My adventures in caramel corn yielded this recipe! But be sure to check out my Roasted Pumpkin Pie Spice Caramel Corn, both made with the Nostalgia Electrics Tabletop Kettle Popcorn Maker.
5 cups popcorn (1/4 cup unpopped kernels)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon rum
1 cup cashews
1 cup butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 250F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.
Place popcorn in a large heat-proof bowl; be sure to pick out any unpopped kernels. Sprinkle salt over top.
Add sugar and butter into a medium saucepan. Heat on medium-high, stirring frequently, until the mixture caramelizes; about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and rum, then pour over popcorn in bowl, while tossing with a buttered spoon to coat.
Spread caramel corn onto prepared baking sheets and sprinkle cashews and butterscotch chips over top. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing the caramel corn once during the cooking process to fully coat the popcorn and incorporate the other ingredients. Remove from the oven and cool, then enjoy!
Note: A lot of caramel corn recipes call for brown sugar and/or corn syrup. After much experimentation, I found that these ingredients made the caramel corn mushy after a day. Not a big deal if you are eating it right away, but if you are making many batches to package as gifts, it matters big time!
