Caramel Corn

Ingredients

• 10 cups popped popcorn (about ½ cup unpopped kernels) (plain and unsalted)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Steps

1. 1

   Prep the popcorn. Heat oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Spread the popped popcorn out in an even layer and remove any unpopped kernels.

2. 2

   Make the caramel. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir until combined, then bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Once bubbling, cook without stirring for 4–5 minutes until the caramel is smooth and slightly thickened.

3. 3

   Finish the caramel. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla and baking soda. (The mixture will foam up — this is normal and helps create crisp caramel corn!)

4. 4

   Coat the popcorn. Quickly pour the caramel evenly over the popcorn. Use a silicone spatula to gently toss until as evenly coated as possible.

5. 5

   Bake low and slow. Transfer the popcorn to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to help it crisp and coat evenly.

6. 6

   Cool and break apart. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you’d like. Let the caramel corn cool completely, then break into pieces.

7. 7

   Serve or store. Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for up to 1–2 weeks.