Homemade Caramel Apple Popcorn combines two dessert favorites, caramel apples and caramel corn, into one delicious fall treat! It's sweet, salty, crunchy, and cozy - all the reasons why it's highly addictive and the perfect gift for your friends and family!
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🍎 The Best Caramel Corn From Scratch
Once temperatures start to drop, it's time for non-stop baking with the family. And this easy Caramel Apple Popcorn has to be added to your fall baking roster! Popcorn is already a snack favorite, but glaze it with a thin coating of silky caramel and it legit becomes dangerous. But why not take it a step further and add in crispy apple chips and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon? It'll make your house smell as divine as it tastes 🥰.
This tasty Apple Caramel Popcorn is perfect for family movie nights, to give out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, or as an easy dessert. And once the holidays roll around, I love to make a double batch of these and my Orange Candied Almonds. Package them into individual bags or boxes and they become the best Christmas gift! With these treats, you're guaranteed to be on your friends' and family's nice list! 😉
Why You'll Love It
- Not too sweet: Store-bought caramel corn is often too cloyingly sweet. It's undoubtedly delicious - but I always feel a tooth cavity brewing. Luckily, this DIY Caramel Apple Popcorn has the perfect amount of sweetness. The caramel coating is thinner with some areas of naked popcorn to give you a break from all the sugar.
- Great as a gift: This cinnamon popcorn is the perfect party favor or holiday present. Kids and adults can't get enough of it!
- Long shelf life: Caramel apple popcorn will stay crispy and delicious for 2-3 weeks! Make a big batch to have on hand whenever you have an impromptu movie night or dinner party.
🧂 Ingredients
- Oil: Avocado oil is my favorite oil to cook, fry, and sauté with because of its high smoke point (500°F) and neutral flavor.
- Kernels: I love making popcorn from kernels because it's versatile and super easy. If you're using microwavable popcorn bags (I recommend unsalted and unbuttered), you'll need about 3 bags.
- Apple chips: I use Bare Baked's apple chips (Fuji flavored) to add apple flavor and crunch. I would not recommend replacing it with freeze-dried apples as they're too chewy.
- Cinnamon: A generous sprinkle will add tasty fall flavor. For more fall desserts with cinnamon flavor, try Apple Chai Bars or No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars!
For The Caramel
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter whenever possible.
- Brown sugar: Make sure to tightly pack when measuring it out, or use a kitchen scale to be more accurate. I'm using light brown sugar but either light or dark will work.
- Corn syrup: Gives the caramel a glossy coating and prevents crystallization (a grainy texture). Make sure to use light corn syrup.
- Salt: Salt in desserts enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness. Plus, salted caramel is absolutely delicious!
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda: The chemical reaction aerates the caramel to make it light and smooth so it can easily coat the popcorn. It also helps make the caramel more brittle rather than chewy once baked.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you can't find light corn syrup, glucose syrup can be used as a 1:1 substitute. I wouldn't recommend leaving it out altogether.
- The caramel apples rolled in chopped peanuts were always my favorite. Add in your favorite nuts to Caramel Apple Popcorn for more texture! Chopped pecans, peanuts, and walnuts are classic.
- For more decadence, melt some chocolate in the microwave and drizzle it over the candy apple popcorn. For a zebra effect, drizzle with both white and dark chocolate.
- If you can find apple pie spice, that'd be a great addition. It's usually a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, and star anise.
🔪 How To Make Caramel Apple Popcorn
⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.
STEP ONE: First, preheat the oven and generously line a baking sheet with foil. Then add the oil and 2-3 kernels to a large pot over medium heat. Cover with a lid and wait until you hear popping, about 5 minutes.
STEP TWO: Then remove the "test" popcorn and add the rest of the kernels. Cover again and let cook until there are 2-3 second intervals between each pop.
STEP THREE: Add the popcorn to the baking sheet and remove all the unpopped kernels. Sprinkle over the apple chips and cinnamon, then place in the oven to keep warm. This will help the caramel spread more evenly later.
STEP FOUR: Next, start on the caramel. Melt butter in heavy-bottomed pot with tall sides over medium heat. Wait until the butter is lightly foamy like in the photo.
STEP FIVE: Add in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Give it one stir to evenly distribute the brown sugar. Then let it come to a boil without stirring to prevent crystallization. You can swirl the pot once in a while but you want to leave the sugar undisturbed as much as possible, while still keeping an eye on it. Once it reaches a full boil (like in the second photo), turn the timer on for 4 minutes. Be patient and don't be tempted to turn the heat too high as this will scorch the sugar on the bottom.
STEP SIX: After 4 full minutes of boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Add the vanilla extract and baking soda. It'll instantly foam up, and just whisk until it's the same color throughout.
STEP SEVEN: Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and stir as much as you can. Try to prevent puddles of caramel on the bottom and coat everything as evenly as possible. Then bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool completely before storing.
💭 Top Tips
- As a former dentist, I strongly urge you to remove all the unpopped kernels! They're very unpleasant and actually quite dangerous to bite into.
- Use a heavy bottomed pot when making caramel. Lightweight pots can conduct heat unevenly and the hot spots can burn the sugar. I love using the Sauce Pan from Caraway.
- Don't stir the caramel! If you whisk or stir it while it's boiling, the sugar solution will splash on the sides of the pan. The water will evaporate, leaving just the sugar crystal which can also crystallize the remainder of your batch. Instead, give the pan a light swirl every so often.
- Don't skip the 45 minute bake. It might seem like an extra step but it'll really help with the final texture of caramel popcorn with apple. In the first half, the caramel slightly remelts to help with even coating. Then during the second half, it dries out to become crispy.
- To easily clean the pot after making caramel, fill the pot with a couple inches of water and bring it to a simmer. This will soften the candy so you can easily rinse it off. Just be careful as it'll be hot!
🥡 Storing
Storing: Transfer the cooled Apple Caramel Popcorn to an air-tight container. You can store it on the counter or in the pantry for 2-3 weeks. For a longer shelf life, store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Just make sure it's completely cooled as any condensation or moisture can turn the popcorn stale.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this Caramel Apple Corn.
📖 Recipe FAQs
It may be because your caramel was too thick or the popcorn wasn't baked off enough. Improper storage can also result in a chewy texture. To prevent this, make sure you don't skip the baking soda. Also let the popcorn cool completely before storing it as any excess moisture will ruin its texture. You could also use an oven thermometer because if the temperature is too low, the caramel corn won't crisp like it's supposed to.
Grainy caramel can be a result of unmelted brown sugar. To prevent this, give the brown sugar a quick stir once you add it and then leave it alone to prevent crystallization. Corn syrup will also prevent this so I do not recommend leaving it out.
Re-crisp it by spreading it out on a lined baking sheet and baking it at 250ºF for about 5 minutes or until warmed through. Let it cool and it should be crispy again.
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📋 Recipe
Caramel Apple Popcorn
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil I use avocado oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels about 14 cups popped
- 2 cups apple chips
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Caramel
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1½ cup brown sugar tightly packed
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray foil with oil. Use a dry paper towel to wipe it down for a thin, even layer.
- Make the popcorn. In a large pot, heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add 2-3 kernels of popcorn and cover. Once the kernels pop, remove the popcorn in the pot with a slotted spoon and add the remaining kernels. Cover and let pop.
- Once the popping slows down to 2-3 second intervals, turn off the heat and carefully remove the lid. Transfer the popcorn to the baking sheet, removing as many unpopped kernels as possible.
- Add apple chips to the baking sheet and sprinkle all over with cinnamon. Lightly mix, then place in oven to keep warm.
- Make the caramel. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until lightly foamy. Then add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Give it a quick whisk, then let come to a boil. Do NOT whisk or stir anymore or else the caramel will crystallize and become grainy. Let boil for a 4 full minutes, but keep an eye on it as the sugar can easily burn.
- After 4 minutes, turn off heat and add the vanilla extract and baking soda. Continuously whisk until homogenous in color, about 1 minute.
- Mix everything together. Pour caramel sauce all over the popcorn. Quickly stir with a large spoon, coating as much popcorn as possible with caramel. Try to avoid any large pools of caramel.
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Notes
- If using microwavable popcorn bags (I recommend unsalted and unbuttered), you'll need about 3 bags.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 weeks or in the fridge for up to 3 months. Make sure the popcorn is completely cooled first as extra moisture will result in stale popcorn and chewy caramel.
- Substitutions:
- Use either light or dark brown sugar in this recipe.
- If you can't find light corn syrup, glucose syrup can be used as a 1:1 substitute. I wouldn't recommend leaving it out altogether.
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