Organic Caramel Corn Without Corn Syrup
This recipe for Organic Caramel Corn Without Corn Syrup combines freshly popped popcorn with true caramel for a sweet and salty snack that is free of artificial colors, flavors, seed oils, and more.
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Large Stock Pot (with a lid)
- 3-Quart Pot
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 142 grams popcorn kernels
- 28 grams coconut oil
- 340 grams cane sugar
- 113 grams salted butter
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- In a large pot add coconut oil and 3 corn kernels, cover with a lid and put over medium/high heat.
- Once one or all kernels have popped, remove popped kernels and add all remaining corn kernels and cover with a lid. Heat kernels for 1 minute. Intermittently, gently swirl around the kernels in the pot to coat them all in coconut oil.
- Once kernels start to pop, shake the pot frequently so popped kernels rise to the top. When popping slows to 1 second between pops, remove pot from heat and remove lid. Carefully pour popped corn into large bowl and allow it cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a pot over medium heat add the sugar. Once the sugar starts to melt, stir with a high heat spatula to keep from burning. Sugar clumps will form until the sugar turns into a liquid.
- Once the sugar has completely melted into a liquid, add the butter. Be careful because steam will rise up quickly. Stir rapidly until the mixture is combined.
- Once the butter is completely combined, add in the cream a little at a time. Be careful, because the cream is colder than the sugar mixture so more steam will rise up quickly. Stir rapidly to combine completely when each amount of cream is added.
- Once completely combined, remove from heat.
- Add in the sea salt and baking soda and stir to combine.
- Pour over the popcorn, and stir to coat it as evenly as possible. Stir to coat it as evenly as possible. (It's okay if you don't coat every single piece).
- Then spread the popcorn evenly onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Immediately after coming out of the oven you can give it another stir to coat some of the pieces that may not have been coated completely.
- Allow to cool completely, then break it up into clusters.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
Tips
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results. Especially here when making the caramel. I make a true caramel, with only 3 ingredients, so the caramel highly depends on the ratios used to be the right consistency.
- Make sure to use a high heat spatula when making the caramel. You can burn, warp or even melt off a piece of your spatula when making caramel if it's not meant for high heat (I've done all 3 of these things!).
- Be patient when making the caramel and ensure that each step is completed before moving on. If you don't melt all the sugar (and there are clumps) they will never go away and that can lead to hard pieces in the caramel corn. So, it's essential to ensure you melt the sugar completely before adding the butter.
- Work fast once the caramel is done. It begins to cool the minute it's off the heat, so quickly add in salt and baking soda, pour over popcorn, and stir to combine it as quickly as possible to coat everything.
Nutrition
Calories: 386kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 2gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 308mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 2gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 462IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg
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