Ingredients
- -11 cup s (about70-75 g) air-popped popcorn*
- cup(200 g) packed lightbrown sugar
- 1/4 cup(80 g) light corn syrup*
- 1/2 cup(113 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Popcorn: I find that 10 11 cups of air popped popcorn is the perfect amount for the quantity of caramel you’ll have.
- Brown Sugar: For that essential brown sugar flavor and softness. Typical homemade caramel is made from regular granulated sugar, and brown sugar is usually saved for homemade butterscotch sauce. For caramel corn, however, you want a softer caramel texture, and brown sugar helps achieve that.
- Light Corn Syrup: This is an imperative ingredient that gives the caramel a softer, chewier consistency. Also, and more importantly, corn syrup helps prevent the cooking caramel from crystallizing into a gritty, grainy texture. It’s necessary when making soft caramel candies and homemade marshmallows , too
- Butter: A main ingredient in caramel candies and caramel sauces.
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar, an acid, will help prevent crystallization as the caramel cooks. If you don’t have any, you can leave it out. Corn syrup does the same job. I still like to include it, so the caramel says nice and smooth.
- Salt: To balance the sweet.
- Baking Soda: Arguably the most important ingredient!
- The purpose of baking soda in the caramel is to react with the acidic ingredients (brown sugar, cream of tartar, and corn syrup), which creates tiny carbon dioxide air bubbles.
- You’ll notice the caramel froths up when you add it.
- 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.
