So it’s Thursday, but I thought it was only fair to post this recipe today since people in Utah get to see me cook it on TV! If you want to catch it, my (very short-really, don’t blink or you’ll miss it) segment will air Thursday Sept. 17th some time between 11am-12. I’ll do my best to avoid being a gigantic disappointment. If any of you imagine me in your head to look like Heidi Klum with spatula in hand, then do me a favor and don’t watch. I’d like to preserve at least some of those mental images. However, if you’d like a good laugh, there’s an extremely high chance that I’ll do something ridiculously klutzy on live television (like spill boiling sugar on my already burnt hand or drop a cuss word in Zion or something).
For everyone else–here’s what we’re cookin’ up today.
Oh yeah, it’s really good. It’s a variation of this regular caramel corn, but with all of the warm cinnamon-y goodness of fall. (Hmm…warm cinnamon-y goodness appears to be our theme this week). When it bakes, the pecans get toasted and the creamy white chocolate just makes it food-gasmic. Whip this up for all of the fall TV premiers this week (by the way, it’s not even funny how excited I am for those). (Hey, do you think I could use any more parenthesis in this post??)
*note: there are a few minor changes to this recipe as compared to the recipe on KSL. They’re both fine, I just removed the salt and added a bit more white chocolate in this version. The full recipe is typed in a printer-friendly version below!
Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans & White Chocolate
Recipe by Our Best Bites
12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)*
1 C roughly chopped pecans
1 C brown sugar
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 C Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)
1 stick real butter (1/2 C)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 squares almond bark
*You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, anything works, but I prefer a “natural” flavor that’s low in butter and salt.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. And by large bowl, I mean like, twice as big as you think you really need. If you don’t believe me, then maybe you will believe the scorching hot caramel goo that’s splattered all over your hands while you’re stirring in your not-so-big bowl. Just a thought.
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. Again, use a bowl larger than you think you need to avoid scorching hot caramel goo accidents. It’s really important to incorporate the cinnamon into the brown sugar at this point. For some reason, if you don’t it does crazy things. I don’t know why. Try it and then email Alton Brown and ask him if you really want to know.
Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything.
Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine.
Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.
By this point it should be nice and bubbly like this.
If it doesn’t quite look like that you can microwave it a little longer, but just beware that if you over cook it, it will reach the hard candy stage and you’ll end up with a giant clump of tasty concrete-like substance with little popcorn pieces stuck to it. Don’t ask me how I know this.
Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.
This is where you can justify making this every day. Adding vanilla and baking soda to boiling sugar totally counts as a science project so you can check it off as a teaching moment with your children. Really. It’s about the children. Here at Our Best Bites we’re all about educating America’s youth. So you should also know that if you count how many pizza rolls or toffee chip cookies you eat it qualifies as math class. Count in Spanish and you get extra credit. And heck, if you’re doing Spanish, you should just go ahead and make taquitos to go with it. And you can’t have taquitos without guacamole. And something to wash it down with. Like I said; it’s all about the kids. If you give a mouse a cookie…
Okay, back to caramel goodness. See what happens? The vanilla makes it bubble and pop and the baking soda makes it foam up, like this:
Now take that foamy science project and pour it right over the popcorn and pecans. Stir right away, and stir lots. Take too long and the caramel will harden on you. Keep stirring until everything is well coated.
Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.
And yeah, go ahead and pop some in your mouth, you know you want to. It will be kinda chewy and stick-to-your-teeth-like. But we’re gonna change that. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take a piece out and let it cool. “Sample.” If it’s not crunchy enough, bake for another 5 minutes. “Sample” again. This will not be the end of “sampling.”
When it’s done, give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions) If you want, you can spread out your caramel corn on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil. I always do this because sometimes it sticks to the hot foil if I leave it on the original pan. I’m kind of a clean control freak and I like to have it on a nice, fresh surface.
Now, just use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture.
When it’s hardened (pop it in the fridge to speed that process along) break into chunks and enjoy!
This stuff is so awesome for packaging. Put it in cute bags like shown in this Halloween popcorn post, or in little tin pails, or cellophane bags with a ribbon. It’s great for bake sales and party favors too. Or just to EAT! It’s so stinkin’ addictive.
People always tell me I should sell it. I did once, at the only garage sale I’ve ever had. People apparently thought the well-packaged bags next to the “Gourmet Popcorn for $1” sign were samples. But they DID disappear real fast.
Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans & White Chocolate AKA Cinnamon Bun Popcorn
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Description
A delicious twist on our regular caramel corn, this Cinnamon Bun popcorn embodies all that is heavenly about fall! When it bakes, the pecans get toasted and the creamy white chocolate puts it out of this world.
Ingredients
12 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels) *see notes below
1 cup roughly chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)
1/2 cup real butter (1 stick)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 squares almond bark
Instructions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a very large bowl and set aside.
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. Use a bowl larger than you think you need.
Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything. Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.
Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda. When combined, pour over popcorn and stir until it’s coated. Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.**(See baking note at end of post.)
After 30 minutes, take a piece out and let it cool. Sample. If it’s not crunchy enough, bake for another 5 minutes. When it’s done, give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions). If you want, you can spread out your caramel corn on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil. I always do this because sometimes it sticks to the hot foil if I leave it on the original pan. Use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture.
When it’s hardened (pop it in the fridge to speed that process along) break into chunks and enjoy!
Notes
*You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, anything works, but I prefer a “natural” flavor that’s low in butter and salt.
**I’ve experimented a lot with baking, and found that baking at 300 degrees for about 13-15 minutes works just great as well. Much faster!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Questions & Reviews
This made for a delicious Christmas Eve late night treat!
Tasted really good but my popcorn (air popped Orville Red) was soggy 🙁 Not sure if it has to do with not baking it long enough or our Florida humidity.
2 weeks ago I made 6 batches of this for gifts and I have been asked for the recipe half a dozen times on the spot. lol I am making a couple more batches for our christmas eve brunch. guessing the recipe will be requested again. Thanks for an awesome recipe!!!!
Oh my goodness, I made this yesterday, everyone LOVED it and demanded the recipe! My family is leaving on a trip this year at Christmas time and we decided this popcorn would be a good alternative to making several batches of cookies for friends and family.
I made this and it rocked! Everyone loved it, I will definitely make it again. I had a small hiccup though, I tried to melt white chocolate/vanilla chips in the microwave and this did not work! Luckily I had some candy melt disks and those of course worked.
Just made this popcorn last weekend and now have made it 2 more times. It is soooo good! Everyone wants more! Thank you!
Sound delicious… Cant wait to try it.. love the way you teach your recipes. so cute…
Another hit! I sent this to my daughter at college. She said everyone loved it. I also used Orval R. Natural microwave popcorn. So good. Sent the Monster Mix for October, this for November and will be sending the peppermint popcorn for December. Any suggestions for January? Thought of making popcorn with covered with white chocolate & red hots for February.
Hey Sara~
For the cinnamon, is it 3/4 t meaning Tablespoon or teaspoon? Sorry, not much of a cook or baker, so I guess I need it spelled out.
Oh.Em.Geeeeee…just made this & I am so addicted! =)
PAN & STOVE VERSION:
The first time I made this in the microwave as directed. The caramel crystalized and went sugary :o( . I don’t like the idea of making candy in the microwave anyway.
The next time I made it in a pan on the stove. Brought it to a boil over medium heat, put a lid on the pan for 2 minutes to wash the sugar crystals off the sides (to prevent the caramel from crystalizing), and then removed the pan from the heat and added the soda, vanilla, and also the chopped nuts (to keep them from falling to the bottom of the popcorn bowl). Poured over the popped corn in a bowl sprayed with Pam for easy clean-up. Also used a silpat on my cookie sheet and a rubber spatula for easier stirring. Success!!!
The cookbook I worked on as a kid….we used ‘cube’ of butter and that’s here in Denver. In later years, on a cooking video and a second cookbook, we evolved to ‘stick’. It’s just the way it was, the way of times passed along. Cube has always been a stick!
I’ve been making caramel corn for years and use my great-grandmother’s metal dishpan! It’s huge! I can’t wait to try this variation! Last year, this week, I was in the UK and spent the day in Harrods (they sell everything) they had this almost exact popcorn in little jars for 24 pounds!! each !! Can’t wait to make this!!
Though I have not made this yet, give me about 10 minutes, I’m heading to the kitchen now, I do have some helpful hints. 3 bags of microwaved popcorn is about 12 cups popped corn. So if like me you just need a fix, pop 1 and reduce the recipe to 1/3 for an evening treat or afternoon pick me up. I’m off to try this, sounds just too good! (PS- I have made the traditional caramel corn recipe and that was how I figured out those measurements and BTW- it was amazing!)
I just made this tonite except I added peanuts instead of pecans, added candy corn, and drizzled it with choc and white almond bark. Beware! This stuff is SERIOUSLY addictive!! You are a mad genius!!! 🙂
I have a recipe very similar to this, but instead of trying to stir everything together (popcorn and carmel) you dump it into a brown paper bag, you know the ones you get at the grocery store. Then you just shake, shake shake. No worries about getting burned and I always tell myself that I’m working off the calories from eating the delicious popcorn!
OMG I LOVE this!!!
Just made this to honor some ladies in our office for Admin. Prof. Day….hopefully there will be some left to give away! Thanks for this….truly is great popcorn.
Oh My! This is wonderful! I made a batch last night, but since I don't care for nuts I put in a cup of coconut and a cup of dried cranberries . . . so yummy! If I'd known caramel corn was this easy I would have attempted it YEARS ago! I'm making two more batches tonight (no nuts) and drizzling with almond bark and melted cinnamon chips 🙂 I'm excited to see how it comes out! THANK YOU LADIES!
This is the 2nd year I made this as gifts for families at church. They all loved it last year so I did it again this year. Made 4 batches last night. I am going to have to give the grocery bag in microwave a try and see how that works, what a time saver if it truly works.
Thanks again this year!
Oh my goodness—I made this popcorn and it is soooo good. I have to tell you tho, I decided to do the final cooking in the microwave in a brown paper sack. I poured the goodness over the popcorn and pecans and then shook the heck out of the bag, microwaved it for 1 minute, then shook it again, then micorwaved it for another minute, then shook the heck out of it again and then micorwaved it for 1 minute again (total of 3 times). I then spread it out onto 2 cookie sheets and drizzled with white almond bark after it had cooled quite a bit—it was GREAT!!!!!
Sue Stanley
Ross Fam- yup, the candies will work just fine. Enjoy it!
First, I love your blog!
Second, I'm usually incapable of making stuff like this correctly (can't get home-made fudge to set to save my life), but it worked and was delicious!
Third, I'm going to try the peppermint bark popcorn tomorrow. Will it matter if I use Bob's Peppermint candies instead of Candy Canes?
Sara,
I used a new baking soda and instead of plastic bowl I used a glass one and voila! Delish fluffy coating for the popcorn.
My husband declared it was the best thing I ever made. He kept making trips to the kitchen to sample it.
Thanks again for the great recipe. I'm making tons for Christmas and handing them out to everyone!
Thanks again guys! You are the best!
Did you use baking powder tina? If so, then that's the problem! It should be baking soda. Maybe you just mis-typed (I do that all the time with those two things!) but just a thought 🙂
Sara,
I did cook it in the over for 30 min. It was pretty crystallized on the popcorn. My husband didn't care. He ate it with gusto. 🙂
You maybe right about the baking powder. I've had it for over a year. I'll try some fresh and see if that works!
Thanks for everything. Your site is delish!
Tina- did you finish the recipe after you made the caramel? Sometimes it doesn't foam up as much. The cinnamon actually affects that sometimes, but it will still work. Also, you may just need new baking soda. Sometimes baking soda sits around in cupboards for a long time and using fresh will make a difference!
Last night I tried to make this delish recipe but it didn't work. For some reason it didn't foam up like it should.
I did use a plastic not glass bowl. Could I have overcooked it? I followed the instructions exactly.
I'd love some advice. I want to give this out at Christmas. Thanks for the help.
Tina Swinford
P.S. Love the site! You guys are amazing. 🙂
I just started playing with candied corn….just love it and all the creative ways to make it. My question is – WHY MICROWAVE POPCORN? I've been using kettle made corn. Is it the moisture perhaps… does anyone know..would love to hear from you. I also agree about using plain paper bag over store ready. Newman's has natural one that's not too bad.
Howdy. Love your recipes.
popping pop corn tip:
take a regular paper lunch bag, put 1/4 cup of unpopped kernels in it. Fold top a couple of times and put in microwave.I stand the bag upright. Pop for about 3 minutes til the popping almost stops.
Commercial microwave popcorn bags are coated with a chemical that is carcinogenic. The lunch bag is not