Christmas Popcorn Candy
A delightful combination of popcorn, caramel, and festive spices, perfect for sharing during the holiday season.
Ingredients
For the Popcorn
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil not required if air popping with a popcorn maker
- 1/3 cup popping corn yields approximately 10 cups of popcorn
For the Caramel
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup corn syrup light, substitute with glucose
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp allspice powder or more cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves or more cinnamon
For Topping
- 2/3 cup slivered almonds
Instructions
Popcorn
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until they pop. Quickly remove those popped pieces.
- Add the remaining popcorn, shake the pot to spread the corn evenly, then cover with a lid. Shake the pot gently once the popcorn begins to pop rapidly.
- Remove from heat when the popping slows down (count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a very large bowl.
Caramel
- Preheat your oven to 110°C (230°F).
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- When the mixture starts to bubble, let it simmer for 4 minutes without stirring.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the Christmas spices, vanilla, and baking soda quickly. The caramel will foam and increase in volume.
- Pour the caramel directly over the popcorn and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle slivered almonds on top and toss again until the caramel cools and starts to harden.
Baking to Crisp
- Spread the popcorn across two baking trays.
- Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes to evenly coat the popcorn.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool. Break into pieces and transfer to an airtight container.
Notes
Make sure to have all your ingredients measured and ready to avoid rushing. Use fresh spices for better flavor. For a lighter caramel coating, use less popcorn.