Pumpkin Caramel Corn

I have a bit of a popcorn obsession, it is one of my favorite snacks. While I'm not big on the pumpkin spice trend, I thought it might make for a good combination so I gave this a try and experimented. This was the delicious end result.

I ended up with two different types of Pumpkin Caramel Corn both recipes will be included:

• My first batch I made I went heavier on the actual pumpkin spices and put just a little pumpkin puree. It was tasty, but too spicy for me as I'm more of a fan of the pumpkin flavor than the pumpkin spice flavor.

• My second batch I made I went heavier on the pumpkin puree and lighter on the pumpkin spices. This was my favorite, you can really taste the pumpkin, but it is definitely sweeter so I couldn't eat too much in a sitting as I get with most caramel corn.

In the end I decided to toss the two together and the combo was so perfect! Each bite had the sweet pumpkin caramel with a bit of the spiced popcorn. I would really recommend making both batches and tossing them together. You get a way better depth of flavor and it hits the pumpkin spice beautifully!

Anyway on to the fun!

Makes: 20 Cups of Pumpkin Spice Caramel Popcorn Mix (Combined together)

Pumpkin Caramel Corn

• 10 Cups Popped Popcorn (1/3 Cup of un-popped kernels will make 10 Cups Popped)
• 1 Cup of Unsalted Butter (2 Sticks)
• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

Pumpkin Spiced Caramel Corn

• 10 Cups Popped Popcorn (1/3 Cup of un-popped kernels will make 10 Cups Popped)
• 1 Cup of Unsalted Butter (2 Sticks)
• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Puree
• 1.5 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

First step, cube your 2 sticks of butter and put them in a sauce pan on medium heat.

Once the butter starts to melt, add your cup of brown sugar.

Use a whisk to gently start stirring the two together. Not too quickly, just enough to keep it moving.

***At this point I also preheated my oven, set to 250 Degrees***

After the brown sugar has dissolved and combined with the butter it will start to look like a smooth bubbling molten lava. (Around 4-5 minutes.) Use my pictures as reference.

At this point you will put in your amounts of pumpkin puree, spices, and baking soda. (This will cause the mixture to bubble and steam a bit, don't be alarmed, just keep whisking it together until it is fully combined. Again see pictures for referencing.

Once everything is mixed in you are ready to pour it over your popcorn.

****The purpose of baking soda in the caramel is to react with the brown sugar, which creates tiny carbon dioxide air bubbles. Thus, the foaming/bubbling you see in the above photo. This helps to coat easier on the popcorn and once the caramel has cooled on your popcorn, the air bubbles inside the caramel create a softer texture. You definitely don't have to use the baking soda if you don't want.****

I included pictures of both my caramel corn recipes so you can see that the spiced one does come out a lot darker due to the spices.

Pour the caramel mixture over your popped corn and toss until corn is evenly coated.

This step is just to dry the caramel corn coating, and give it that glistening hardened caramel texture.

Spread the coated corn, evenly over a lined sheet tray.

Bake in the oven at 250 Degrees for 14 minutes total. (Stirring it at the halfway mark)

Pull it out of the oven and allow it to cool.

After the caramel corn has cooled, store it in an air tight container and done! Ready to snack on!

Again, I recommend making both types and tossing them together because it was delicious.

Hope you enjoy!