Caramel corn is dangerous for me. Dangerous in that one nibble of the crunchy sweet saltiness leads to the next, and before I know it, the entire batch has disappeared. It’s no surprise that Paul and the kids feel the same way and are always game to make a batch of caramel corn with me.
makes 10 cups
½ cup popcorn kernels
½ cup loosely packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½" chunks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Generous pinch of Maldon sea salt or fleur de sel
1 cup whole salted roasted peanuts or coarsely chopped roasted salted Marcona almonds (optional)
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pop your popcorn, and transfer it to an extra-large bowl (you’ll have about 10 cups).
Next, make the caramel sauce. (Have your prepped ingredients next to the stove top, ready to use.) Place the brown sugar in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan. Pour the water evenly over the sugar. Turn the stove top to medium-high heat. Hold the saucepan by the handle and swirl it occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. (It’s essential to avoid letting the sugar burn until it has completely dissolved.) Cover the pan and turn the heat to high. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove the lid and swirl the pan occasionally until the caramel thickens, begins to smoke, and you can smell the emerging caramel. (Be sure to let your caramel get to this smoking phase—caramel isn’t caramel until the sugar burns.) Let the caramel smoke for 15 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat.
Immediately, whisk the butter and cream into the caramel. Stir in the vanilla and salt, and your caramel is done.
Pour the hot caramel over the popped corn. Add the nuts if you like, and toss until everything is coated in caramel. (Be careful not to burn yourself on the hot caramel—use tongs or spoons to mix ingredients.) Taste for seasoning, and add a little more salt if you think it needs it.
Spread the sticky corn and nuts onto the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the caramel corn cool for a few minutes, until it firms up. Dig in.
If you happen to have any leftovers, I’m guessing the caramel corn could be stored in an airtight container for a day or two. That’s the kind of restraint we have never found.