Easy homemade caramel popcorn, with great gingerbread spices. You won’t believe how easy it is to make this classic sweet snack!
Caramel popcorn is such an easy sweet treat to make, and this version has sweet gingerbread spices mixed in with the buttery caramel. You’ll never want store-bought caramel corn again!
With so much to do this time of year, the last thing you need is a complicated holiday dessert/snack right? It’s so simple to make, and has only about 15 minutes (if that) of hands-on time!
This time of year those big tins of multi-flavored popcorn with the winter scenes painted on the side are in about every store.
My absolute favorite part has always been the caramel popcorn! I think it’s because it reminds me of my all-time favorite snack… Cracker Jack!
Oh man, the gingerbread spices give this caramel corn a great subtle flavor twist that will have you coming back for handful after handful!
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THIS CARAMEL POPCORN:
- To measure sticky ingredients like the molasses and corn syrup, lightly spray the inside of a measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray. It really helps! A rubber spatula works like a charm too.
- Make sure you line your baking sheet with parchment paper that’s been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Baked-on caramel is definitely not fun to clean up!
- I usually use a bag of pre-popped popcorn, microwave bags, or use popcorn kernels in a glass bowl… check out the tutorial for that here.
- After you’ve finished making the caramel sauce, as you’re pouring it over the popcorn, don’t just glob it on… drizzle it around and stir it quickly. It will start to harden pretty fast.
- On that note, don’t worry if all the popcorn is coated. As it bakes, the caramel sauce will loosen up some, and when you stir it, it should cover most of the popcorn.
HELPFUL TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE:
- Heavy bottomed saucepan – I have several high-end brand pans, and this one outperforms them all!
- Baking sheets – I’ve had two of these pans for several years and they’ve held up to a LOT of use!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 14 cups popped popcorn
- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly coat a large (the biggest you have - or if you don't have really large mixing bowls, you'll have to use two and divide popcorn in half), mixing bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Add popped popcorn and set aside.
- Line two 15x10" baking pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 250 F degrees.
- Add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses, ginger, cinnamon and salt to a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over MED heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then boil without stirring for 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. The caramel will foam a little bit, that's okay. Working quickly, pour mixture over popcorn and mix as well as you can. If not all the popcorn is covered, that's okay, as it bakes the caramel will thin out and be easier to stir and coat.
- Transfer popcorn to prepared baking pans. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Let cool in pans, break apart any large clumps and store in an airtight container.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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Minerva says
Amazing! I had it with some stevia, coconut sugar, and honey. I also made about half of the topping and it was still plenty coating.
Dave says
Delicious, make this for Christmas every year. Great directions as well
Angela says
I am thinking of making this to give away as gifts to our church people. How well does it store? Can I make it several days ahead and it still stay crunchy?
The Chunky Chef says
It stores reasonably well, but it does lose some crunch the longer it’s stored.
Nancy says
This made it instantly Christmas in my house! Absolutely addictive if you love the spices of the season! Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Becky F says
Just made this popcorn for office cookie swap. House smells amazing and this tastes wonderful.
My only comment is I would like it a tiny bit sweeter. But that’s personal preference. Absolutely will be making this again. Thanks so much for sharing this post.
Tips and Tricks were very hrlpul.
Michelle says
This truly is the perfect holiday treat!! I think I’m going to be making it!
Allyson Zea says
Wow this looks SOOOOO good! I would like to share this with my family over the holidays!
Krista says
Now I just need a movie and I am set!
Karly says
Pure perfection. This is thee perfect snack to have out on the table during a party- fun and festive and just the right amount of sweet!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Oh, wow! I’m a big Cracker Jack lover, so this really looks good to me! I love the gingerbread twist for the holiday season! Can’t wait to try it!
Demeter says
Love this holiday twist! This would be great as gifts for neighbors!!
Lisa Huff says
My family would LOVE this! Yum!