stir it over a low heat to help the sugar to dissolve. You can add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract once the brown sugar is all melted. Let it boil a minute or so and remove from heat.
You will want to let your popcorn cool before mixing it with the caramel. Mix together slowly in small batches at a time. Once mixed lay it out on a cookie sheet to harden up.
You want to avoid deflating your popcorn and avoid ending up with a disaster so be sure to remember the following:
- Let popcorn cool and let the caramel mixture cool a bit before mixing.
- Make your caramel over low heat so you do not burn the butter or sugar. Patience is important to this process.
- Avoid using too much water or your caramel will be runny. Start with one tablespoon and add more as needed.
- Avoid water problems by using corn syrup instead of water and sugar. Be sure to use dark corn syrup, though.
- Do not just pour your caramel over the popcorn. Instead fold your popcorn gently into the caramel.
- Make sure to lay out on a cookie sheet or you will end up with a big blob of caramel corn instead of bite size pieces.
One thing about popcorn is that it is fragile. You know when pouring a liquid over hot popcorn it tends to shrivel the flakes. Pouring hot caramel over popcorn will result in a mass of sticky goop. You have to learn the correct way to make caramel corn if you want an edible treat in the end.
To begin you will need some popcorn. You can make your popcorn however you wish - microwave, stovetop, popcorn machine. Just make a large batch since it is guaranteed you'll eat up a lot of caramel corn.
Now you need the caramel. You can buy caramels and melt them if you wish, but making a caramel topping is simple and worth giving a try at least once.
To make caramel you will need butter, water and brown sugar. Melt about a tablespoon of butter (real butter, not margarine) in a pan. Add in two or three tablespoons of water andcup of brown sugar. Stir it over a low heat to help the sugar to dissolve. You can add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract once the brown sugar is all melted. Let it boil a minute or so and remove from heat.
You will want to let your popcorn cool before mixing it with the caramel. Mix together slowly in small batches at a time. Once mixed lay it out on a cookie sheet to harden up.
You want to avoid deflating your popcorn and avoid ending up with a disaster so be sure to remember the following:
- Let popcorn cool and let the caramel mixture cool a bit before mixing.
- Make your caramel over low heat so you do not burn the butter or sugar. Patience is important to this process.
- Avoid using too much water or your caramel will be runny. Start with one tablespoon and add more as needed.
- Avoid water problems by using corn syrup instead of water and sugar. Be sure to use dark corn syrup, though.
- Do not just pour your caramel over the popcorn. Instead fold your popcorn gently into the caramel.
- Make sure to lay out on a cookie sheet or you will end up with a big blob of caramel corn instead of bite size pieces.
Source...