My dad would make caramel corn at home when I was a kid. It was always made for special occasions like New Years Eve, Fall celebrations and various birthdays by request. Now, as an adult, I’ve wanted to do the same for years. Every year when fall hit I’d mention to my wife that “we should make some caramel corn” and she’d respond in an affirming manner. Nothing would ever come of it though. I’d get busy and forget. She’d leave it up to me because I was the one with the fond childhood memory. And that’s been how it has been for most of our married life.
This year was different for some reason. I was out grocery shopping at 2:00 a.m. Christmas Eve and passed the Karo Syrup in the baking aisle when it dawned on me. I can make caramel corn this year! Why not? I already had two full days of cooking ahead of me, so I might as well make something fun too.
My parents said they just used the recipe on the back of the bottle. I eagerly picked up a bottle of dark syrup and found a non-caramel corn recipe there. I was disappointed, but put it back on the shelf and reached for the light syrup. Same thing. A recipe was there, but not the one I wanted. I was discouraged in that moment. Here I was, after at least a decade, wanting to make the caramel corn recipe my father had used from my childhood and it wasn’t there. Then it dawned on me, as my eyes shifted around the bottle’s label looking for a reason to keep hope, and found a note about other recipes being online. Duh! I’m a guy that works on computers daily and I had never even considered looking it up online. Bingo! It was there and I share it with you now.
The recipe below is from Karo Syrup and the photos from me making it on Christmas Day. Let me tell you, it’s just as delicious as I remember it being as a kid. Maybe even a little bit better.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 quarts
- Mazola Pure® Cooking Spray
- 4 quarts popped popcorn
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter OR margarine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
1.) Spray a large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250°F oven while preparing caramel.
2.) Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.
3.) Boil 5 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. (Mixture will foam)
4.) Pour syrup mixture over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.
5.) Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
6.) Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.
Recipe Source: https://www.karosyrup.com/recipe/classic-caramel-corn/