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Microwave Caramel Corn is the best and is such an easy caramel corn recipe! In less than 15 minutes you can have crunchy and delicious caramel corn.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
For over 30 years my family has been making this delicious, easy microwave caramel popcorn. I got the recipe from my friend Pam. We totally fell in love with it and have been making it ever since. The fun thing about this recipe is how easy it is! You don’t need a candy thermometer or have to worry about the caramel hitting a certain temperature.
It’s made in the microwave! Other than being delicious, the best thing about this recipe is this homemade caramel corn is made in a brown paper bag in the microwave so clean up is easy too. After you cook the caramel popcorn in the microwave, you spread it out on wax paper on the counter to dry. Then just toss the paper bag!
It’s crunchy! If you are a crunch caramel corn fan, this recipe is for you.
Ingredients Needed
- Popcorn. You will need 16 cups of popped popcorn. I prefer to use my air popper to pop my corn but you can do it on the stove top or use microwave popcorn.
- Brown Sugar. I like to use light brown sugar.
- Butter. I use salted butter but if you are using microwave popcorn that has been salted use unsalted butter.
- Light Corn Syrup. This prevents the caramel from crystallizing.
- Baking Soda. The baking soda is important. It causes a chemical reaction between the acid in the brown sugar and corn syrup and creates little bubbles of carbon dioxide. You will see this reaction as the caramel mixture bubbles.
- Vanilla Extract
How do you Make Microwave Caramel Corn?
- Place popped corn in a large brown grocery store bag. Be sure you have removed all the unpopped popcorn kernels.
- Combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter into a microwave- safe bowl, be sure the bowl has higher sides, as the mixture will expand and bubble and you don’t want it to overflow in the microwave.
- Place bowl in microwave and microwave for one minute, remove and stir. Repeat this process for four additional minutes, removing to stir after each minute. You will do this for a total of five minutes. The mixture will get hot and bubbly.
- Remove from microwave and add in baking soda and vanilla, stir until foamy.
- Pour hot sugar mixture into bag over popcorn.
- With a wooden spoon stir mixture to coat popcorn as much as possible. It’s o.k. if it doesn’t get totally coated, it will as it cooks in the microwave.
- Close the bag and fold over the top, make it small enough so that it fits into your microwave.
- Microwave for one minute, remove and shake. Repeat. Microwave for 30 seconds, remove and shake. Repeat. A total of three minutes.
- Pour the caramel corn onto a baking sheet or a piece of parchment paper. Allow it to cool.
Tips
- If you prefer, you can do the whole process in a microwave-safe bowl while making microwave caramel corn, just stirring the popcorn instead of shaking. The brown paper bag does make clean up a lot easier!
- You can dress up your carmel corn by adding a 1-2 tsps of cinnamon sugar to the bag when you pull it out of the microwave. Give it a good shake and you have snickerdoodle caramel popcorn.
- While the caramel corn is cooling on the wax paper, just drizzle melted white chocolate on top for white chocolate caramel corn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will microwave caramel corn last?
Not very long at our house! But you can store it in an airtight container or a zippered plastic bag for 5-6 days.
What is the difference between caramel corn and kettle corn?
Kettle corn is coated in caramelized sugar. The corn is popped in oil and sugar and the sugar melts and coats the popcorn.After a while, the corn pops and the sugar melts into
Caramel corn is made using a caramel sauce which coats the popcorn. It is sweeter than kettle corn.
If you liked microwave caramel corn, these recipes:
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Microwave Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 16 cups popped corn I used my air popper
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2-1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Pop 16 cups of popcorn and place in a large brown grocery bag
- Cook sugar, syrup and butter in a medium to large glass bowl in microwave on high for one minute
- Stir and repeat for a total of five minutes, should be hot and bubbly
- Add baking soda, vanilla and mix until foamy
- Pour mixture over popcorn in brown paper bag, stir to coat
- Fold bag over and place in microwave.
- Microwave for one minute and shake, repeat.
- Microwave 30 seconds and shake, repeat
- Pour popcorn out onto parchment paper to cool.
Tips & Notes:
- Snickerdoodle Caramel Corn: add a 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon sugar into the brown bag when you pull it out of the microwave for the last time. Be sure and give it a good couple of shakes to get it evenly distributed. Do it quickly as the caramel sets up quickly and the sugar will not stick to the kernels if it is too dry.
- White Chocolate Caramel Corn: While the caramel corn is cooling on the wax paper, just drizzle melted white chocolate on top. Allow chocolate to set up.
The 36th AVENUE says
I am making it today for our Friday Movie Night… Thank you so much for the recipe. I am sharing it on my FB page 🙂
Leigh Anne says
Enjoy it at your movie night. It is one of our favorite treats. Whenever I ask my college kids what they want me to send them they ask for this. When one of my boys was on his mission for our church his companions wrote to me and requested it after I had sent some!!
Jacque @ theDIYvillage says
I no sooner finished reading the title and started to drool! I cannot wait to try this!
Leigh Anne says
Hope you like it – so yummy and easy.
Popcornbydad says
Excellent! Used one bag of microwave popcorn and halved the recipie. Had to cut about 2 minutes off the microwave time because it was burned the first time through. The kids ( and wife ) love it.
Desi says
I just made this recipe. In the end, when I was microwaving for a minute, my caramel corn BURNED! I was very distraught. Luckily, only some of it burned so I was able to salvage a bit, but the rest had a slight smoke flavor to it. I was using this recipe to make s’mores caramel popcorn (added graham crackers, chocolate, and mallows) so the smokey flavor was actually welcomed and in the end, it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Angela McDonald says
Hi Leigh Ann, this is my first time on your sight, and it is wonderful. Truely have enjoyed it. I have a question; I stay at home also, I am a child care provider and I also craft. I hand paint on just about everything. I have wanted a craft business for close to 20 yrs but am so afraid of failing, I don’t take the plunge and pursue it. Do you have any words of inspiration or pointers that could help me out of this fear of failing and no one liking my creations?
Leigh Anne says
The best way I have found to overcome fear is to just DO IT! I always tell my kids the sure way to fail is not to try. Here’s a quote for you:
“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” I always look at it this way – What do I have to lose? Maybe a little money invested in supplies. What do I have to gain. ALOT!