Best Caramel Corn Recipe Ever! (Puffcorn Caramel Corn) (2024)

FAQs

Why is my caramel corn not shiny? ›

A granule of sugar, over-mixing, or uncooperative clumps of sea salt can turn caramel from a glossy, shiny confection into a dull grainy heap of chewy, brown sugar crystals. Candy making, or in this case caramel popcorn making, involves a significant amount of chemistry.

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss. Spread popcorn evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.

Give it some time to cool. If it's still tasting soggy after 1–2 hours of cooling at room temperature, you may have under-baked the caramel corn. 1 hour in the oven is usually plenty. Additionally, be sure to cook the caramel on the stove for long enough.

Make sure to allow your caramel corn PLENTY of time to cool before packaging it up into ziplock bags or an airtight container. Otherwise, condensation will form and the moisture will cause the popcorn to become soggy.

If you prefer chewy caramel corn, let it sit until the caramel has hardened. If you prefer crunchy caramel corn, Preheat oven to 250 F. and bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, break the larger clumps into smaller pieces if desired.

This can be caused by extended cooking times (especially under acidic conditions) and the use of the enzyme invertase. Increasing reducing sugars will add to the flavor and color of caramel – but too much can cause excessive stickiness.

If you like gooey/sticky caramel corn, give it a sprinkle with a good pinch of kosher salt, let it cool and start eating! If you like it crunchy, keep going. To make crunchy caramel popcorn, pour it (pile it) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Generally, the caramel will have a higher 'water activity' than the popcorn. As a result, if you leave the popcorn for a while, moisture from the caramel will migrate into the corn. This causes the popcorn to lose its 'crunch' and become soft and chewy.

While some people said that she added the egg to absorb extra heat, others had different views. "Whole eggs absorb excess heat so it's an easy way to regulate the temperature balance of the other ingredients," a user wrote.

It's not recommended to place an egg in the pan while making popcorn. Popcorn is typically made by heating kernels in oil or air until they pop. The lady might have added the egg to intrigue the audience and have them stick towards the end of the video.

What does an egg do in caramel popcorn? ›

The egg stays in the whole time till the popcorn pops. After the popcorn is plated, the burnt egg is removed. Some Twitter users said that the egg was added as a way to regulate temperatures, while others said that it was just put in to get people wondering what the hell it was doing there.

If you're looking to breathe new life into the snack, spread it on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 250°F for about five minutes. It should be as good as new!

How Do I Get My Popcorn Crunchy and Not Soggy? The longer you cook the syrup (the mixture of sugar and water the forms the base of the caramel sauce), the crunchier your popcorn will be. For very crunchy popcorn (my favorite!), stop cooking when you see the first wisps of smoke coming from the sugar mixture.

Either yellow or white popcorn kernels will work great for this recipe. Air-popped popcorn will yield the best results. If you prefer you can use organic corn syrup. Be sure to stir every 15 minutes so each piece of caramel corn gets fully coated.

The sodium bicarbonate allows it to achieve the 'brittle' texture you are looking for in carmel corn. Without it the stage at which you stop cooking the caramel would result in a very sticky consistency. It serves the same purpose in peanut brittle.

Why is my Caramel Corn Grainy? Grainy caramel (or crystalized caramel) happens when the sugar crystals in the caramel seize up or cling together.