Caramel Popcorn

I've been making this same recipe for years, but I do it in the microwave. You put the popped corn in a paper grocery bag. Then you microwave the butter, sugar, vanilla, and corn syrup, letting it boil for one minute. Then stir the baking soda into the caramel mixture. Pour it over the corn in the bag and shake it up. Microwave the whole bag for about 30 seconds and shake it up again. Spread it out on a lined baking sheet to cool down. Tastes absolutely incredible, and done in under 10 minutes.

This recipe is the same one (minus the vanilla) my mother has been using for 20 years. There is another way to cook this - use the microwave. After mixing the popcorn and caramel, divide the corn into two paper grocery bags. Microwave each bag for 30 - 40 seconds, remove the bag from the microwave and shake it. Repeat microwaving and shaking for a total of 4 times for each bag. Open the bags carefully and spread out the corn to cool - breaking up any large pieces. Clean up is easy - just throw away the bags.

I've been making this recipe for years and it is always a favorite for both young and old. It tastes better than anything you can buy in the store. Here are my hints: 1. always use "golden" brown sugar, not the dark brown which is likely to burn. 2. bake it in a very large turkey roasting pan. It will all fit and still be easy to stir. 3. clean-up is very easy, just soak the pans for a minute in hot soapy water. All the hard candy just melts away. 4. Always buy double the ingredients(you'll be making it again the next day!) 5. If there is any left over, store in an air tight container or it will get soft. Make it once and it will be on your top 10 list too!

This is absolutely the best caramel popcorn I have ever tasted. It is so much better than store bought. My entire family loved this popcorn, and it stays fresh for many days (I put it in a zip-loc bag). I only have 1 suggestion. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray so the popcorn doesn't stick to the pan. Thanks Brian! This recipe is wonderful!

I was a little worried about what kind and how much popcorn to use when I saw this recipe. Do I use plain or butter? 2 bags? 3 bags? 4? I ended up using 3 bags butter popcorn, popped in the microwave. Picked out the kernels and cooked the rest on my jelly roll pan. DELICIOUS! I baked for about 40 minutes. Next time I'll bake it for the full hour because it was a little too sticky to enjoy without picking at my teeth the whole time and the think the extra 20 minutes will help harden it a little more. Also, next time I'll try plain popcorn b/c the butter seemed a little heavy. Still, it was wonderfull and we ate the whole bag in only 2 days. Thank you!

FYI 5 quarts popcorn = 1/2 cup unpopped corn. Excellent recipe! This tasted better than anything storebought. Next time I will add peanuts or pecans. For a real treat, I double the caramel part. ***Use only 1/2 the butter (1 cup) and it's plenty rich enough.

Way to Go Brian! Perfect recipe! This caramel corn is the very best of the best! My friend, who has published 8 cookbooks thought she had the best of the best,so did I until I made this! I added 2 cups Deluxe Mixed Nuts and baked one hour as you suggested. PERFECT!!! AND EXTREMELY ADDICTIVE!Thanks for sharing this wonderful work of art!

All I have to say is, I love it! I spread the popcorn out in the largest casserole dish I had, after coating with non-stick cooking spray, of course. I just poured on the carmel slowly and mixed it up as I went along. My friend also commented on how well everything was coated. "The trick is" I told her,"to drizzle and mix frequently, then work it with your greasy fingers to spread any big clumps." :) Thanks!

HELPFUL TIPS NOT MENTIONED: I was doubtful about this recipe but let me tell you that my husband's soldiers went bonkers over something that was SO QUICK to make! If you have trouble mixing in the caramel that I do recommend just dumping it on top instead of trying to keep a thin stream ...just stick it in the oven for a few minutes for it to get hot again & then you can finish mixing! :) As mentioned, the caramel will become foamy so don't worry, and do not try adding the vanilla PRIOR to taking it off the oven! I use two disposable foil pans for turkeys side by side in the oven. Always have one in the oven while mixing the other! Use enough butter so the caramel doesn't get too sticky (1/2C). I used 3 bags of buttered popcorn (brand REALLY isn't important), and I also don't find using cheap no-brand brown sugar to be a problem. Really! I've used all kinds of combinations of nuts and prefer macadamian and/or almonds. I like using 2 pans b/c it gives you room to stir comfortably. Be sure when you take out the pan to stir to get the bottom REAL well or you'll have one solid layer of caramel on the bottom. Also, be sure to let this cool before breaking as directed in the recipe but stir one last time when you take it out of the oven. You must put this back in the oven when the caramel begins to stiffen up b/c continuing to stir at this point is pointless as it breaks pieces of popcorn. Store in giant ziplock bag at room temp!

absolutely deserving of its 5-stars! following the advice of other reviewers i used only 1/2 cup of butter and i don't think that the other 1/2 cup was missed! also, in case you are planning to make your own popcorn, 1/2 cup unpopped kernels = 5 quarts popped popcorn. :)

We love this recipe and have made it for years. For my mother, who loved Cracker Jacks, I'd substitute 1/4 c. molasses for part of the corn syrup. I spray a large disposible foil "turkey" pan w/butter-flavored Pam and put the popped corn in. Place the popcorn in the 250 degree oven to warm for 5 min while the syrup boils. (It's a little easier to stir syrup into popcorn if it's warm and the pan is big ). You can leave caramel corn in roasting pan to cool if you gently stir once or twice while cooling. The Pam makes the roasting pan easy to clean, and a hot, soapy soak takes care of the caramel pot. I keep the large foil pan tucked into a plastic bag in the closet so it's always available, two of them, as a matter of fact, since we always double the recipe.

I have made it a couple times now. The first time was to fill X-mas tins as simple party gifts for the holidays, and now I made it to bring to a summer picnic/barbecue as a snack. It's extremely easy to make, but can be a little time consuming, especially if you're making more than one batch at a time. Here are a few things I've found to be helpful: 1. I have used both butter and margarine, and both turned out great. 2. I have used both light and dark corn syrup, and both turned out the same, but the dark syrup gives it a little more color. 3. I used large, heavy duty cookie sheets to bake it on, and had no problems. 4. I would recommend spraying your pans with cooking spray and if you want an easy clean-up line them with parchment paper. 5. If you want some of the caramel corn to stick together, make a little extra caramel mixture and drizzle it over the top of popcorn after mixing and placing on baking pans 6. If you are a fan of Poppycock/Fiddle Faddle popcorn, you can add 2 cups of your favorite nuts (almonds, pecans, or peanuts work best). If you make the recipe with nuts, I recommend increasing your caramel mixture to 1 1/4 cups butter, 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, 2/3 cup corn syrup, and 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

This recipe started out well...until I put it in the oven. I had my oven set to 250 degrees and at the end of the hour, my popcorn tasted slightly burnt. I'll try this again, but bake at a lower temperature.

Very Yummy, it's the same recipe I use for Puffed Wheat Squares as well, minus the baking soda. I too use only 1/2 a cup of butter (margarine squares are fine if you have it on hand and no butter but don't use soft margarine) TIP: 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn = 4 quarts popped so for those who had other measurements I thought this would help. I basically pour the 1/2 cup then overpour slightly. This is ONLY true for FRESH popcorn (check the packaged date) if it is older/dryer it will make smaller, tougher popped corn and so you should use more. 2nd TIP: DO NOT stir candy while it is boiling, it is a rule of candy... for those who experienced grainy texture this is why. Temperature and time affect how candy performs which is true for the initial boiling and the baking of the corn afterwards. Find what you like and make a note for yourself. Less time boiling = chewier candy, more = harder. Enjoy!

Fantastic recipe! But I can't look at a cup of butter and wonder if it could be reduced a bit and yield the same results, so the first time I tried it with 2/3 C. butter and it was perfect. Next time I got a bit bolder and used only a half a cup of butter and it was perfect again!! It tastes the same and is light and crispy just like the original, maybe not quite as rich, but who cares when you just cut the fat by half!! Also, the second time I didn't have the corn syrup at home so I used pancake syrup, you can't tell. Great recipe!

There is already a lot of great advice on here, but I’ll add my two cents. First LUV this recipe! It’s especially great around the holidays. I’ve even been asked if I bought it at a specialty store when I gave this popcorn to guest. Now my tips for making the popcorn: 1. I use microwave popcorn find a brand that is “natural” – but be careful that it doesn’t have butter or salt added. 2. I pop the corn while the caramel is on the stove, this cuts down on the cook time and as a bonus the popcorn is warm when you pour the sauce on (when you use three bags, pop one bag before you start then the last two while you cook the sauce). 3. Make sure you don’t just dump the bag in the tray, keep unpopped kernels out. *3. I get a disposable turkey pan from the dollar store – NO MESSY clean up! 4. ***This is real important*** after you take the popcorn out of the oven keep stirring it!!!!! Otherwise it clumps together. It usually takes 5-10 mins to cool; I’ll stir it 3-4 times in that period to insure that I don’t end up with a few big clumps of popcorn, that then have to be crumpled into ugly bits.

I make this every year for Christmas and put in the big popcorn tins everyone ends up collecting. I give them to friends and family and they don't get any the next year unless they return the tin. I use a large Rubbermaid tub to put the popcorn in and fill it about 1/2 to 3/4 full and I also make the syrup mixture in the microwave in a large 4-cup measuring cup. I melt the butter, syrup and brown sugar for 3 min. and then add the baking soda (and vanilla- which I don't use) and then it's in for another minute. When you pour it over the popcorn all you have to do is shake the big tub until all the popcorn is coated - works great and not messy at all. I also use the aluminum turkey roasting pans and I store all of my "equipment" in a big trash bag in the basement when not using.

this recipe is fantastic. its simple, and delicious. better than the carmel popcorn you purchase. a couple HELPFUL suggestions : do NOT use dark brown sugar. must be light. ALSO - i found the BEST. EASIEST. CLEANEST way to do the final step ( pouring caramel over the popcorn) is to not use a large bowl - USE a brown paper bag ( brown grocery bag) and double bag it. coat ENTIRE inside with pam or any kind of cooking/butter spray. while caramel is boiling, put half of your popcorn in the bag. when the caramel is done, simply pour half of it over the popcorn in the bag. then, quickly add the left over other half of popcorn to bag, and pour remaining caramel over that. squeeze top of bag closed and shake vigorously and in all different directions, to evenly coat popcorn with the caramel! This method honestly works fantasticly and cuts your clean up time in 1/2. No sticky dried caramel bowls or spoons to clean! just throw bag out after pouring caramel popcorn onto oven trays. :) hope this brings some peace and ease to a few! happy holidays . ALSO- for a smaller batch - i recalculated serving size to 10 , and with this i used a bag and a half of popcorn. worked out perfectly. even just one bag of popcorn would be fabulous, just a teeny bit thicker coat of caramel on top.

This is a great recipe! To save yourself the cleaning headache, dump the popcorn and caramel into a large paper grocery bag and shake. No bowls to clean! I only cook this for 45 mins, stirring every 15. I drizzle chocolate over the top. It's a great addition. Very tasty!

Excellent recipe! A trick for keeping the unpopped kernels out...put a cookie cooling rack on top of your bowl of popcorn, flip it over and shake the kernels out. I also put half of the cooled caramel popcorn in a large bowl and coat with melted white chocolate, lay it out on waxed paper to cool. Then toss with the remaining caramel corn. Yummy!

Brian, you da man! In search of caramel popcorn comparable to Garret's of Chicago, I think I found it. I used a very large/deep aluminum foil baking pan sprayed with vegetable spray to bake the popcorn. It was well worth the steps.Threw in some macadamia nuts in the caramel before baking.Ono! Aloha!

Tastes so good, I cant believe how easy this was to make! I didn't have corn syrup, so I used honey instead and this worked well for me. A helpful tip: rather than drizzle the caramel over the popcorn, I made the caramel in a giant pot and dumped the popcorn into that pot instead and coated the popcorn in there. That way the caramel is still warm and manages to coat all the popcorn easily. I was able to coat twice the amount of popcorn with the same amount of caramel syrup this way.

OMG! This stuff is so addictive! Way better than any caramel corn I've purchased. And really easy. I made my own popcorn. I figured out that 10 Tbsp. unpopped kernels = 5 quarts popped corn. Which is 1/2 C. + 2 Tbsp of kernels and used 3 tbsp. oil to pop corn in - perfect! I honestly made this for the first time yesterday - and just made another batch as I ate so much that my kids and husband would have only had a small handful each when they got home! ALSO.... I did as someone else suggested and made in 1 large roasting pan (an aluminum disposable one) and this fit the popcorn perfectly and was big enough to stir popcorn without a problem (cleaned and used it again - this will probably be my "popcorn pan"). ;-)

This is addictive! I doubled the recipe and added a can of mixed nuts to each to make it more like the store bought stuff. I also bought disposable roasting pans to mix them in and I am glad I did! It was easier to mix and no clean up!

ummm ummm good! 2 bags of microwave popcorn and a cup of peanuts are perfect with this caramel recipe. I baked it for only about 40 minutes, stirring every 10. It was fabulous, all my friends raved. 7/11/08 Update: I put aside my skeptical thoughts and followed other reviewers by decreasing the butter to only 1 stick (1/2 cup). It still turned out amazing! I can't believe it! Oh, and those people who use 3 bags of microwave popcorn....I don't know what they're thinking because I barely had enough caramel to coat my 2 bags. Seriously. This is a fabulous recipe, though. Make it, you won't be sorry!

I have a TNT recipe for caramel corn, but needed a big batch so I chose this one instead, as sometimes doubling candy recipes can be disastrous. It's greasy when fresh, but after a few hours, is perfect! You need two VERY large bowls to mix this up, unless you have one gigantic heatproof container. Be sure to remove any unpopped kernels before mixing, and because you put two large baking sheets in the oven at the same time, rotate the pans as you bake, to prevent the bottoms from burning. Also be sure to line the pans with foil. A little more than 1/2 a cup of kernels yielded 5 quarts of popped corn for me.

I've made this so many times in 30 yrs, I gave it 5 stars, but thats with just 1 stk of butter, 1 cup of brn sugar, and 1 tsp of soda. I also pop my corn stove top w/ veg oil. I bake it in a large roaster pan for the same amount of time, stirring every 15 minutes. Super Bowl Must have!!

This is very good caramel popcorn! I also drizzled half of it with chocolate which makes it even better!! Tip: Be sure to keep your heat level at medium even while boiling. I made the mistake of turning it up to boil and it burned my caramel the first time!:(

This is the best carmel corn recipe I have found. My kids love this. We use 3 large microwaveable bags of popcorn. It's a bit messy to stir in shallow pans and you'll need two but it is well worth a few crumbs.

Loved this recipe! The process moved along very quickly but there was a lot of clean up involved. But WORTH IT! I added almonds. The family loves it! Thanks!

Wow, this recipe is great! I started out by popping plain popcorn over the stove, instead of using microwave popcorn. The only thing is that after I added the baking soda and vanilla, my sauce became pretty foamy. I was not able to pour it in a thin stream. I just kind of dumped it over the popcorn and stirred to coat. By the time I took it out of the oven to cool, all the popcorn was evenly coated in the caramel. I also only baked it for a total of 45 minutes.

Try using 3/4 c. butter and add two tbsp. molasses. I did this and nearly levitated in a state of sheer bliss with my first bite. BEWARE: not for compulsive eaters!

I worked in a popcorn shop for 3 years. This is very similar to our recipe, except we popped our popcorn the old fashioned way. This receipe works better with buttered microwave popcorn if you like the buttery flavor that is essential to the caramel taste. If you substitute, margarine for butter, then use buttered popcorn. The other secret to good caramel popcorn, other than name brand, Dixie sugar, is the vanilla, use pure vanilla, not extract and if you have access to vanilla from Mexico or the Caribbean island, this is the best. I've been making this recipe for 8 years. Still love it!!!

This was outstanding and extremely easy to make. If you are using a candy thermometer, boil to 260 degrees. I used 2 bags of microwave popcorn (fat free)and there was plenty of syrup to cover all.

I scaled this recipe down to half. I use 7 - 8 cups of popped corn. Here's the trick: spread popcorn onto a large lightly greased baking pan. Place in 250 degree oven to keep warm while you make the caramel syrup. Drizzle caramel syrup holding the ladle or spoon up high to get the thin stream. Carefully toss to coat then stir every 10 to 15 minutes; for me this only takes 30 to 45 minutes..comes out perfect every time! Thanks for posting this recipe!!

This is perfection in caramel corn, and pretty easy to make. I added nuts to one batch, and none to another and it is great either way. This recipe's best friend is the fairly new "non-stick" aluminum foil. Line your pan in the non-stick foil and there is no mess to clean up and it doesn't stick to the foil as it cools! That foil is amazing, especially for this sticky recipe. Yum, yum, yum. Thanks for the excellent recipe!!

It was super easy! I used one cup of unpopped popcorn and it was the perfect amount for the candy part of the recipe. There's a tip to cleaning the pot, just boil some water and you'll have a pot that has no more sugar in it. Also someone mentioned about graniness, make sure the candy mixture is fully incorporated and if there are any sugar left undissolved it can recreate sugar crystals and make it crystalize again. Hope that helps! THanks for the recipe! Edit: The popcorn lasts a week covered in an airtight container. I've also made it with some homemade salted nuts and the sweet and salty combo is yummy!

This is the best caramel corn recipe in the world. The ratings don't lie! Everyone loves it at Bunco and at parties. For a twist I melt some semi sweet chocolate chips, between 3/4 of a cup to 1 1/2 cups, depending on how much popcorn I want to cover, and toss some of the the baked, COOLED caramel corn with the chocolate until evenly covered. Spread out on a covered tray to cool. I store the chocolate covered corn in a seperate zip lock and then mix in with the plain caramel corn when I am ready to serve it. I like half chocolate covered and half plain but I love chocolate. A ratio of 1/4 chocolate to 3/4 plain is similar to Harry & David's Moose Mix but it tastes even better.

This is a great recipe. If you want to make it even easier as I aways do, you can make the whole thing in the microwave. Put your butter, sugar and corn suryp in a large bowel and micro it until it boils. Once it starts to boil set the timer for 3 min. Then add your baking powder. Have your popped corn in a large brown paper bag. Pour the caramel mixture over the popped corn. Close the bag and shake well. Then with the bag still folded over, place the whole thing back in the microwave for 3 min. shaking once half way through. When the 3 min is up give once last good shake and lay the corn out on wax paper to cool. I think this is much easier than the oven way and turns out just as yummy. It also is harder to burn this way.

THIS IS GOOD. I POP THREE BAGS OF LIGHT MICROWAVE POPCORN, REMOVE THE OLD MAIDS, AND PLACE ON PARCHMENT PAPER LINED COOKIE SHEETS. I BAKE ONLY FOR ABOUT 35 MINUTES. I THOUGHT THE CLEAN UP WAS VERY EASY NOT ONLY ON MY COOKIE SHEETS, BUT THE PANS AND SPOONS AS WELL. THANKS BRIAN!

This was excellent! Mine came out perfect after 45 minutes. As far as the clean up...tinker toys, I immediately soaked the bowl & pan in hot water and it came right out. Next time I will use peanuts & stir it a little while it's cooling so that it doesn't come out in 1 big clump ;) Thanks Brian!!

I had to make this twcice in one day the first time I cooked the carmel mixture too long. The second time it was just perfect. I used dark corn syrup because that is what I had on hand. I did not bake in the oven aas long as it says though because my carmel looked as if it was starting to burn. I was using a dark pan??? but either way with half my cooking time it was great and I could not keep my hands out! I will try with peanuts next time. Definatly will make again and again. Thank you!

If you have an air popper, use it for this recipe. The finished product is crispier and a lot less greasy. A roasting pan is very handy, too.

I too have been using this recipe for years. It's very important to use butter not margarine. Margarine has too much water in it. Instead of vanilla, I've used rum flavour. I've also used maple flavour. Both are excellent. As I use salted butter, I do not add any additional salt. When I bake it, I line my sheets with parchment paper. Makes stirring and clean-up easy.

SO GOOD – it melts in your mouth! I have made this many times over the last six years! It is just down right yummy! I use two regular size bags of microwave popcorn making sure to fish out any un-popped kernels, and I always add deluxe mixed nuts. I strongly suggest you use a larger saucepan than you think you’ll need, because once you add the vanilla and baking soda it will really bubble up and that stuff is HOT!! I have found a 3-quart saucepan works perfectly. I bake mine in two large disposable aluminum turkey roasting pans that I spray with Pam. That gives me plenty of room to stir during the baking process. The caramel sinks to the bottom so it is important when stirring to lift and scoop it up over the top of the popcorn so it becomes evenly coated. I also find that in my oven I need to bake this a little longer to get it nice and crispy. To be sure check a piece or two to check for crispiness.

Absolutely addictive and delicious! I used a large tinfoil roasting pan (sprayed with pam) to mix and bake the popcorn in one big batch. Also, if you want to add peanuts, add them the last 15 minutes of baking so that the nuts don't burn. Wonderful recipe - I brought some to work and everyone raved about it and asked for the recipe.

This is perfect carmel corn. I have searched for years and finally found THE ONE. However, I baked mine for just 45 minutes and it was perfect.

Excellent! I added whole almonds! Instead of using 1/2 cup of corn syrup, I only used 1/4 cup and added 1/4 cup real maple syrup! Yummers! We couldn't stop eating it! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

This recipe is absolutely superb! The caramel is thick and sweet, but not overpoweringly so. It is also really easy to make, which is always a plus. I made this exactly as written, and was impressed with the final product. My family really loved it, which made me happy. Thanks for sharing this recipe...it's a keeper for sure!!!

This is an excellent recipe. I love caramel corn from Garrett's in Chicago but it is so expensive, I wanted to try and make it at home. My family agrees this is very close. Follow the recipe exactly, use jelly roll pans, non-stick aluminum to cover the pans (a great tip from previous reviewers), AND a silicon spatula to do all your stirring. It is highly heat-resistant and naturally non-stick. BE SURE TO STIR WELL every 15 minutes as the recipe calls. It is critical. My first batch did not turn out as well as the second because I did not stir thoroughly. Also, do not use too much of the syrup - use just enough to coat thoroughly but not where it is dripping off the popcorn and depending on your oven you may not need to bake the popcorn the whole hour. Baking too long even by just a few minutes will cause it to scorch. Hope these tips help! It is really delicious!

This recipe was wonderful! I added peanuts to it and it tasted great. However, I only had to bake mine for 45 minutes instead of half an hour. Also, the clean-up was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. I will certainly make this again.

This popcorn was the hit of the party I took it to. I've substituted maple syrup for the corn syrup too on occassion, for something slightly different. Tastes great!

YUMMMMMMMMY! This is the best carmel corn I ever had. Way better than anything you could buy! My daughter and I made it while playing cards. She raced over every 15 minutes to stir. This is so yummy! It was perfect after the third stir (45 minutes), but we kept it in the whole hour. I will definitely make this again and for sure add some nuts to it. I think I will make this for Christmas for the teacher's gifts. I thought the pan would be a nightmare to clean; I couldn't believe it when I soaked it in hot water how it was perfectly clean! Thanks Brian! Now how about a recipe for cheesy popcorn?

Make sure you use the higher quality brown sugar, as suggested before. I used a store brand because that's what I had, and it was a bit grainy. Otherwise, delicious! Also, use parchment paper in your baking pans to make the popcorn stir easily and makes cleanup much easier.

Yummy!! I just finished making this and let it cool for a couple of hours now. I'll tell you exactly what I did. I used margarine instead of butter because I didn't have any. As far as I know, this did not alter the taste, it's awesome! I took someones suggestion to use aluminum roasting pans, but I doubled the recipe so I had to use one of my pans. So easy to make! Here's a tip for cleaning the messy pans and stuff after, I filled the pans with hot water and about 1/8 cup baking soda and a couple of drops of dishsoap and let it soak for an hour. The stuff just lifted itself right off. Extra cool! Thank you for this recipe!!

I have made this recipe so many times, it's the best!!! Made exactly as is using 2 bags of the natural popcorn(just make sure to pick out all the unpopped kernals). Caramel popcorn is one of my favorite snacks, something we always pick up when we go to the beach, but this is better than Fischer's popcorn.

I followed Sallycat's advice and made this in the microwave. It was extremely easy to make and very tasty. For anyone else who isn't sure how much popcorn 5 quarts is there are 4 cups per quart so 20 cups of popped corn is needed. Thanks for posting!

Soo easy, soo good, I found this turns out much better when using brand name brown sugar, as generic sugars gave it agrainy texture.

The best carmel corn ever!. I Used Paul Newmans Natural microwave popcorn and it turned out awesome. I put the popcorn in a brown grocery bag and poured the carmel mixture in there. No hassel and no clean up. One word of advise, make sure you take any unpopped kernels out before you pour the carmel mixture. I forgot and there were a couple of extra hard bites...ouch.

This stuff is AWESOME! My first time making caramel and it was easy. :) However, "drizzling it slowly" wasn't. It was somewhat difficult to mix in the big bowl while pouring the caramel at the same time. Would have been easier w/ a helper. Next time I think I'll lay the popcorn out on cookie sheets and try it that way first. I followed the recipe exactly...only cooked it for 45 min though. I was clumsy and dropped one of the pans on the floor...so I didn't have as much as I wanted. I'll be making more this weekend. ;) Would be excellent in cute little cellophane bags tied w/ a ribbon as gifts. :)

Fabulous!! I made a half batch of this as my DD has two friends coming tonight for a sleepover but my DB has told me to make another batch so that we can keep some for ourselves! Very easy and tastes wonderful...great for earning some supermummy brownie points!!

Wow, I made this for my mother and we ate two pans in one day. There should be a warning lable on this stuff.

CARAMEL PUFFCORN!!!!! This recipe deserves more than 5 stars, but that's all the higher they go! I did change one thing with it, I used PUFFCORN instead of popcorn. You can find this at any grocery store in by the bagged chips. I used the 7 oz. bag (which according to the nutritional value readings is 21 cups) and scaled the recipe for 20 servings, PERFECT!!! This is a great tasting caramel for either regular popcorn or the puffcorn, I just prefer the puffcorn, it's lighter and has a "melting" effect in your mouth Try it just once, you'll be hooked on puffcorn! The recipe is very easy to follow and not time consuming at all. Some other reviews stated it took too long, set your timer on your oven to go off every 10-15 minutes and go stir, that's pretty easy to me! It may seem like it takes a long time to those mouth watering children gazing into the oven though! It's well worth the wait though!

Excellent recipe. I have some tips that will perhaps help somewhat. 1. I use a nonstick to prevent the sugar from burning during it's 4 minute boil time. 2. Work quickly to prevent the caramel from hardening up too quickly before you've had a chance to spread it around on the popcorn. 3. After taking the popcorn out of the oven, break the popcorn up on a wax or parchment sheet BEFORE it hardens. 4. Try using butter flavored popcorn for an interesting, more buttery flavor. 5. Try adding nuts, such as honey roasted peanuts, salted peanuts, pecans, use your imagination!

This caramel popcorn is phenomenal!!! I use popcorn kernels in my old popcorn machine. Don't cut the butter in half. I have read what many other people said, to cut the butter amount in half and don't think it is a good idea. It is fine the way it is. I make this recipe really often for going to movies (and sneak it in of course) or whenever I'm bored and my friends are over. Everyone in my family loves to eat this. Whenever I make it, it is gone within 24 hours. Thanks Brian!

mee-o, my-o WAY too good! I'd call it "Can't Leave Alone Corn" Thanks for this recipe!

I never believed I would be able to make the gourmet carmel popcorn found only in speciality stores. This is the most rewarding feeling I've had. Thank you to whoever made this recipe! You are an angel!

Great recipe! I followed the advice and bought a big roasting pan. No need for nonstick cooking spray with all the butter in the recipe. I only cooked for 30 minutes because I like it a little chewy. I stirred it twice and it turned out great!

This is absolutely wonderful. I added a cup of peanuts to the popcorn before I poured on the caramel. It tastes great. Spray the pan with vegetable spraty to help prevent sticking.

I only cook half the time. Kids like it much more like that

This is a really great recipe. I add pecans to it to make it that much better and more decadent. :-) I actually pop my own popcorn and for 5quarts poppped it's about 1 cup of unpopped kernels. When I mix it, I put half of the popcorn in the bowl and pour half of the caramel and stir then repeat the step. This allows for complete coverage. Yummy!

By the way, for those wondering 1/2 cup of unpopped popcorn will give you 5 quarts of popped. Very good, very easy. I followed the tips about adding only half the butter and using warm popcorn. I cooked the popcorn in a kettle and mixed it up in the kettle as it was already pre-oiled, transferred it to my turkey roasting pan and it was really easy. What I tasted in between the stove and it going into the oven was delicious!

I have made the Amish Friends Caramel Popcorn recipe for the last couple years. It was O.k. I came across this one and tried it. IT WAS THE BEST OF THE BEST! I don't know if it is the butter vs margerine because otherwise the recipe is the basically the same besides that and the amount of popcorn used. I made over 100 cups of this to give as Xmas Gifts. A HIT! I was getting phone calls left and right with compliments. I would suggest using 1 stick of unsalted butter and 1 stick of regular butter. I used 2 1/2 bags of Microwave Light Popcorn and sprayed a brown paper grocery bag for tossing this. I would also recommend cooking it for only 45 min. stirring every 15. Otherwise it could taste burnt a bit. And lastly I drizzled mine with white and dark chocolate! GREAT!!

I can't believe I haven't rated this one yet! This recipe is great! I made it at Christmas to give to friends and family and everyone raved + asked me to make more. I sprayed a roasting pan with cooking spray + that made it very easy. Highly recommended!

This was a hit at our fishing cabin. Everyone there loved it. Cleanup was a breeze! I simply put some hot water in the pans and put them back in the warm oven while we visited. Whem I came back about an hour later, all the caramel had dissolved and the pans were practically clean already.

I think this is the best you can get in caramel popcorn! These are just wonderful, i couldn't stop eating! Mine burned on the top but i think it was my oven's problem, i took them out and ate the bottom ones. The flavour is great, buttery and sweet and the crunchiness is just right!

Yum Yum Yum!! I love this recipe. I always add a cup or two of cashew nuts just before I pour the mixture over the popcorn. I was wondering if anyone can help me convert this recipe to a low-fat low-sugar one? (crazy, I know!) Both of my parents have diabetes, but both fell in love with this popcorn, and eat it anyway.

This was really good and very sweet. I made it for new years and everybody liked it. I liked my baking sheet with foil and greased it and I sprayed my spatula with cooking spray before stirring each time. Nothing stuck at all. It was very easy to make. Next time I make it I am going to add a little bit of almond extract along with the vanilla. Thanks for the recipe!

I love carmel corn, have tried all different recipes but this one is my favorite. I bake mine in a roasting pan. This stores a long time in an airtight container.

Made this recipe today. took me about 15 minutes prep time. I used 2 popped bags of popcorn & cut the amount of salt in half. And only baked it for about 20-30 minutes because the caramel coating smelled like it was starting to burn. It tastes great! FYI-5 Quarts is 20 Cups of popcorn 1 Quart=4 Cups

YUMMY, This recipe is the best by far. I cooked it 10 minutes less for chewy carmel corn.

Got so many compliments on this recipe!! I added assorted nuts to the popcorn and then added the syrup. Then I got smart: made another small batch of syrup, covered the nuts with it and then baked it. Then mixed the caramel popcorn with the caramel nuts. The recipe says to bake the popcorn in a shallow pan but I used a couple turkey roaster pans so I could really stir it up without everything getting all over.

SUPER DELICIOUS! I followed the directions written for 1 batch, and I also made another batch in the mocrowave as others suggested. What a time saver the microwave was. It was excellent! My hubby preferred the micro batch over the oven one. So save an hours time and just keep in a paper bag and microwave it. Be sure to take out and shake it every 40 seconds or so. Also I drizzled melted chocolate over the last batch, it is perfect PMS snacking lol

Perfect! I use one cup unpopped popcorn, divided into 3 poppings. Bake in a non-stick roasting pan. Makes clean up a breeze. Only change is to add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the brown sugar/salt/etc mix. Don't know why, but my grandmother-in-law puts it in and her cooking is the best.

Caramel popcorn is one of my very favorite treats, so I make it pretty frequently. Since I found this recipe, it's been the only one I've used! Sometimes I don't even bake the popcorn after it's mixed with the caramel (I can't wait an hour to eat it!!) - I throw it in the microwave for a couple minutes then let it sit a couple more to get slightly crunchy. I've had no problems scaling this down to about 1/4 the recipe, which my husband and I can handle in a matter of minutes. :-)

The final result was great...kids loved it, BUT...check the wattage of your mircowave if you're going to cook it that way, as mentioned in a previous review. My microwave is 1200w & the suggested 30-40 sec x 4 burned the first batch. (Not a nice experience...it really stinks!) Second batch I cooked for 20 seconds x 4 & it was heaps better...it went like a flash

This is the recipe to replace all caramel corn recipes.

WOW this is such a good receipe that now my family has placed orders for me to make it on every special occasion...this is that good!

Better than store-bought!

This a perfect Fall snack.....delicious paired with some apple cider. I added two cups of walnut pieces/halves to the popcorn before mixing in the caramel mixture, and it was a wonderful tasting blend of flavors and texture.

great recipe! Tasted just like caramel popcorn from the cinema! I didnt put it in the oven though as it hardens the moment i drizzled the caramel onto the popcorn. It tasted like caramel candy, was really crunchy.. i thought it harden way too fast. I omitted the baking soda as i had run out of it. It tasted great to me though.

I made this for my family and they went crazy for it and had me make for my Sunday school class the next Sunday. I use butter lovers microwave popcorn(4 bags) and omitted the salt. I also place they popcorn in one bowl and removed it by hand to the bowl I mixed it in. This prevented me from having unpopped kernels.

Made this for the 4th of July as a snack. Sweet, tasty and fun to make!

Hmmmmm, let me see. I want to make something for work for the holidays and so, as a sacrifice to my co-workers (no tears please), I made a batch yesterday to, hmmmmmm, just test it out. I guess it's okay, because there isn't any left today! We love this treat......Used the 3 bags of 'natural' micro-pop, and followed Brian's directions carefully. Used the non-stick aluminum foil (great product), a large plastic container for stirring, and jelly-roll-cookie sheets for baking (baked the hour & stirred every 15 minutes.. Came out PERFECT!

My husband really liked this popcorn- and he eats Cracker Jacks like nobody's business!! But he said this was better. I liked it but I thought it was a bit buttery- but still good. Will make it again- Thanx!!

This doesn't taste anything like the stuff you get in the big tins at Christmas - it's a million times better. This is quite addictive! My husband, who doesn't even like caramel popcorn, can't stay out of it. I added cashew halves and may try almonds next time. It has a wonderful flavor and tastes even better than the Crunch 'N Munch from the store. I baked mine the full hour (I don't care for it very chewy), turned the oven off and left my pans in there for another 10 minutes. It came out absolutely perfect. Thanks, Brian for the recipe. It's definitely a keeper.

Not quite sure what went wrong, but, caramel coating on popcorn burnt. Was okay after 1st two stirrings, should have stopped baking at that point. Oven temperature might be off, tasted very good after 1/2 hour, though.

This is so yummy! It sounds strange, but I bought a bag of cheese popcorn and prepared recipe as directed. Amazing flavor!!!!

I have looked for a long time for a good caramel corn recipe. This one is the best I have tried. It has the perfect crunch without drying out.