‘Mom’s Caramel Popcorn’ is obviously a recipe that I got from my Mother, but it is actually her Mother’s recipe. In fact, when my Mom gave me this recipe she was reading off the original recipe that she copied from my Grandma and in the ingredients it read, “butter, the size of an egg” Funny, right?! I love making my favorite family recipes. This has so many happy memories attached to it! I love this recipe. Honestly, nothing beats real homemade caramel. It is just heaven!!
Ingredients needed for Mom’s Caramel Popcorn:
- Popcorn
- Brown sugar
- Corn syrup
- Heavy whipping cream
- Butter
- Vanilla
Mom’s classic caramel popcorn is a beloved homemade treat that combines the sweetness of caramel with the satisfying crunch of popcorn. It’s a timeless snack that’s perfect for family movie nights, parties, or to wrap in cellophane bags as gifts! I remember my Mom making tons of batches of this caramel corn to gift to our neighbors and friends at Christmas time. Everyone LOVES this wonderful recipe!
Other Caramel Recipes to try:
Caramel Sauce (no fail–so easy and incredibly good)
Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies (like Panera Bread’s Kitchen Sink Cookie
Caramel Banana Cream Pie (aka Banoffee–amazing!!)
Mom’s Caramel Popcorn
Description
Mom’s classic caramel popcorn is a beloved homemade treat that combines the sweetness of caramel with the satisfying crunch of popcorn.
Ingredients
5–6 quarts popcorn (5 for adults, 6 for children; 1 cup of kernels is about right)
2 cups brown sugar
1 c. Roger’s golden corn syrup ( I normally use Karo brand with great results)
1 c. heavy whipping cream (1/2 pint)
about 4 ½ T butter
2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Pop popcorn using a hot air electric popcorn popper. Gently shake the popped popcorn in the bowl a little and then scoop out the popcorn with your hands, leaving the heavy unpopped kernels at the bottom. (Or, put into a garbage bag and shake so that the unpopped and heavy kernels settle to the bottom. Use the top popcorn for the recipe.)
- First, melt butter in pan and up the sides, add corn syrup and cream, then carefully pour the sugar in the middle. (When making candy, do not let the sugar go up along the pan edges.) Near the end, add the vanilla. Using a candy thermometer, boil to 243-245° F (adjust to a lower temperature for high altitude). *Usually you boil it to the ‘soft ball’ stage, but I like it just a bit firmer than that. 245° F is the highest you would want to go – you might prefer it softer/gooier that me.*
- You may stir occasionally.
**If you don’t have a candy thermometer, get a glass of ice water and spoon a small amount of the caramel into the ice water and observe how quickly and how much it firms up. For me, I look for the caramel to either form a semi-firm ball, or it will firm up upon hitting the cold water in the shape of the drizzled stream (but it will still be quite soft and pliable), and will not readily adhere itself into a ball. (‘Soft ball’ stage= when placed on counter the caramel ball will slowly flatten a little.) I ALWAYS test out my caramel in ice water in addition to watching the thermometer. I get much better success when I rely on two methods instead of just one. In fact, I put more emphasis on the ice-water test than the temperature. 245° F just happened to be the point when I was satisfied with the ice-water test. - Take off heat immediately because the caramel will reach the hard ball stage quickly. Pour over popcorn and nuts (if desired).
- Do not scrape the pan because candy will turn to sugar if scraped. (This recipe has enough corn syrup that it will probably be okay, though.)
- Form into balls with buttered hands or spread on a greased cookie sheet.
Notes
I pop 1 cup of popcorn kernels, which makes approximately 5 ½ quarts. Usually popcorn poppers will pop ½ cup of kernels per batch.
Barry and Rochelle says
Have you ever made this with just Light Karo Syrup? or it has to be Roger's Golden… I don't even know where to find that…
Anonymous says
Hey sis- that popcorn makes me think of Christmas and being together as a family! I have a lot of great memories watching movies and playing games while stuffing ourselves full of that popcorn. It’s a wonder any of us fit in our clothes! Love you Erin,
Matt
Mindy says
I LOVE this popcorn. It reminds me of Christmas and making all the yummy treats with mom. 🙂