Revealing all my secrets for the yummiest, gooey-est, caramel corn ever.. I shared this recipe last year for the launch of the Our Place Perfect Pot and you guys LOVED the recipe. Reposting it again this year because gosh, it’s just so good! If you have any holiday parties coming up this would be perfect to bring, I would just add red, green and white sprinkles (or maybe even the snowflake ones)!!
Our Place makes great gifts for anyone in your life – keep reading to see my top picks! One of my favorite things about Our Place is that the company is a mission-driven cookware company that is both woman and immigrant-owned… they focus a lot on sustainability as well as functionality and your health to provide aesthetically pleasing products!
Perfect Pot
Step One:
It’s the prep step.. You’ll have to pop three bags of microwave popcorn. I prefer plain or lightly salted (hello sweet and salty!) and then you’ll need to lay it out in a single layer on a couple of sheet pans lined with wax paper. Don’t forget the wax paper… trust me on this, you’ll totally regret when you’ve gotta wash the sticky mess instead of throw it away haha.
Step Two:
Perfect Pot
This is where it starts to get messy! Combine the butter, brown sugar + corn syrup in a large pot over medium heat.. You’ll probably prefer a really good non-stick pot like the Perfect Pot (if there’s no deals going on.. try code TARATHUESON) because it makes it so dang easy for clean up after. I could talk to you for days about this pot and why I love it, but you can find that info HERE. Once the butter is melted and your mixture is smooth, increase to medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring CONSTANTLY. It should turn darker in color at this point.
Step Three:
Perfect Pot
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the condensed milk, salt and vanilla extract. Stir until your mixture is smooth… then it’s time to pour it over your popcorn! 🙂
Step Four:
Perfect Pot
Pour over popcorn and mix to evenly coat it… after that – you’re done!! I like to put mine back in the Perfect Pot to serve it because 1) it’s way easy to wash + 2) they come in so many cute colors they’re great for serving dishes too.
Perfect Pot
RECIPE:
Back to the GOOD STUFF – yeah, the gooey popcorn is SO delicious.. but Our Place will make your life easy year round.. I’ve bought something from Our Place for every single family member of Braun’s or mine with a kitchen. The Always Pan is always a huge hit – but this year, it might be those cute minis!! Here are some of my favorite items on Our Place’s website right now that are the perfect gifts for anyone in your family:
Our Place Always Pan MINI! I am actually soooo excited to get this one myself. It’s been on my wish-list since I heard about them. Sometimes the larger pan is just too big + I need something a bit smaller. Super cute color options, and still made with the same exclusive nontoxic, nonstick ceramic coating made without potentially toxic materials like PFOAs, PTFEs, other PFAS, lead, cadmium, toxic metals, and nanoparticles!! Plus, the nonstick actually lasts in these guys.
The Oven Pan is FINALLY available separately and they’ve got the cuuuutest colors. This is one item I’ve used a ton since I got it. It’s truly a multi use item. It replaces: sheet pan, cookie sheet, griddle, roasting pan, single-use parchment paper (which is probably my favorite because HELLO to that cute checkerboard print!). The checkerboard is all 1″ squares, so it’s perfect for measurements as well.. and it’s not listed on there, but it makes the cutest charcuterie board as well.
I’m JUST learning about these.. They came out with a brand new container line, and they sound sooo good. I will be grabbing them! They are glass, of course, but go beyond normal glass containers. You can use in microwave, oven OR freezer and they’re super lightweight. They also have one size fits all lids on their 1 1/2, 2 1/4, and 4 1/4 cups sizes. Love that feature. And finally, stain resistant – so say good bye to pasta sauce troubles.
Our Place Daily Board – I have a couple similar to this that I love but they show knife marks.. ugh, and they don’t fully match my kitchen! I can’t wait to grab the one that matches all of my other Our Place stuff. The Daily Board is made from all recycled materials, and it has a textured surface to conceal knife marks.
New Dinnerware Styles! They’ve launched so many cute additions to their dinnerware line. These are all totally different from the ones I have and I love them.. lots of color options! The serving platters are an awesome addition.
They launched so many new products this year so they have gifts at every price point!
SHOP ALL NEW PRODUCTS:
SHOP TRIED AND TRUE FAVES:
FAQs
The sodium bicarbonate allows it to achieve the 'brittle' texture you are looking for in carmel corn. Without it the stage at which you stop cooking the caramel would result in a very sticky consistency.
How to fix sticky caramel corn? ›
If your caramel corn came out sticky then, unfortunately, it has not been cooked properly. It is very important to bring the caramel mixture to a boil and boil it for 5 minutes. This helps make sure it dries as a shiny coating during the cooling process instead of a sticky mess.
Why is my caramel corn not shiny? ›
A granule of sugar, over-mixing, or uncooperative clumps of sea salt can turn caramel from a glossy, shiny confection into a dull grainy heap of chewy, brown sugar crystals.
What happens when you add baking soda to melted sugar? ›
When the baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is mixed into the hot sugar, another chemical reaction occurs. The baking soda breaks up, or decomposes, into sodium carbonate, water, and carbon dioxide. The water vapor and carbon dioxide gases get trapped in the sugary mixture, leaving behind these bubbles.
What makes caramel soft or hard? ›
Temperature is key when making candy. The difference between a soft caramel and one that's hard and overcooked is all in the temperature. Candy thermometers—like this instant-read thermometer—let you know exactly what stage the caramel is in (thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, hard-ball, soft crack or hard crack).
Why did my caramel corn come out chewy? ›
Once the caramel has cooled on your popcorn, the air bubbles inside the caramel create a softer texture. The softer texture means you won't be biting into hard-as-cement caramel. Rather, the caramel is melt-in-your-mouth chewy and only slightly crunchy.
Why is my caramel gooey? ›
If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test with a cold water test. Details on how to use this method can be found here.
What thickens caramel? ›
For each cup (240 mL) of caramel sauce that you need to thicken, run 1 tbsp (14.7 mL) of cold water into a measuring cup, and slowly stir in 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Pour the cornstarch mixture into your pot caramel sauce, and stir constantly. Keep the sauce on low heat until it begins to thicken.
Why is my caramel not setting up? ›
you simply haven't cooked it enough-- possibly your microwave is less powerful (the original recipe doesn't specify a wattage for cooking the caramel) or the butter you used has a higher water content. You could try cooking the mixture for a little longer, and seeing if it sets up firmer.
How do you keep caramel popcorn from getting soggy? ›
How Do I Get My Popcorn Crunchy and Not Soggy? The longer you cook the syrup (the mixture of sugar and water the forms the base of the caramel sauce), the crunchier your popcorn will be. For very crunchy popcorn (my favorite!), stop cooking when you see the first wisps of smoke coming from the sugar mixture.
The water evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind. If even one sugar crystal falls back into the pan of cooking caramel, it starts a chain reaction of sugar crystals and the entire pan will harden.
Why is my caramel gloopy? ›
However, as the caramel sauce cools, some of the sugar molecules can re-crystallize, causing the sauce to thicken. This is especially likely to occur if there are sugar crystals left on the sides of the pan or if you stir the sauce while it's cooling.
Does baking soda speed up caramelization? ›
Baking soda makes the onions more alkaline, which speeds up the browning reactions necessary for properly caramelized onions. But it also weakens the pectin that holds the onion's cells together, turning what should be soft but distinct pieces of browned onion into a nauseating stew of pea-green mush.
What does baking soda do to dulce de leche? ›
You can make dulce de leche by cooking down milk and sugar in the stove top, with the addition of baking soda to help the reactions that occur in order to form a thick and rich dulce de leche. The results: A dark sauce, slightly gritty, thick but not pipeable. The taste: a mix between caramel and dulce de leche.
What enhances caramel flavor? ›
Finally, caramel is always enhanced with the addition of citrus zest, especially orange zest, or by substituting fruit puree for some of the cream in the caramel base recipe.
What happens when baking soda is added to sugar? ›
When you heated baking soda and white sugar on the stove, a chemical reaction occurred that produced a number of volatile compounds. The dark color and strong odor are likely the result of these compounds being released into the air.
