Lately, we have been making a lot of salty popcorn for snacks and movie nights, but my sweet tooth got the best of me this week and my regular popcorn turned into, are you ready for it, Caramel Apple Popcorn With Cinnamon.
This page may contain affiliate links, please see my full disclosure policy for details. First Published: Oct. 14, 2018… Last Updated: April 4, 2020
It is hard to resist the sweet classic caramel corn recipe but it never hurts to add some extra goodies sometimes, and for this recipe, I added sweet dried apple chips and a few shakes of cinnamon for a caramel corn upgrade. Sweet crunchy and delicious!
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Popping corn
- Salt
- Dried apples
- Brown sugar
- White corn syrup
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
Here is some important advice when you make this recipe: have a gigantic bowl to put the popcorn in because when you pour on the caramel, you need to stir it to coat the popcorn. So in my laziness today I only got out a semi-gigantic bowl and, yes, I had popcorn all over the counter and floor. Trust me – go big!
How to make popcorn at home
Do you make your own popcorn or buy it in bags? You can go both ways here for this recipe, but making your own popcorn is easy.
- Put oil in a large pan with a lid and preferably a long handle like a saucepan.
- Let the oil heat up then add the popcorn and put a lid on the pan.
- Move the pan back and forth over the flame so the popcorn kernels don’t burn.
- Wait for the popping to begin.
- When you don’t hear any more popping it’s done. Remove the lid, add some salt, and enjoy!
How to make popcorn into caramel corn
If you haven’t made caramel corn you need to give it a try. Don’t let making caramel scare you away. There is nothing to it. It literally takes 5 minutes to make.
Step. 1 After the corn has popped place in a large bowl or pan and add the dried apple slices.
Step 2. Melt your butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and cinnamon in a saucepan.
Step 3. Once the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly, add baking soda to magically cause the caramel to foam a little and change colors. The baking soda keeps the caramel from crystallizing and keep the caramel-coated popcorn chewy.
Step 4. That really did just take 5 minutes to make the caramel and now it is ready just pour on top of the popcorn. Give the popcorn a big stir to coat the kernels, in the gigantic bowl. My caramel corn is not totally coated with caramel, just because we like it that way. If you like your caramel corn totally coated then use less popcorn.
Step 5. Bake the popcorn for 45 minutes at 250 degrees, this just makes everything crunchier. Just make sure to stir it occasionally.
This recipe is easy and delicious and makes a perfect treat for a simple snack, movie night, parties, ad even a tasty gift.
Want to change things up in this recipe
- Instead of the cinnamon, add apple pie spice – this spice adds delicious flavors
- If you like apples, just add more dried apples to the recipe
- For the nut lover, pecans are a great addition to this recipe
- If you like sweet and salty add a teaspoon of salt to the recipe
A few tips for this recipe
Bake the caramel corn
Once you pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and get it all mixed together, you can start eating it, but there is another important step that will make the caramel corn extra crunchy is to bake it at a low low-temperature. Also, by doing this the popcorn will not go stale so quickly.
Why add baking soda
Why add baking soda in a popcorn recipe. This is actually a really important step in making the caramel sauce, it is kind of scientific and what happens is the baking soda will make the caramel foam up and creates tiny bubbles in the sauce so when it cools those air bubbles will keep the caramel soft. What happens if you leave it out, there is a good chance you will crack a tooth because the caramel coating will be hard.
What can I do with the leftovers?
Put the leftover caramel corn in a sealed container or a plastic bag and it should keep well for a couple of days. This is another reason to bake the popcorn since it keeps it from going stale faster.
Don’t forget to pin to your favorite board
Here are the ingredients you need to make this tasty snack.
If you like making your own popcorn this 6 1/2 quart Whirly popcorn popper is definitely the way to go. No shaking the pan over the burner anymore, just turn the knob and pop some corn.
If you are a popcorn lover try this savory Rosemary & Asiago Cheese Popcorn. Just imagine a big bowl of popcorn flavored with olive oil, rosemary, and salt with grated Asiago Cheese. This popcorn is amazing and perfect for an appetizer.
My secret love affair with caramel corn goes way back. I mean waaaayyyy back to when my mother used to make huge batches of sweet, caramel-coated popcorn. It was such a treat to eat and the whole house smelled like caramelly goodness.
Caramel Apple Popcorn with Cinnamon
Equipment
Ingredients
Popcorn
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2/3 cup popping corn
- salt to taste
- 4 oz. dried apples
Caramel
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white corn syrup
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Instructions
Pop Corn
- In a large pan with a lid, heat the oil.
- Add the popcorn to the hot oil and plate the lid on the pan. Shake the pan gently back and forth over the heat so the popcorn kernels don't burn.
- Keep shaking the pan back and forth once the corn starts popping. Once the corn is done popping turn off the heat, remove the lid and add salt to taste.
- Pour the popcorn in a bowl big enough that you can stir it around.
Caramel
- In a small saucepan add the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and cinnamon. Heat to a boil, stirring the mixture. This takes about 5 minutes.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the 1/2 tsp. of baking soda. This will cause the caramel to foam up slightly.
- Immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn and apples. Stir completely to distribute the caramel.
Baking the caramel corn
- Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Pour the caramel covered popcorn into a greased baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes turning the caramel corn over every 15 minutes.
- When done pour the popcorn into a large bowl. Cover leftovers with plastic wrap.
Notes
A few tips for this recipe
Bake the caramel corn
Once you pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and get it all mixed together, you can start eating it, but there is another important step that will make the caramel corn extra crunchy. Make sure to take the time to bake the caramel-coated popcorn in a low-temperature. Also, by doing this the popcorn will not go stale so quickly.Why add baking soda
Why add baking soda in a popcorn recipe. This is actually a really important step in making the caramel sauce, it is kind of scientific and what happens is the baking soda will make the caramel foam up and creates tiny bubbles in the sauce so when the caramel cools those air bubbles with keeping the caramel soft. What happens if you leave it out, there is a good chance you will crack a tooth because the caramel coating will be hard.What can I do with the leftover caramel corn
Put the leftover caramel corn in a sealed container or a plastic bag and it should keep well for a couple of days. This is another reason to bake the popcorn since it keeps it from going stale faster.Want to change things up in this recipe, try these suggestions
- Instead of the cinnamon, add apple pie spice - this spice adds delicious flavors
- If you like apples, just add more dried apples to the recipe
- For the nut lover, pecans are a great addition to this recipe
- If you like sweet and salty add a teaspoon of salt to the recipe
Nutrition
I don’t mind sharing this amazing snack with you. There is plenty of this sweet snack with crunchy popcorn and apples in for everyone.
Follow One Hot Oven
Like what you see? Make sure you are following One Hot Oven for more tasty sweet and savory recipes!
Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? Contact me here, and I’ll be happy to help!
As always made with love!
Jere’
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This looks like such a tasty sweet treat for movie nights.My kids would absolutely love this!
Jere Cassidy
This is perfect for movie nights. We make this for baseball night.
Adrianne
I am making a big bowl of this and watching Mission Impossible this weekend, can’t wait!!
michelle
Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks too. I really like how you jazzed it up and made it so delicious! I’ll have to branch out from regular butter soon
Jillian
K, I love this recipe! I may not share!
Jere Cassidy
Sometimes the no sharing rule applies.