Honey Caramel Corn

I decided to try making honey caramel corn on a whim a couple weeks ago, and everyone in my family liked it so much it’s now one of our favorite fall snacks. At first, I was worried the flavor of the honey would be too sweet. I will often avoid using it when making baked goods because the flavor tends to be overpowering, but in this case the flavor of the caramelized honey mixed with the butter, salt and popcorn creates a nicely balanced and delicious combination, and it’s really hard to describe. It’s just one of those recipes you have to try for yourself. These days, I prefer using honey to sugar or corn syrup whenever I make my caramel corn.

In our house, we’ve been working through a gallon of local raw raspberry honey, which definitely has a stronger flavor than a mild clover honey, but still works perfectly in this recipe. I’ve also used barley honey and wildflower honey, and I love how each variation comes through slightly differently. It can be a real celebration of local flavor if you source your honey nearby. We also like to play with different varieties of popcorn. A dessert as simple as this gives the ingredients a chance to shine, so we like to get the best quality we can get.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you may want to try mixing in a tablespoon or two of peanut butter or some vanilla extract (or both). If you use the nut butter, it’ll thicken the sauce a bit more, so you’ll need to move quickly before it hardens too much to stir, but it’s worth the extra trouble if you love the creamy addition of peanut butter like we do.

Regarding our popcorn, we source our kernels either locally through farmer’s markets, or from organic bulk stores like Essential Organics, and we pop it using an air popper, but you could use any method you like to pop the kernels. Just make sure they’re all popped and waiting in a large enough bowl to stir without making a mess before you get going on the sauce. It’ll save you a lot of trouble in advance.

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Honey Caramel Corn

Author: A Wooden Nest

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pop your popcorn into a large enough vessel that you can stir vigorously without spilling. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, honey and salt. Let come to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil for 2 minutes while continuing to stir, and then remove from heat. Add the baking soda and stir until well incorporated.
2. Pour sauce over the popcorn. Stir until evenly coated. Spread over a lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until the popcorn starts turning golden brown. You’ll need to keep a close eye on it because the honey will burn quickly.
3. Remove from oven, stir the popcorn and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for five minutes and enjoy. Can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container, but is best if eaten immediately.

Notes

Try this delicious variation: melt 2 tablespoons peanut butter with stovetop mixture. This will create a thicker sauce, so you’ll need to work quickly before it starts to harden too much. 

https://www.awoodennest.com/blog/2020/10/21/honeycaramelcorn

honey caramel corn, natural sweetener, honey, popcorn

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