The first question my dad asked when he was first diagnosed as celiac was “can I still eat popcorn?” Popcorn is something my family makes often, and could possibly be considered one of our staples, whether we’re doing a game night or watching a movie, stove-top popped popcorn is always present. But we don’t just do regular popcorn, we also make caramel popcorn.
Caramel popcorn is a family favorite and a special treat. At least once a week (because that’s how often we have popcorn) someone asks for my mom to make caramel popcorn, this request is only granted every few months, but when it is it seems like before you can blink it’s all been eaten. And we make a lot.
Within this post I am including our recipe to make stovetop popcorn, but this recipe can also work with microwave popcorn if that’s what you feel more comfortable with. We use coconut oil when making our popcorn to make it healthier, but you can also use vegetable/canola oil. Make sure that when salting your popcorn you use popcorn salt because it is finer, making it so that you don't have the grittiness of table salt, which will change the texture when making adding the caramel. It also more evenly coats the popcorn.
Ingredients:
Popcorn:
½ c + 1 c popcorn kernels
2 T coconut oil
Popcorn salt
Caramel:
1 c brown sugar
½ c butter
¼ c corn syrup
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp baking soda
Instructions:
Popcorn:
Heat oil in stock pot on medium high heat.
Add kernels and popcorn salt (to your liking, a few shakes).
3. Put lid on stock pot. Periodically shake the pot with lid still in place until you stop
hearing the kernels pop for 3 seconds.
Pour into large bowl (Tip: you want the bowl to still have space (larger than the amount of popcorn it contains) so that when you incorporate the caramel it doesn’t overflow.)
Caramel:
Combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a saucepan on medium high heat.
Stir until the mixture begins to boil. Let boil about a minute.
3. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and baking soda. Mix well, the mixture will
lighten and increase.
4. Pour over the popped popcorn and mix well. (Note: be careful as the caramel is
very hot, it is best to incorporate using a spatula or spoon).
5. Let sit a few minutes to cool.
Enjoy!
(All images taken by Eowyn Collins on February 2, 2019.)