Christmas Popcorn Candy | RecipeTin Eats

This Christmas Popcorn ought to include a warning. It’s dangerously addictive, and would be the possible explanation for many sugar crash couch naps throughout this vacation season!

It’s my caramel corn with a Christmas twist – conventional festive spices and a sprinkle of almonds. It makes for excellent Christmas sweet snacks in addition to meals items that’s simple to make in bulk, economical and lasts for two – 3 weeks.

Christmas Popcorn

Whereas everyone likes a very good Caramel Popcorn, it truly is simply flat out candy, and that’s it (however I nonetheless love you, Caramel Popcorn, don’t fear).

However, this caramel popcorn is much past simply candy. It’s loaded with heat Christmas spices and is studded with nutty almond for additional crunch. It’s insanely, utterly and ridiculously addictive!

What you want for Christmas Popcorn

Right here’s what it’s essential to make this:

• Popcorn kernels – Simply plain popping kernels
• Vacation spices – I’ve use a mixture harking back to Gingerbread Males, however you may even simply use cinnamon alone and it will nonetheless be fantastic!
• Corn syrup (or glucose) – That is required to make sure the caramel doesn’t crystallise, ie. when as a substitute of turning into liquid, you find yourself with sugar grains. You can make caramel with out it, nevertheless it’s a bit temperamental so corn syrup helps makes it a positive factor.

Corn syrup is just not offered in Australian grocery shops however that’s not an issue. Simply use glucose as a substitute. It’s only a thicker type of corn syrup which works simply as properly. I get corn syrup on-line from USA Meals as a result of I make caramel popcorn repeatedly for bribing gifting!

Different substitutions: golden syrup is finest for the dry crisp coating. Honey additionally works nevertheless it does add additional flavour.

• Baking soda / bi-carb soda – An essential ingredient which makes the caramel foam up and lighten a bit so that you get a extra even, skinny protection on the popcorn floor (fairly than thick globs that get caught in your tooth);
• Brown sugar – Higher than white, for additional caramel flavours;
• Salt – Only a contact, to steadiness out all of the sweetness; and
• Almonds – As a result of I consider nuts once I consider Christmas sweet! Change it out with actually every other nut you need – or seeds like pepitas, sunflower seeds or the rest that can maintain up within the oven.

How one can make Christmas Popcorn Sweet

1. The Popcorn

You may both air pop the popcorn utilizing a popcorn machine – by which case no oil is required – or prepare dinner it on the range.

PRO TIP: Whereas air popped popcorn is fat-free, it isn’t as crispy as range popped popcorn!

2.Christmas Caramel for Popcorn

Plonk ➔ Simmer ➔ whisk!

1. Mix the sugar, butter and corn syrup in a saucepan;
2. As soon as it begins foaming, simmer for 4 minutes with out stirring;
3. Take it off the range, then add the spices and baking soda; and …
4. Foam it! Whisk vigorously and also you’ll discover that the caramel will increase in quantity barely and turns into a bit foamy. It appears to be like a bit like sweet honeycomb. That is as a result of baking soda and is essential to reaching a skinny even protection of caramel over all of the popcorn. With out the baking soda, you find yourself with thick globs of caramel that will get caught in your tooth if you eat the popcorn.

3. Bake to crisp it!

1. Pour the caramel over the popcorn;
2. Toss properly to coat, add the almonds and preserve tossing. You gained’t be capable of get an excellent coating at this stage as a result of the caramel will harden too rapidly. However don’t fear, we’ll repair this through the oven tossing stage!
3. Bake & toss! Unfold the popcorn throughout two lined baking trays, then bake in a low 110°C/230°F oven for 45 minutes, tossing each 10 minutes or so. Baking makes the caramel soften once more so it might proceed spreading over the popcorn in a extra even coating as you proceed to toss it. It additionally dries the popcorn and caramel coating so the caramel coating is brittle and crisp as a substitute of sticky and chewy;
4. Cool on the trays then break it up into small or massive chunks earlier than storing in hermetic containers or luggage.

What to do with Christmas Popcorn Sweet

This specific sort of Caramel Popcorn is new to my secure of recipes so I haven’t used it to its full potential but! However right here’s what I envisage:

1. Bribing Gifting – Who doesn’t love a do-it-yourself edible reward?? (Bonus that it’s super-duper economical, simple to make in bulk and has a shelf life of two – 3 weeks!)
2. Nibbly-style dessert – If your loved ones is something like mine, we inevitably go all out on the mains and faucet out earlier than dessert, leaving us too full to eat a full dimension, correct dessert. So snack-size candy treats like this are superb. I’m eternally scarred by the large gingerbread home I made as soon as which took me hours to assemble, solely to be utterly rejected by your complete household as a result of everybody was so full after dinner. Solely the chimney obtained eaten. Reluctantly, at that!! I used to be significantly peeved shattered, and vowed by no means once more to make an unlimited effort for Christmas dinner dessert; and
3. Sweet – Definitely with the quantity of sugar on this, it completely qualifies as a sweet! And it has the shelf lifetime of sweet too (2 -3 weeks).

In fact, it additionally makes for a wonderful secret stash of treats, only for your self. Shh! I gained’t inform in case you don’t… 😉 – Nagi x

Watch how you can make it

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Christmas Popcorn Sweet

Writer: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Prep: 10 minutes

Prepare dinner: 55 minutes

Complete: 1 hr 5 minutes

Dessert, Candy

Western

Servings8 – 12

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. That is Caramel Popcorn, dressed up for Christmas! Perfumed with heat conventional Christmas spices and studded with almonds, it’s outrageously addictive. Nice as a snacky dessert possibility, for gifting and store-like sweet. Stays crispy 2 – 3 weeks!Baking soda makes the caramel coating foamy so it coats the popcorn thinly and evenly, fairly than in sticky globs. CARAMEL COVERAGE: Use 1/3 cup kernels for full caramel protection (very candy, like sweet items, pictured in submit), 3/4 cup for a lighter coating (nonetheless candy sufficient however you get some white patches, see this picture for comparability)

Directions

Popcorn

• Warmth oil in a big pot over medium warmth. Add a couple of items of popcorn and wait till it pops, then rapidly take away.

• Add remaining popcorn, elevate off range to shake and unfold corn out evenly. Cowl with a lid. As soon as the popcorn begins popping in earnest, shake the pot gently as soon as.

• Take away from warmth when the popping virtually stops (when you possibly can depend to three between pops) and switch to a (very!) massive bowl. You want 10 cups of popcorn.

Caramel:

• Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F.

• Soften butter in a saucepaan over medium warmth.

• Add sugar, corn syrup (or glucose) and salt. Stir till simply mixed.

• When it begins to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR!

• Take away from warmth then rapidly whisk in Christmas Spices, vanilla and baking soda. Whisk vigorously for 10 seconds, then if you cease whisking, the caramel will foam and improve in quantity.

• Shortly pour straight over popcorn, toss to coat.

• Sprinkle over the almonds, and toss once more till caramel cools and begins to harden.

Baking to crisp:

• Unfold popcorn throughout 2 baking trays.

• Bake for 45 minutes, tossing each 10 minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the primary 2-3 tosses – tossing additional coats popcorn extra evenly with caramel. (If utilizing glucose as a substitute of corn syrup, bake additional quarter-hour).

• Take away from oven, go away to chill. Gently break into items then switch to hermetic container for storage. Stays crisp 2 – 3 weeks!

Recipe Notes:

1. Caramel protection – 1/3 cup popcorn kernels provides you with a beneficiant, full caramel coating on every popcorn. This makes the popcorn like sweet – it’s very candy! I take advantage of 3/4 cups popcorn for “regular” protection – it’s nonetheless candy, however not intensely candy the place every bit feels such as you’re consuming sweet. See in submit for picture comparability.
2. Corn Syrup is named for to stabilise the caramel to make sure sugar crystallisation doesn’t happen. Corn syrup is a standard grocery merchandise within the US and Canada – I fill up each time I am going! It may be bought on-line in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (right here).
Glucose is an ideal substitute for corn syrup which is accessible in Australian supermarkets (look within the baking aisle; it’s a transparent, thick syrup with honey-like consistency). Nonetheless, the popcorn must be baked for quarter-hour longer (as a result of glucose as greater water content material).
Extra subs – golden syrup, honey or maple syrup. For these, bake popcorn additional 15 min.
3. Storage – Stays 100% crisp and contemporary for two – 3 weeks in an hermetic container!

Vitamin Info:

Serving: 46gEnergy: 210cal (11%)Carbohydrates: 27.6g (9%)Protein: 0.8g (2%)Fats: 11.7g (18%)Saturated Fats: 7.3g (46%)Ldl cholesterol: 30mg (10%)Sodium: 663mg (29%)Potassium: 6mgFiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 23.1g (26%)Vitamin A: 400IU (8%)Iron: 0.2mg (1%)

Key phrases: caramel corn, Caramel popcorn, christmas sweet, christmas popcorn, meals reward concepts

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