Maple Pecan Caramel Corn

Melissa, you mention this is a good holiday gift - yay! - but I don't see anything in the recipe about storing it and/or how well it actually keeps before it gets soggy/stale. Any tips before I start?

Two words: chipotle chili powder. You’re welcome.

Sad Cook it is possible that your thermometer is not calibrated. When I first got mine, everything came out wrong. Then I learned that the sensor rod, which can be pushed up or down, must be in the correct place. To do this, place the whole piece into boiling wat er and adjust the rod so that the reading is at 212 degrees F. This may be your problem and if so, hope this helps.

You may want to try dissolving your brown sugar in a little warm water and 1/2 to 1 tsp of lemon juice first, then proceed with the recipe (dissolving the sugar crystals in water is MUCH easier, and the lemon juice helps prevent recrystallization). You don't need much water, and it should cook out by the time the recipe is done. You may also be heating it too quickly. Good luck!

My family has made a simplified but absolutely delicious version of this for years. No nuts or maple syrup. 3 TBLS oil for 1/3 cup kernels. Melt 1/3 cup packed brown sugar in 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 tsp salt. Let it bubble a few minutes until completely dissolved. No candy thermometer required. Pour over corn and toss with large forks frequently as it cools. I used to bake it in the oven but was in a hurry one time and skipped that step. It was just as delicious - never baked it again.

I just made this twice and it's nowhere near right. I don't know if more notes should be included about cooking time and temperature for the coating, if my candy thermometer is messed up, or what. Mine comes out gritty and particulate, nowhere near the glossy shattery coating described. I've wasted most of a container of expensive maple syrup and a bunch of time on this. Flavors are delicious, but that's a looot of stirring caramel time to have it come out like... raw brown sugar on the popcorn.

In place of popping the popcorn on a cooktop in a pan, add oil to a large bowl, add popcorn kernels and microwave. Great popcorn texture. Alternately, use a hot air popper. No oil is used, less calories same great taste and texture. Then do the coating. One can also use walnuts in place of pecans.

For those complaining about the time involved, it's not "Popcorn"—it's "Caramel Corn." There's a difference.

Super recipe! Followed recipe as written and results were spot on. Not sure why people are harping on fat content of grapeseed oil when you have butter, maple syrup and brown sugar...eye roll. Used mesh screen and shook pan frequently when popping corn. Sure this is a new experience for a lot of people use to throwing a bag in the microwave and hitting a button. Next time I will increase syrup by half for a little more coating. Great flavor. Good to use with kids and grandkids for entertainment.

I just made this, and it's delicious. However, my pecans all ended up on the bottom. Perhaps next time I'll add them to the caramel, then toss with the popped corn. Also, before putting the mix in the oven I sprinkled Maldon salt all over the top. It's worth it.

Sad Cook, I have a very small confection business and make toffee all the time. Candy "sugars up" under certain conditions, mostly involving not cooking it fast enough. When not heated fast enough, crystals are stirred back in from the sides of the pan, and they cause mix to crystalize into crumbles like you've described. The challenge is not to cook so fast you burn it, but achieve the caramelizing you want when the fats and sugars unite perfectly. Hope this helps.

Just a note when dealing with the mixing of the cooked syrup. I (finally) learned to grease my mixing bowl and whatever I use to stir the popcorn-syrup amalgam. The bad news is you won't have a lickable spoon afterwards; the good news is there will be two fewer things to soak (or bring to a boil to dissolve the syrup) before washing them.

Would also love some tips on storage so that I can send/gift it - anyone have any thoughts about how long it would keep at room temperature?

I made this with Earth Balance vegan butter in the same ratios as written. It tastes great, but doesn’t look like the food styling shot with this article. I didn’t quite have enough to coat every kernel of popcorn, and the coating was really liquidy rather than sticky, so the nuts all fell to the bottom of my baking sheet and never ended up sticking to the corn. Just reporting back to my fellow vegans in case you were wondering. :)

While the consistency of the coating was a bit runny the first time I made it, it was really terrific the second time. Made it with Miyoko’s vegan butter the second time rather than Earth Balance, which may be why it turned out better. Delicious!