Cashew Caramel Popcorn Recipe (2024)

Caramel Popcorn: is there anything it cannot do?
Cashew Caramel Popcorn Recipe (1)
In need of a treat for a party? Everyone loves caramel popcorn.
Hosting a movie night? Forget buttered popcorn and serve caramel corn instead.
Midnight munchies? Caramel popcorn to the rescue!
Picnic or potluck coming up? You guessed it…caramel popcorn!
Crunchy, sweet caramel popcorn is light enough to be enjoyed as a snack, but full of enough butter, sugary, nutty goodness to be a satisfying dessert. This recipe uses salted cashews to add a buttery, nutty flavor and salty crunch to the sweet popcorn. Give it a go and see how many different ways you can use caramel popcorn!
Cashew Caramel Popcorn Recipe (2)
Cashew Caramel Popcorn
yield: about 12 cups caramel popcorn

Ingredients

  • 1 3.5-oz package microwave popcorn (yield about 10 cups. It’s best if it’s not a strong, buttery flavor)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups salted cashews (or you can substitute peanuts or almonds)
  • A candy thermometer

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Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Spray the sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Start by chopping the salted cashews coarsely, so that they’re about the size of peanuts. They don’t have to be in small pieces, but whole cashews are a little overwhelming in the popcorn mix, so I like to give them a little choppity-chop.
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Pop the microwave popcorn and pour it into a large greased bowl. You’re going to be doing lots of stirring, and adding other ingredients, so the bigger the bowl, the better!
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Next, let’s make some caramel! Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and water in a medium saucepan.
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Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Insert a candy thermometer.
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Continue to cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 250 degrees F on the candy thermometer. This will probably take 3-6 minutes depending on your stove and the size of your pot.Watch the caramel carefully so it doesn’t overcook.
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As soon as the temperature reaches 250 degrees, pull the pan from the heat. Add the vanilla extract and the baking soda, and whisk until everything is well-combined.
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After a moment or two of whisking, the baking soda will start to react and the caramel will foam up, and turn a lighter, opaque color with lots of bubbles. When you see this, it’s ready to be poured on the popcorn. This is what you’ve been waiting for! Carpe diem!
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Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir with a heatproof spatula until all of the kernels are coated.
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Add the chopped cashews and stir until they’re mixed into the popcorn and are also coated with a layer of caramel.
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Spread the popcorn out on the prepared pan. Use the biggest sheet tray you have, so that it is in a single, even layer. If it is layered too thick, it won’t cook evenly and you’ll have patches of caramel popcorn that are burned, while other sections are underdone. If you need to, use two sheet trays to get the popcorn in a single layer.
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Bake the cashew caramel popcorn in the 250 degree oven for about an hour. Stir it after every 15 minutes, so that the edges don’t brown too quickly. You will notice that as it cooks, the caramel re-melts and becomes liquid again, so when you stir it, you’re redistributing it and making sure that every kernel is covered with caramel. As it continues to cook it will become a darker golden brown, the caramel will get thicker, and it will be very, very fragrant. Yum!
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After an hour, take the popcorn from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for half an hour. Gently break up any large clumps of popcorn with your hands, and once it’s completely cool, your cashew caramel popcorn is ready to be enjoyed!
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If you want to be really devilish, you can drizzle the popcorn with melted chocolate, but I think it’s darn near perfect the way it is. Store Cashew Caramel Popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Cashew Caramel Popcorn Recipe

Cashew Caramel Popcorn Recipe (17)

Print

Serves: 12 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 3.5-oz package microwave popcorn (yield about 10 cups. It's best if it's not a strong, buttery flavor)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups salted cashews (or you can substitute peanuts or almonds)
  • A candy thermometer

Cashew Caramel Popcorn Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why put an egg in pan when making caramel popcorn? ›

Even if you want to add candy or sauces, it doesn't require an egg. Still, some say the egg keeps the kernels from sticking together, while others say it's to keep wannabe chefs from adding too many kernels to the pan.

Why add baking soda to caramel popcorn? ›

The baking soda reacts with the acid in the recipe (i.e., brown sugar) to create an airier, more brittle texture that's not as sticky as the recipes without it. The charms of caramel corn finally made sense. Once coated, the popcorn goes into the oven for about half an hour.

Why is my caramel popcorn not crispy? ›

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.

Why is my homemade caramel popcorn soggy? ›

Give it some time to cool. If it's still tasting soggy after 1–2 hours of cooling at room temperature, you may have under-baked the caramel corn. 1 hour in the oven is usually plenty. Additionally, be sure to cook the caramel on the stove for long enough.

Why is caramel popcorn unhealthy? ›

While caramel-coated popcorn may be a tempting snack, its simple carbs and high sugar content can lead to spikes in blood glucose levels, increasing the risk of hyperglycemia and other health problems.

How do you make caramel popcorn crispy again? ›

The easiest way to refresh leftover popcorn is to toss it in the oven to warm it up and re-crisp it. Simply spread it out in an even layer on a baking sheet and place it in a 250°F oven for about five minutes, until it's warmed through.

How to make caramel popcorn Martha Stewart? ›

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss. Spread popcorn evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.

How to make popcorn at home taste like movie popcorn? ›

  1. Heat the Oil: Throw a couple tablespoons of coconut oil into your pot. Heat it on medium until it's completely melted.
  2. Add the Flavacol: Sprinkle in about half a teaspoon of Flavacol. This is the magic dust that gives it that signature taste. ...
  3. Pop the Kernels: Toss in half a cup of popcorn kernels.
Nov 4, 2021

Do you add sugar before or after popping popcorn? ›

If you want to make sweet popcorn, heat oil and 3 kernels in a pan. When the 3 kernels pop, you know the oil is hot enough to add the rest of your popcorn kernels. Next, shake the pan every 10 seconds and add sugar after the first kernels pop.

What are the disadvantages of caramel popcorn? ›

Caramel or Sticky Corn

Especially around the holidays, people sometimes like to put additional toppings on popcorn like caramel or other confections. The problem is that these substances adhere to teeth's chewing surfaces and are difficult to remove. They also contain sugar, which feeds bad bacteria in the mouth.

What's the difference between caramel popcorn and toffee popcorn? ›

Ingredient Differences

Toffee is a product of heating sugar or light corn syrup and butter at 300F. Therefore, it tastes like light buttery, and sugary candy. The sweet buttery taste balances well with the saltiness of the popcorn. On the other hand, caramel has dark corn syrup, milk or cream, and water.

What happens if you forgot the baking soda in caramel corn? ›

Baking soda is what makes caramel corn chewy with a bit of crunch and gives it the classic brittle texture. The baking soda also helps the mixture to increase in volume which ensures it covers all of the popcorn. It's an essential ingredient and without it you'll likely find the texture of the caramel corn to be off.

What happened to Orville Redenbacher caramel popcorn? ›

Yes, we've discontinued the Melt On Caramel Gourmet Popping Corn. We're so sorry for your inconvenience. Thanks for sharing your interest, we definitely will inform our team you want it back!

Should I refrigerate caramel popcorn? ›

Store caramel corn in an airtight container at room temperature to keep it fresh and crunchy. Avoid storing it in the refrigerator, as the humidity can make it soft.

Why did my caramel popcorn crystallize? ›

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.

Why does the egg in corn syrup change shape? ›

It has a lower concentration of water (25% water) than the egg (90% water). To reach equilibrium, osmosis causes the water molecules to move out of the egg and into the corn syrup until both solutions have the same concentration of water. The outward movement of water causes the egg to shrivel.

How do you make caramel without ruining a pan? ›

Caramel can ruin thin, cheap pans (like mine…), so use a heavy-duty pan. Preferably one that hasn't got a non-stick coating, because these coatings often can't take the high-heat required for caramel-making. If your recipe calls to add a liquid, such as cream, to the caramel, use a very large pan.

Why do eggs pop in the pan? ›

An explanation: At high temperatures, water inside an egg, mostly in the white albumen, vaporizes even as the albumen solidifies. If the pressure inside the egg exceeds the breaking strength of the shell, the egg will explode.

How do you keep caramel popcorn from going stale? ›

To keep your caramel corn fresh, be sure to store it in an airtight container or resealable bag (making sure to press as much air out as you can). The better you seal your container, the longer it will last. You can store it at room temperature on your counter for up to 2-3 weeks.

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