By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- 4(341)
- Notes
- Read community notes
There’s a sweet and salty allure to eating caramel corn and Cheddar popcorn in the same bite, but popcorn purists can keep the two flavors separate. Either way, a giant tin of homemade fancy popcorn is the gift that everyone wants and no one thinks to ask for. And it’s a lot less expensive to make yourself than it is to buy. The popcorn will last stored airtight at room temperature for up to two weeks.
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Ingredients
Yield:About 6 quarts (24 cups)
- 3quarts popped unsalted popcorn (pick out any unpopped kernels)
- ¾cup dark brown sugar
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3tablespoons corn syrup
- ¾teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½teaspoons baking soda
- ¾cup Cheddar powder
- 1tablespoon mustard powder
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3quarts popped unsalted popcorn (pick out any unpopped kernels)
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more if needed
For the Caramel Popcorn
For the Cheddar Popcorn
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
487 calories; 32 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 436 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 250 degrees, and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step
2
Make caramel popcorn: Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl. In a medium pot, bring brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter and sugar have melted (the mixture should be foamy), about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in salt and vanilla. Remove from heat, and stir in baking soda. (Mixture should bubble up.)
Step
3
Immediately pour hot syrup over the popcorn and use a spatula or large spoon to mix it well. Scrape popcorn onto the prepared baking sheets in one layer. Bake until crisp, rotating the pan and tossing popcorn after 15 minutes, 20 to 30 minutes total. To test for doneness, carefully remove a piece of the popcorn, let it cool for 30 seconds or so, then take a bite; if it’s crisp, it’s done. Set aside to cool.
Step
4
While the caramel popcorn is in the oven, prepare the Cheddar popcorn: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Cheddar and mustard powders and salt.
Step
5
Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl. Pour melted butter on top of popcorn and toss to combine. Sprinkle Cheddar mixture over popcorn and toss well using a rubber spatula. If the mixture looks dry, add a little more melted butter.
Step
6
Pour popcorn onto the second prepared baking sheet in one layer. Bake until dry, about 5 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan and tossing popcorn halfway through. Let cool completely.
Step
7
Combine Cheddar and caramel popcorn, or keep them separate, and pack them into tins, jars or bags.
Tip
- Cheddar powder is available at spice stores, and online. To pop your own popcorn, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 kernels of popcorn and cover. When it pops, add another ⅓ cup popcorn kernels and reduce heat to medium-low. Partly cover the pot (leaving a crack open and away from you, or use a splatter screen to cover the pot; you want the steam to escape). Continue to cook until the popping stops. Transfer popcorn to a bowl and sprinkle with salt.
Ratings
4
out of 5
341
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Cooking Notes
Melissa
Spice House makes a very nice white cheddar powder.
WAM
Can one use nutritional yeast instead of cheddar powder?
Su
For folks concerned about the corn syrup here: please remember that the corn syrup called for here, that you can buy at the grocery, isn't the dreaded high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS has sometimes been associated with adverse health effects. Plain old corn syrup hasn't, beyond those associated with consuming any other sugar, including maple syrup
shoregirl
King Arthur's Better Cheddar Powder is terrific.
Theo Johnson-Freyd
To make cheddar powder: shred cheddar and place on a plate. Microwave for a few minutes, until melted and liquids start to be forced out. Drain off the liquids, return to the plate, and microwave for another couple minutes. Keep repeating. What you are doing is getting the proteins to squeeze out any fat (which could go rancid) or water (which could spoil). When the puck of cheese is good and dry, break it up into pieces and then grind (with salt) in a spice grinder.
Mary from Wisconsin
Use a hot air popper!!!
Theo Johnson-Freyd
There is no excuse not to know how to pop popcorn.If you are making cheddar-cheese popcorn, a pro-tip. Buy some annatto (aka achiote) seeds. Soak them in vegetable oil for a week or a year. Splash a little of the now-very-orange oil on your popcorn while you toss to mix.
VA mom
I’d never made caramel corn before because I was intimidated by candy thermometers and feared I would make a tooth-cracking pile of glop. But this recipe looked so easy and unfussy that I faced my fear, and boy am I glad! I was pretty un-careful about measuring, and I’ll be a little more precise with the baking soda next time to avoid a slight bitter taste. Popping with my air popper saved time. And I used foil instead of parchment because it’s what I had on hand. A tasty, easy holiday gift!
shortrowT
Per popcorn.org, 1/2 cup kernels yields 4 qts of popped corn, so 3/4 cup kernels should yield 6 qts popped.
Jess
Before you pour any caramel or sugary setting syrup over your popped popcorn, make sure you fish out unpopped kernels first. Here's to delicious treats and un-cracked teeth!
Sarah
3/4 c cheddar cheese powder = approximately 75 grams
Jan C.
I believe the recipe calls for too much baking soda. Similar recipes use much less. Great recipe but I’ll use 1/2 to 1/3 the amount of baking soda next time. Can’t wait to make it for my mom who loves getting Fisher’s Popcorn on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD.
Basia
Does anyone know how long the popcorn lasts? I would like to make it ahead of time for the Super Bowl.
Eileen
I make popcorn by putting about 1/4 cup popping corn in a lunch size paper bag. Fold the end twice so the popped corn doesn’t escape. Microwave it for about 2 minutes depending on your microwave and you’re done. No pans to clean up or popcorn poppers to buy.
Doug
How would the caramel corn come out if made with light brown sugar? I’m striving for something like Garrett’s of Chicago but got a very dark, slightly bitter result. I used Wholesome Brand Fair Trade Dark Brown.
Doug
I used the Cheddar Cheese Powder (labeled as “yellow”) by Marhaba, sold at Kalustyans in NYC. Avoid it! Terrible tangerine color even after cooking. Wishing I had hunted down Melissa’s recommended brand. Overall a fun recipe.
Ellie
This was a great treat! My family and I loved it, though some parts were troubling most was simple. The boiling was tricky the fist time, but it become easier the more I did it!
sarah
Great, easy recipe! There is no cheddar powder where I live, so I used nutritional yeast and it tasted fantastic!
Jenna
Made just the caramel corn and added salted peanuts to be coated in the caramel and baked along with the popcorn. This stuff is addictive.
skullgirl8
This is a fun recipe. Thank you NYT Cooking for revealing the secret to caramel popcorn, it’s baking soda!I always wondered how caramel became attached to popcorn. Once you put the baking soda in and it puffs out the mixture, you realize how it works.For the cheese popcorn I used Trader Joe’s Cheesy Seasoning Blend. When It was way too salty. I added plain popcorn to the mix to cut down the saltiness, that worked.
Jeanine
I ordered White Cheddar Cheese Powder from Nuts.com - great customer service and didn't have to wait for a long time like King Arthur and other places recommended. Came in a couple of days and now can make this in time for Christmas.
Luther
Really good! A bit of work, surprisingly but the results are more than worth it. Used King Arthur cheddar powder. Baking times for each type of corn is spot on. While each corn is definitely good on its own, together, it's a perfect match. Hard to give away, but recipients definitely love it. Thanks Ms. Clark!
Rob R
Tried the caramel - great! Love the way the baking soda “fluffs up” the caramel sauce, and it’s a key element of it working correctly. Don’t overthink any of this, make it and have fun.
CLO
Really tasty popcorn recipes, although I admit that I kept the flavors separate since I was making this as gifts. For the caramel, I added vanilla bean paste (in lieu of extract) for a stronger flavor and sprinkled flaky salty after I spread the mixture on the parchment. As for the cheddar, I found I needed far more butter than they called for. Also, don’t skip the mustard powder - it enhances the cheddar flavor.
Grace
Dangerously delicious!! I only made the caramel corn with the intention of packing it into bags for gifts, but wound up eating the entire batch in 2 days. No judgement, please!
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