Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned sticky caramel popcorn? It is perfect for an at-home movie night, to munch on while sitting around the campfire or for the holidays.
Caramel popcorn can be made with either molasses for a much richer flavor or brown sugar, for that familiar caramel flavor, like we used. The first popcorn machine came out in 1885 although popcorn was consumed since the early 1700’s, and caramel popcorn was first introduced in 1870 by two German brothers who settled in the United States. They began experimenting with popcorn, peanuts and a strong molasses sauce that quickly became a hit. After a customer exclaimed “That’s a Crackerjack!” which meant it was “of great quality,” the brothers decided to register the name Cracker Jack in 1896. An early version of caramel popcorn made its debut in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair. Caramel popcorn balls became a Halloween hit in the 1950’s. Variations of caramel popcorn have been around for a long while!
I received this recipe from a co-worker 24 years ago, and I made sure to tuck it away in my recipe box because it is such a wonderful recipe to keep on hand! I have made this recipe several times through the years and it is delicious and always a hit! This caramel popcorn has the perfect balance of sweetness from the caramel sauce and saltiness from the nuts. It will leave you wanting more!
Let’s get popping!
You will need about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels. I used a little less than 1/2 cup so our popcorn would be extra sticky! Pop the popcorn into a large bowl and set aside.
Add nuts like macadamia nuts, cashews, brazil nuts, almonds or any other nuts you like to the popcorn. I add about 1 cup of mixed nuts. You can also omit the nuts (this popcorn is equally delicious with or without nuts).
In a small saucepan, add:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Add 1 tsp baking soda and stir. Mixture will foam slightly.
Pour over top of popcorn and nuts and stir well.
Store leftovers (if there is any!) in an airtight container otherwise moisture from the air will make the caramel popcorn soggy.
