1cup(110g)dry roasted salted peanuts or preferred nutoptional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 250F (120C). Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
Place popcorn, on prepared baking sheet and place in the oven on the center rack to keep warm while you prepare the caramel coating.
10 cups popcorn¹
Place butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted.
½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter
Add brown sugars, corn syrup, and salt and cook until the sugar is dissolved.
1 cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar², ¼ cup light corn syrup, ½ teaspoon salt
Bring mixture to a boil (still over medium heat), Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove caramel from heat and stir in vanilla extract and baking soda until completely combined.
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Remove popcorn from oven and drizzle caramel over popcorn. Sprinkle nuts over top (if using) and then use a spatula to stir until popcorn and nuts are mostly coated with caramel (it’ll be a little tough to get popcorn completely coated, aim for coating about 75% of the popcorn, you’ll be able to coat more later on).
1 cup dry roasted salted peanuts or preferred nut
Return cookie sheet to center rack in oven and bake on 250F (120C) for 40-45 minutes, removing the popcorn every 10-15 minutes to stir.
Once finished cooking, stir again and allow popcorn to cool completely on the baking sheet before enjoying.
Video
Notes
¹This recipe can be made with unsalted/unbuttered popcorn which you can make in an air popper or in a cast iron Dutch oven or you can use a “Homestyle” microwave popcorn for a richer flavor. I like PopSecret Homestyle.²You may substitute this for additional light brown sugar (so you would use 1 ⅓ cups light brown sugar total), I just personally prefer the blend of light and dark brown sugar.
Storing:
Caramel popcorn will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. You may also freeze for several months.