Maple Caramel Corn
Adapted from Binging with Babish who adapted from NYT Cooking
Chemistry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral, medium- or high-smoke-point oil)
- 1/3 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
Flavorings
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Procedure
Put the vegetable oil in a large pot with three of the kernels over medium heat. Once those three kernels are popped, dump the rest of the kernels in and let sit off the heat for a few seconds to let the kernels come up to temp. Then put the pot back over the heat and agitate until most of the kernels pop, and you hear about a second between pops. Set aside off the heat.
Put the brown sugar, maple syrup and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat along with 2 tbsp water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until the mixture reaches 240°F. When the mixture reaches about 225°F or so, preheat the oven to 300°F.
While the caramel mixture is heating, remove the unpopped kernels from the pot. I usually do this by transferring the popcorn to another container (perhaps the sheet tray you'll bake these on in the next step), retaining the unpopped kernels in the pot and then discarding them. Then transfer the popcorn back to the pot you popped it in (perhaps doing that retaining step again if you really want to make sure you got all the unpopped kernels).
Once the caramel mixture reaches 240°F, add the vanilla, salt, and baking soda and stir to combine. Pour the caramel mixture over the popped kernels and quickly stir to coat as best you can before the caramel sets. Spread the popcorn on a sheet tray lined with a silicone baking mat.
Put the sheet tray into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes of baking. Then remove and let cool. Break the individual popcorn pieces apart and put them into a container for storage.