Christmas Caramel Corn
We’ve tried a lot of recipes looking for good, Easy Homemade Caramel Corn that doesn’t use corn syrup. We’ve finally found one that we love. This popcorn tastes amazing … buttery and caramel-y just the way it should. And no corn syrup required! And it could not be easier to make. It has quickly risen up the list of most requested family treats!
How to Make Christmas Caramel Corn
You will need:
- 20 Cups of Popped Popcorn
- 2 Cups Butter (Sweet Cream Salted)
- 2 Cups Light Brown Sugar
- 4 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- Americolor Super Red Food Coloring
- Americolor Forest Green Food Coloring
Start with approximately 20 cups of popcorn. Make sure you get out all of the un-popped kernels. You don’t want to bite down on one of those! We pop our popcorn on the stove (you can find our directions on How to Make Perfect Popcorn here) but you can use air-popped or microwave.
(Note: This recipe makes a big batch of popcorn -suitable for a Holiday Party. If you are making a smaller batch – halve the recipe and make 5 cups of Red Christmas Caramel Popcorn and 5 cups of Green Christmas Caramel Popcorn.)
Melt 1 cup of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add 1 cup of light brown sugar and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Stirring continuously to get the brown sugar dissolved, bring the butter and sugar mixture up to a boil.
When it reaches a boil allow it to cook for 5 minutes without stirring. Add the 2 tsp. of vanilla at the 4 minute mark and mix.
At the 5 minute mark, add the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. This will cause the caramel to change colors and foam up a bit. This is the chemical reaction that you want. The bubbling effect of the baking soda will aerate the caramel and make it lighter and smoother and therefore easier to coat the popcorn. Finally, add the Red Food Coloring to tint the Caramel mixture a pretty Christmas Red.
Drizzle the red caramel mixture over 10 cups of popcorn. Use a spoon to gently fold the popcorn with the mixture until the kernels are all covered.
Pour the popcorn out onto a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil or a silpat liner.
Repeat this process to make 10 cups of Green Christmas Caramel Popcorn.
Allow the Christmas Caramel Corn to cool prior to serving and then mix it up to serve.
Our family loves this popcorn so it has never lasted longer than a day at our house. This popcorn definitely tastes best right after it is made but will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
This Christmas Caramel Corn is super delicious – buttery with a distinct yummy caramel taste all in gorgeous red and green for the Holidays! This one is a definite crowd-pleaser … enjoy!
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