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 homemade caramel corn soggy? ›

Make sure to allow your caramel corn PLENTY of time to cool before packaging it up into ziplock bags or an airtight container. Otherwise, condensation will form and the moisture will cause the popcorn to become soggy.

Do you add baking soda or baking powder to caramel? ›

Baking Soda: Arguably the most important ingredient! The purpose of baking soda in the caramel is to react with the acidic ingredients (brown sugar, cream of tartar, and corn syrup), which creates tiny carbon dioxide air bubbles.

How do you fix caramel that is too soft? ›

If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F.

How do you make caramel more liquidy? ›

To thin caramel, just add some cream or water over heat. Melt caramel loaves in the oven. You can also add corn syrup or lemon juice to caramel sauces to prevent them from crystallizing.

Why is my caramel corn chewy? ›

If you prefer chewy caramel corn, let it sit until the caramel has hardened. If you prefer crunchy caramel corn, Preheat oven to 250 F. and bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Why is my caramel corn bitter? ›

If your caramel sauce is bitter, it could be that your sugar burned. Lower your heat and pay attention to the color of your sugar; it should be no darker than a medium tan.

How do you make caramel popcorn crispy again? ›

The easiest way to refresh leftover popcorn is to toss it in the oven to warm it up and re-crisp it. Simply spread it out in an even layer on a baking sheet and place it in a 250°F oven for about five minutes, until it's warmed through.

What do Amish people do to butter? ›

The Amish kind is most commonly hand-rolled into one or two-pound logs and hand-wrapped in parchment paper. Regular butter is molded and cut into sticks, then wrapped by a machine.

How do Amish keep food from spoiling? ›

Some people might be surprised to learn that canning is not an Amish woman's only means of preserving food. Some Amish communities allow their members to use freezers, whether that is by placing a freezer in a willing English neighbor's house, or by using a gas-powered freezer in their own home.

Do Amish use sugar? ›

The Amish do use sugar. It's a common ingredient in their meals, and not only the sweet treats. However, this sugar intake is balanced out by the fact that they don't consume sugars in processed foods and sodas like non-Amish tend to do.

What are the two methods for making caramel? ›

Wet caramel is made by combining sugar and a liquid and cooking them together, while dry caramel is made from just sugar, heated in a dry pan until it liquefies and browns.

When to add baking soda to caramel? ›

Let the mixture come to a gentle boil. Stirring occasionally, boil the syrup over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Stir well as the mixture turns foamy.

What to use instead of baking soda for caramel? ›

Since baking soda is an ingredient of baking powder, baking powder is technically the best substitute for baking soda. Gan — who notes that any substitutions may change the texture and flavor of the final dish — recommended using three times the amount of baking powder in lieu of baking soda.

How to keep caramel popcorn from getting soggy? ›

How Do I Get My Popcorn Crunchy and Not Soggy? 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.

How to fix soggy caramel corn? ›

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 popcorn not crunchy? ›

So I suggest boiling the caramel just for 2 minutes as called for in the recipe then adapting the texture with the baking time. Less baking time = chewier popcorn, longer baking time = crispier popcorn harder. To make crunchy popcorn: Heat oven to 200°F.

How do you make soggy caramel popcorn crispy again? ›

He did follow the original oven method, though, which means reheating the popcorn at 250°F for 5 minutes. He took the once-soggy movie theater popcorn out of the air fryer, and it was perfectly crunchy again.

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