Caramel Popcorn (Light)

Submitted by Redsie

"From Cooking Light. Will try soon!"

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 9

ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup light corn syrup
• 1⁄3 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon light molasses
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 12 cups popped popcorn (popped without salt or fat)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°.
2. Coat a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
3. Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and molasses in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Place popcorn in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture over popcorn in a steady stream, stirring to coat.
4. Spread popcorn mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven; stir to break up any large clumps. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
6. Note: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Reviews

[LonghornMama]

Wonderful!!! Made popcorn using the method in Recipe #287921 and subbed honey for corn syrup. This makes a lot of syrup, enough for more popcorn if you'd like but we loved it as is. The caramel crunch is wonderful!!! Buttery and sweet and perfectly crunchy. I used regular old molasses and didn't notice a strong flavor, in fact much less than a recipe I made recently. I used unsalted butter and popcorn without salt and it was perfect, for those using microwave popcorn, I'd suggest cutting back on the additional salt. We ate the whole batch last night!! I love Cooking Light and this recipe is a wonderful find. Thanks for sharing!

 

[CoffeeB]

This is so postively sinful Reds. I don't see how it's light, considering the butter, but if you say so...I believe you:-) I want to, really I do:-) I love the little touch of molasses too. I can taste it just a bit, so it's not overpowering. I made the full batch and I really have to watch myself in eating this. Moderation would be the key here. Love it, per usual!!! Made for ZaarStars!!

 

[Pardeemom]

I loved this recipe! Although I generally love caramel corn! LOL I didn't really even notice the molasses flavor. I did make 1/2 batch and for that I'm grateful since I ate most of it myself. Great recipe.

 

[ladypit]

We were mixed on this one. My pickier eater did not like the molasses flavor. I use molasses in things, but perhaps the flavor was stronger in this? It did have a distinct molasses flavor to the rest of us, but we enjoyed it. Easy to make while I did other things in the kitchen. A nice treat.

 

[AaliyahsAaronsMum]

This was the 1st time I ever made caramel popcorn at home and have to say, these are absolutely delightful! I was at first contemplating on whether to cut the recipe down to half but then I read your note saying it can keep up to a week in an airtight contatiner so I went ahead and made the whole batch. DH comes back home with 2 of his colleagues to watch a football match (soccer for you!) and need I have to say they finished the WHOLE lot and the only thing left in the bowl were a couple of unpopped corns! So, in the past 3 days, have made 2 batches already.. Thank you, Redsie, for sharing your wonderful recipe!