How to Make Caramel Popcorn

Great snack foods are all about the combination of taste and texture: sour and sweet, crunchy and chewy, hard and soft. That's why if there's anything more delicious than popcorn, it's the lightness and crunchiness of popcorn drenched in the gooey, sugary sweetness of caramel. Best of all, learning how to make caramel popcorn is about as easy as eating it. Here's a simple caramel popcorn recipe that can be used for making popcorn or caramel popcorn balls.

First off is the matter of equipment. A specialized caramel popcorn machine is likely to be too large and expensive for home use. Air popcorn poppers can do the job just fine, along with a large saucepan or pot for the caramel or brown sugar. And you'll definitely want to use a popcorn maker rather than microwave popcorn - the popcorn is fresher, and you have more control over the taste.

Our easy caramel popcorn recipe starts with popped popcorn. Make as many cups as you'll need for serving. For the caramel topping, you can either pour a bag of caramels into your cookware - take the wrappers off first! - or stir in one cup of brown sugar with a cube of butter and ½ cup of corn syrup. Melt at medium heat. If you're using brown sugar for your homemade caramel popcorn, be sure to stir constantly. In the meanwhile, your recently popped popcorn should be in a large bowl (or two).

Pour the melted caramel over the popcorn. Gently toss the popcorn in the bowl and/or use a wooden spoon to stir the popcorn and caramel together. Voila! Easy caramel popcorn. The next step is up to you: eat, or learn how to make caramel popcorn balls.

Your easy caramel popcorn recipe is finished. Set some cookie sheets or wax paper on the counter while giving the stirred-in caramel time to cool a bit. Then butter your hands. Yes, your hands. (Before doing so, you may wish to add peanuts, chocolate chips, or M&Ms to your caramel popcorn.)

With your freshly buttered fingers, grab a serving-sized handful of caramel popcorn, shape it into a ball, and set it on the sheet/paper to cool and harden. After the caramel popcorn balls have set, you could also wrap them in colored cellophane to create a decorative display, such as a red and green Christmas caramel popcorn bowl.