Maple Pecan Caramel Corn
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or sunflower
- ⅓cup popcorn kernels
- 1cup toasted pecans (see Tip)
- ½cup maple syrup
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓cup light brown sugar
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ¼teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛teaspoon baking soda
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
241 calories; 18 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 78 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 300 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
- Step 2
In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil and 3 popcorn kernels over medium-high with lid on top. When kernels pop, add remaining kernels to pot, lower heat to medium-low, and crack the lid open a sliver, facing away from you, to release steam. (Alternatively, you could cover the pot with a mesh deep-frying screen, or an upside-down colander or strainer.) Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the popping stops.
- Step 3
Transfer popcorn to a heatproof bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels. Add nuts to bowl.
- Step 4
In a medium pot, bring maple syrup, butter and brown sugar to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter and sugar have melted (the mixture should be foamy). Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat, and stir in salt, vanilla and baking soda. (Mixture may bubble up.)
- Step 5
Immediately pour hot syrup over popcorn mixture, and use a spatula to mix it well. Scrape popcorn onto prepared baking sheet in one layer. Bake, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, for 25 to 35 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when you can remove a piece of the popcorn, and after letting it cool for about a minute, it’s crisp when you bite into it. Taste and sprinkle lightly with more salt if you like. Let cool before serving.
- To toast pecans, spread them in one layer on a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees until they darken slightly at the edges and look golden inside if you break one in half, 8 to 13 minutes. Stir the nuts once or twice as they bake for even cooking.
Private Notes
Comments
Melissa, you mention this is a good holiday gift - yay! - but I don't see anything in the recipe about storing it and/or how well it actually keeps before it gets soggy/stale. Any tips before I start?
Two words: chipotle chili powder. You’re welcome.
Sad Cook it is possible that your thermometer is not calibrated. When I first got mine, everything came out wrong. Then I learned that the sensor rod, which can be pushed up or down, must be in the correct place. To do this, place the whole piece into boiling wat er and adjust the rod so that the reading is at 212 degrees F. This may be your problem and if so, hope this helps.
Excellent! The method of this recipe is just perfect. I’ve made another maple/butter/brown sugar popcorn, with success, but this works much better. The other recipe requires heating the sugar mixture to 290* and THEN pouring it over the popcorn. Even if the popcorn is warm, at that temp the syrup seizes almost immediately, making it nearly impossible to stir to coat the popcorn. The recipe then says to spread the corn mix on a baking sheet in a warm (250*) oven. As the seized syrup softens a bit, one can sort of mix the popcorn to distribute and coat it. Now, THIS recipe is smart! Heat the syrup to 240*, which is a soft stage, and pour it over the popcorn. The syrup does NOT seize, but remains relatively smooth, thus enabling it to coat the popcorn. All it took was a gentle folding motion with a silicone spatula to coat everything evenly. The OVEN is what gets the syrup to the hard stage. A 300* oven heats the sugar (which is evenly covering the popcorn and nuts) to a delightful crispy crunch. Brilliant! And delicious.
My new go-to recipe for Christmas carmel corn gift. I added a few shakes of ancho chile powder -- yea. just kicked it up a notch. great recipe!
For those experiencing graininess: this is most likely to happen in candymaking when the only type of sugar present is sucrose (table sugar). If you add a small amount of a different sugar, the sucrose crystals have a harder time re-forming when the candy cools or when water is driven off. The new maple syrup grades include one that is Grade A Golden, which contains only sucrose and is the common one to find in grocery stores. Use one of the other grades or add a teaspoon of corn syrup or lemon juice (you’re adding fructose in all three cases).