Name: Cheesy Caramel Popcorn Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 3
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¾ cup unsalted butter; 1¾ cups brown sugar; ½ cup corn syrup; ¾ tsp salt; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 tbsp heavy cream; ¾ tsp vanilla extract; 5 cups popcorn; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; ¼ cup cheddar cheese powder; ¼ tsp mustard powder; ¼ tsp cayenne pepper; 5 cups popcorn

Popcorn is the perfect treat to snack on whether you are watching a movie, hosting a family party, or trying to enjoy a sports game. This recipe is based on Chicago’s distinct popcorn combination. You can mix caramel popcorn and cheddar cheese popcorn to create one deliciously addicting snack.

How To Make Cheesy Caramel Popcorn

This cheesy caramel popcorn will make a great snack on movie night or a sports party. Sweet caramel popcorn paired with salty cheddar popcorn will have you munching nonstop.

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 1 hr 40 mins

Total: 2 hrs

Serves:

Ingredients

For Caramel Popcorn:

¾ cup unsalted butter
1¾ cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tbsp heavy cream
¾ tsp vanilla extract
5 cups popcorn, popped

For Cheddar Cheese Popcorn:

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup cheddar cheese powder, plus an additional 1 tablespoon
¼ tsp mustard powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
5 cups popcorn, popped

Instructions

Caramel Popcorn:

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt your cup of butter.
Add your corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Stir the mixture well until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to a boil and allow it to boil untouched for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the sugar to make sure it doesn’t burn or boil over. Reduce the heat as necessary to ensure it does not burn.
Remove saucepan from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda. It will begin to rise and boil vigorously so be careful.
Add in the cream and vanilla extract and stir lightly.
Pour the caramel over the batch of popcorn just enough to coat it. Mix until the popcorn is well covered.
Spread popcorn evenly across the baking tray and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour then set aside onto cooling racks and allow to cool down completely.

Cheddar Cheese Popcorn:

In a large bowl, combine the cheddar cheese powder, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
Drizzle the melted butter into the 5 cups of popped popcorn. Toss with your dry cheese powder mixture, roughly 1 ounce. Seal and set aside.
To complete the dish, break apart the cooled-down caramel popcorn and add it into the cheddar popcorn. Toss to combine.
Store in an airtight container until you are ready to eat!

Nutrition