Sure you can go with plain old butter. You can get fancy with Parmesan. You can go healthy with nutritional yeast. But if you want special, you make a quick batch of caramel popcorn on movie night.
There are hundreds of recipes for this stuff out there nowadays but most make huge batches and are more complicated than needed for a quick movie night at home. This is a scaled down, hurried up version for a small batch in just a few minutes. With a bit of practice you can make this before the opening credits are over.
70g (1/3 cup) popping corn kernels
50g (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
100 g (1/2 cup) light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
75g (1/4 cup) light or dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine salt (or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne OR cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
vegetable oil for coating bowl/utensils
toasted nuts of any sort, chopped or whole to taste (optional)
Yield: ~ Six cups
Very lightly wipe vegetable oil on the inside of a large melamine bowl, a 1/4 cup measure, and two silicone spatulas. Place a silicone mat on a rimmed baking tray as a cooling area.
Air pop the corn kernels to yield roughly six cups of popped corn into any large bowl. Shake the finished corn in the bowl to settle any unpopped kernels to the bottom and carefully transfer the popped corn with ‘claw fingers’ into the prepared bowl leaving those unpopped kernels behind. They kill your teeth (literally!) later if you don’t sift them out now since they’d ‘stick’ to the caramel and kernels instead of naturally falling to the bottom of the bowl as you snack.
In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter completely but do not allow it to brown. Add the sugar. Measure the corn syrup into the oiled measuring cup and add to the sauce pan. Add the salt and any optional flavouring. When fully blended and bubbling slightly, remove from heat, add the vanilla and baking soda, and stir with a stiff spatula vigorously until the colour completely changes to a lighter shade of brown. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the oiled bowl and using two rubber or silicone spatulas, toss well to coat.
!! The caramel mixture is akin to molten lava and can be dangerous as it will burn you quickly. It stays hot for a considerable amount of time even out of the pan. Don’t use your fingers or hands directly. Don’t allow pets or children near the pot. Don’t work in a cluttered space. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. !!
Spread the coated popcorn on the prepared baking pan to cool. Some suggest ‘baking’ this pan in a very low (120C/250F) oven for a short time (20-30 minutes) to achieve a more ‘polished’ finish but I find that’s not necessary for a quick movie night small batch that’ll be gone within the hour.
Chopped or whole toasted nuts of any sort can be added during the mixing stage if desired. There are also reports that various boxed cereal (e.g. rice squares) make an interesting alternative to popcorn but those remain untested in my kitchen. Enjoy!
v.3.6
