Ina Garten Salted Caramel Popcorn Recipes

SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
• Pop popcorn kernels using air popper into a large bowl.
• In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and 1 teaspoon salt together over medium heat. Bring to boil. Boil for 4 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and let it cool for 2 minutes. It needs to stop boiling before you pour it on the popcorn.
• Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir to coat evenly.
• Pour popcorn into lined pan, sprinkle remaining salt on top (1/2 tsp - 1 tsp depending on your personal taste preference) and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
• Allow popcorn to cool on a parchment lined counter.

FLEUR DE SEL CARAMELS

Steps:

• Prep the pan.
• Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil.
• Boil the sugar.
• In a deep saucepan (6 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches deep), combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don't stir -- just swirl the pan.
• Heat the cream.
• In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.
• Finish the caramel.
• When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful -- it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.
• Fill the pan.
• Very carefully (it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.
• Cut the caramel.
• When the caramel is cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the square in half.
• Roll it up.
• Starting with a long side, roll the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch-long log.
• Cut into pieces.
• Sprinkle the log with fleur de sel, trim the ends and cut into 8 pieces. (Start by cutting the log in half, then continue cutting each piece in half until you have 8 equal pieces.) It's easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with flavorless oil like corn oil.
• Wrap the candies.
• Cut glassine or parchment paper into 4-by-5-inch pieces and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.

PARMESAN & CHIPOTLE POPCORN

Steps:

• Microwave the popcorn for 3 to 5 minutes, according to the directions on the package, until the popcorn stops popping. Carefully pour the hot popcorn into a large bowl and immediately pour on the butter, then the Parmesan, chile powder, and salt. Toss well and serve hot.

SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pour the popped popcorn into a large serving bowl. In a small saucepan melt together the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon of the salt over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes without stirring.
• Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn, and toss the popcorn to coat it evenly. Pour the popcorn into the lined pan, sprinkle the remaining salt on top (1/2 to 1 teaspoon, depending on your personal taste preference), and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
• Allow the popcorn to cool on a parchment paper-lined counter.

CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful - the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don't worry - the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.
• Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Generously butter heavy large baking pan. Mix warm popcorn and peanuts in prepared pan. Place in oven while preparing syrup.
• Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until thermometer registers 255 degrees F, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, salt and baking soda (mixture will bubble). Gradually pour syrup over popcorn and nuts completely.
• Bake until caramel feels dry, stirring frequently, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Using metal spatula, scrape mixture from bottom of pan to loosen. Cool completely in pan. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

TRUFFLED POPCORN

Steps:

• Prepare the popcorn in your microwave according to the instructions on the package. Meanwhile, heat the truffle butter in a small pot until just melted. When the popcorn is ready, pour it into a large bowl, add the truffle butter and salt, and toss well. Serve warm.