I just made this. It's terrible, going back to my own recipe.
Melissa - - WHEN ARE WE GONNA SEE YOU ON CAMERA AGAIN? I think all of your fans would agree - it is always a DELIGHT to see you MAKE THESE YUMMY THINGS on a video . . . and it seems to have been a whole!!!
OMG...I love caramel corn of all variations! My favorite is Crunch and Munch!
You had me at: "It had a delicate, candy-like crunch, the thinnest layer of toffee covering the crevices and contours of each fluffy kernel. Then, as you bit down, the coating shattered, and the popcorn dissolved. It wasn’t soggy or chewy or gummy. It was perfect." Yes, indeed!! Great article!!
Fifty years ago we had something here called Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs: popcorn & nuts stuck together with toffee.
BTW adding baking soda to heated sugar syrup = honeycomb.
It's too hot now for anything so sweet, but I'm definitely trying this next winter.
However probably with dark golden syrup in the hope it retains its burnt sugar taste; and because maple syrup is so expensive here & doesn't have much flavour.
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Very nice and I will try it. I have my own secret method for making what I call "dirty popcorn," which is sweet and crunchy but not in the least stick. I won't share it but my kids grew up loving it and I promised them I'd give them the recipe before I die.
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@Arthur Kaye How do you know the death date? Please give recipe to the kids now !
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I'm going to eat this and read about the banana on the wall.
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I've been making a version of this for years, known as Crack. I add dried cranberries for a bit of tartness and bright color. So, so good.
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Wondering how to make this vegan for those of us who are lactose intolerant.
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@A. Harris
leave out the butter
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@A. Harris . Ghee does not have milk solids in it, and might be useful. (It is, however, dairy.)
@A. Harris Or for those of use who prefer not to inconvenience animals. :)
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I just made this (came out of the oven 20 minutes ago). It is wonderful. I followed the recipe exactly. I used air popped corn. Outstanding and unbelievably easy.
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@Mary I second this...made it the night the recipe came out in the NYTs and it is very easy, not a hassle, and the taste is amazing. I particularly like the fact that it is 'lighter' than typical caramel corn...fantastic!
I make a lot (24 quarts or so) of caramel corn every Christmas, and kind of dread it. After reading your comment, I went out this afternoon and bought an air popper. Wow! So much easier than popping the corn on the stove. Thanks for mentioning it.
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I wonder if this recipe would work with vegan butter, like Earth Balance?
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@ SridharC New York 1h ago
Thank you for your encouraging comment. I love inventing new words in three languages, and here is a feminine adjective equivalent to the masculine uxorious: virious, from Latin vir = man, husband. For disclosure, a few people found that virious reminds of virus, rather than of a woman caring for a man.
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Why does Melissa consider the brown sugar an acid. Never heard that before.
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Brown sugar Easily googlable as acidic, thus reacts with the alkaline baking soda.
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@Ellen Oliver The molasses in the brown sugar is very acidic.
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@Matthew
Hmm, googlable...love it, my fun new word today.
Baking soda is the revelation? That's in every caramel corn recipe I've ever seen.
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Crunchy, yes; crispy, no. Fault of Rice Krispies? Crisp!
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Sounds a lot like Johnson's Popcorn in Ocean City, NJ. Check it out!
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Would a candy thermometer such as a Taylor work instead of an instant-read one? If not, why not?
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Candy thermometers are just the thing to use.
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I am already addicted to sugar and now you brought me this? Thanks .... I can’t wait to cook some up.
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Is it "popcorn" if it takes an hour to make though?
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Yes
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Oh mama. Must make this (with Miyoko's vegan butter, of course).
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This recipe looks great but I don’t suggest heating the oil with the cover on and just 3 kernels. I followed a recipe with those instruction once. When I pulled the lid off to add more kernels, the oil ignited.
Something else I learned: if you call the fire department for “advice” on how to put out a small grease fire, they will come to your apartment building and traipse up 13 stories with all their equipment. You probably already knew that, but I didn’t at the time.
Happy baking!
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If you’re in ever in Bangor or Brooklyn, try some vegan Little Lad’s popcorn. Since moving from Maine, I have perfected my not-quite-as-good version. Cheaper than a plane ticket.
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You have excellent taste. That popcorn is delicious and addictive! I live just north of Bangor and I eat it frequently.
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I live just north of Bangor and I eat that delicious, addictive popcorn frequently!
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So good!
That's my recipe. Glad you like it.
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I use air-popped when I make caramel corn, but I'm wondering if it tastes better oil-popped. Thoughts?
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This is how we made caramel corn when I was growing up (but with Karo syrup instead of maple.) I remember how exciting it was when the baking soda caused the mixture to foam. We put the popped popcorn in a large paper grocery bag, poured the dangerously hot mixture over the corn, closed up the bag and shook like mad, then spread out the mixture on cookie sheets to crisp up. Unbeatable! I’m willing to give the maple syrup and pecans a try, though.
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@Terese - how funny, I learned the exact same recipe and method years ago, growing up in Northern Virginia. Agree that it is unbeatable!
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@Terese My grandmother made it the same way. We were lucky kids.
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@Terese
I have a recipe similar to yours that uses Karo syrup and a trip to the oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. No candy thermometer required! Super easy, no fail, yummy caramel popcorn everytime!
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This is basically tossing popcorn into recipe for peanut brittle, which uses the baking soda to create the lighter texture. That’s kind of clever. I might have to try it.
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Don't think this would make it to the oven after the glaze is poured over.
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If I use molasses or sorghum can I call it popcorn brittle?
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I believe I will continue to buy caramel corn. After reading the instructions, it sounds like a hassle.
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@Curmudgeon
Cooking isn't necessarily a hassle. This just seems like a lot of effort for a snack.
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@Elizabeth Malloy Honestly, it doesn't seem like that much work.
But you're not alone; If you ever watch Food Network you'll notice that the ads are mostly for convenience food, fast food and weight loss products.
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@Elizabeth Malloy
I'm not a big baker and I've found this do-able. (Nearly every caramel corn recipe out there is similar to this one). Always is a big hit if I take it to work.
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Thanks for the delicious article. How best to store this heavenly concoction after it is made?
@Courtney As if it will last long enough to need to be stored. ;)
I store it at room temperature in cellophane bags closed with a twist tie if I'm packaging it for gift giving. A metal cooke tin or any other airtight container will also work.
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@Courtney - Oh, you are a funny woman!
You think this is going to need “storage...”
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Store? There isn't anything left after a few minutes....
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The article inspires me to ask, can one make popcorn encased ia crust of bubbly brown-grilled cheese?
My wife loves plain popcorn, which I pick along uxoriously with her, but I neither ever bought nor will buy a caramelized version.
@Tuvw Xyz
Come to Chicago and find a Garrett's popcorn!
You'll want to order the Chicago mix...cheese and caramel together. We call it Crack in a Bag.
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@Elizabeth Malloy , Aldi's Clancy's Cheddar & Caramel Popcorn seems to be just as tasty as the bagged Garrett's popcorn, if you aren't in the Windy City.
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@Elizabeth Malloy, And in several flavors, line out the door! It is available online. Though Chicago is a terrific town to visit.
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