Amish Caramel Corn Recipe Melts In Your Mouth (2024)

Last Updated on: February 19, 2024

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Amish Caramel Corn Recipe Melts In Your Mouth (1)

The Amish make the best, melt-in-your-mouth caramel corn. With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip up this simple holiday treat in about 1 hour.

This is my go-to recipe for every Thanksgiving and Christmas get-together. Homemade Caramel Corn is a classic. It’s also makes for an excellent gift. I like to fill up those big decorative popcorn cans and hand these out to family, friends, teachers, the bus driver, you name it.

Everyone loves caramel corn. In fact, I often have to hide it around the house. Otherwise, my family would devour it in just a few days.

You can also store it in Ziploc baggies and send it off with the kids in their lunchbox. Pretty sure this gets me some extra hugs around the holidays.

How long can caramel corn be stored?

Popcorn is one of those foods that seems to last forever! In fact, popcorn (including caramel corn) doesn’t spoil or go bad. It just loses its flavor and crispiness over time. But when you store it in an airtight container, it should last up to 3 months.

But if you’re like our family, it’s usually gone within a week. You can also fill up some Ziploc bags and pass them out as gifts.

Why is my caramel corn so sticky?

If you find that your caramel corn is excessively sticky, it hasn’t been cooked properly. Temperature and timing are very important when it comes to making the perfect batch of homemade caramel corn.

Be sure to bring it to the correct temperature. This ensures that when it cools, it dries as a shiny coating rather than a sticky sauce. Also, be sure to take your time when you bring the mixture to a boil. If you’re like me, I tend to get a little impatient. But it’s important that you keep the heat on medium and allow it to come to a boil naturally. You want a nice SLOW bubbling boil.

Tips & Tricks for Making Homemade Caramel Corn

If you use one of those large disposable aluminum pans, clean up is soooo much easier.

You can also make this with molasses instead of light corn syrup, it tastes just like the old-time Cracker Jack caramel popcorn.

Or you can use maple syrup instead of corn syrup if you prefer. Both are equally delish!

I also like to use 1 bag of plain popped corn and 1 bag of regular salty popcorn to give it a sweet-savory combo.

By using this recipe as a base, you have lots of options for mixing up the flavors! You can even add a bit of cayenne pepper to make it spicy.

This rich, buttery, sweet sensation is better than any store-bought caramel corn at a fraction of the price.

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Amish Caramel Corn Recipe Melts In Your Mouth (2)

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Amish Caramel Corn Recipe Melts In Your Mouth

Servings

28

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

minute

Calories

240

kcal

Ingredients

  • 7 quarts plain popped corn

  • 2 cups slivered almonds (Can also use dry roasted nuts, honey rosated peanuts, cashews, Macadamia nuts, or pecans)

  • 2 cups brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 cup butter

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Cook 2 bags of popcorn in the microwave. Two 3.5oz bags of microwave popcorn equals 7 quarts of popped corn.
  • Place the popped popcorn into (2) shallow greased baking pans. Sprinkle the slivered almonds or nuts of your choice on top. Set aside. You can also use roasting pans if you prefer, which makes it a bit easier to stir without any popcorn falling out.
  • Preheat the oven to 240 degrees F. While the oven is heating, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Note: It’s important not to get in a hurry and bring everything to a boil too quickly. You want a nice SLOW bubbling boil.
  • Once the mixture begins to boil, continue boiling for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the baking pans. Stir to coat.
  • Bake for 1 hour. But be sure to remove them from the oven and give them a good stir every 15 minutes.
  • After it’s done baking, line the countertop with waxed paper. Pour the popcorn out onto the waxed paper. Allow the popcorn to cool completely.
  • Store in airtight containers. It can be kept for up to 3 months.
Amish Caramel Corn Recipe Melts In Your Mouth (3)

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Amish Caramel Corn Recipe Melts In Your Mouth (2024)

FAQs

Why is my caramel corn not crunchy? ›

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.

What does sodium bicarbonate do to caramel? ›

The purpose of baking soda in the caramel is to react with the acid. It helps to soften the caramel for pour-over desserts and/or to use as an additive.

Does Amish popcorn taste different? ›

Amish Country Popcorn sells four colorful varieties: Red, Purple, Blue, and Midnight Blue. Each colored one has its own unique taste. Many people describe the Blue and Midnight Blue as sweet and the Red and Purple as savory.

What is the secret ingredient in popcorn? ›

The flavor all comes down to one ingredient: Flavacol. You've likely never heard of Flavacol because, really, only movie theaters use it. Essentially, it's butter-flavored salt. It's a really fine, bright orange powder that adds that buttery flavor you crave and the signature yellow color.

What happens if you don't add baking soda to caramel? ›

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.

Why is my homemade caramel corn gritty? ›

Grainy caramel is caused by crystallization, which is easy to avoid (and can also be fixed). Caramel becomes grainy when the sugars crystallize, a process that happens when the melted sugar splashes up onto the cold sides of the pan. It loses its moisture and turns back into a sugar crystal.

Why is my homemade caramel corn grainy? ›

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

Why is my caramel liquidy? ›

Too short of a cooling time: Caramel sauce thickens significantly as it cools, so let the caramel cool for the appropriate time to achieve the right thickness. If the sauce is still too thin after cooling completely, place it back on the stovetop and reheat it on low heat for a few additional minutes.

How do you fix soggy caramel popcorn? ›

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.

Why is my caramel corn bitter? ›

Your caramel popcorn is mostly likely bitter because the caramel has been over cooked, either on the stove top before adding it to the popcorn, or the oven has been up to high when baking.

Why do you put vinegar in caramel? ›

Add acid. Acid ingredients (like vinegar or lemon juice) can help prevent re-crystallization which causes caramel to become grainy. Acid physically breaks the bonds between the glucose and fructose molecules that form sucrose and ensure that it stays apart.

What happens if you add too much sodium bicarbonate? ›

Sodium bicarbonate can also cause damage to your stomach if you take too much, or don't take it correctly. Too much sodium bicarbonate can make gas form quickly in the stomach, and cause your stomach to rupture.

Why is lemon juice added to sugar when making caramel? ›

You see, if you add lemon juice to the water and sugar in the beginning of the caramel making process, it can help prevent crystallization. Not everyone uses this, but we do — it's a little failsafe we're happy to include.

How is Amish butter made? ›

Amish butter typically only has two ingredients: pasteurized cream and salt. However, it can be found in both salted and unsalted varieties, just like stick butter. Its slow-churning method creates a creamy and rich flavor. Amish butter is low on carbs, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

How did they make popcorn in the olden days? ›

Some threw kernels in hot ashes, stirred, and sifted out the popped corn. Others tried cooking popcorn in kettles filled with fat, lard or butter. A more popular method was cooking popcorn over an open fire in a wire box with a long wooden handle. Charles Cretors, founder of C.

How did the Native Americans make popcorn? ›

What the Indians did at first was to slide an ear of corn onto the end of a long, pointed stick and hold it over the fire. This would cause the kernels to pop off the cob in all directions. Some of the kernels, however, were lost in the fire. Another way was to throw the kernels directly into the fire.

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