Caramel Corn Caramels
This is the caramel recipe for popcorn fans, caramel corn fans, or anyone who loves the salty‑sweet flavor trend. Buttery, salty popcorn flavor is infused into every creamy, chewy bite, and the glossy caramel corn kernel on top adds a perfect crunchy contrast while deepening the popcorn notes even further.
When I started planning the flavors for my Fair Food Caramel Flight, caramel popcorn was the very first idea on my list. I’ve used infusion techniques many times – everything from cinnamon and vanilla in homemade sweetened condensed milk for my Caramel Toffee Pumpkin Pie to graham-cracker-infused ganache for my S’mores Macarons.
I’ve also seen professional chefs infuse popcorn flavor into pastry creams and ice creams, so I knew I could achieve a clear popcorn flavor in my caramel base. But flavor alone wasn’t enough for a fair entry. Presentation matters, and the base caramel doesn’t visually read much differently than a classic caramel. Even the flaky salt could simply signal “salted caramel.” I wanted something eye‑catching — something that hinted at the flavor profile and ideally enhanced it.
Actual caramel corn turned out to be the perfect solution. On its own, it fits right into the candy maker’s contest theme. Perched on top of the popcorn‑infused caramel, it creates an instantly recognizable, cohesive entry that showcases multiple caramel techniques in one bite.
If you’re planning to make these caramels yourself (and you should!), I do have a few notes:
- For a firm, chewy caramel, you’d normally cook to 245°F–250°F. However, the popcorn infusion changes the caramel’s chemistry by adding starches and solids that aren’t present in a typical recipe. To compensate, I recommend cooking this caramel to a slightly lower temperature (242°F–245°F).
- I chose a long overnight infusion for the popcorn, cream, and butter. This directly contributes to the structural changes mentioned above, but it also delivers a stronger, clearer popcorn flavor. You can use a shorter infusion (30–60 minutes), but in my testing the flavor wasn’t as pronounced. If you do shorten the infusion, you may need to adjust the final cooking temperature upward again since fewer starches and solids will be present.
- When “gluing” the caramel corn kernels onto the caramel squares, use a light hand. Too much of the additional caramel can make that bite point a little too firm.
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Line an 8×8 inch pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan heat the cream and butter just to a simmer, stir in the popcorn (it will deflate and compact as you stir it in) until it is all combined with the cream and butter. Cool to room temperature, transfer to an air tight microwave safe container (a mason jar works well) and store it in the refrigerator overnight.720 g (3 cups) heavy cream, 84 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, 80 g (8 cups) lightly salted popcorn
- Remove the jar from the refrigerator, remove the lid and microwave in 30 second bursts until the mixture is loose enough to pour. Pour into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl – press as much of the liquid as you can out of the corn kernels – it should yield about 240-310ml. Stir in the dark corn syrup, molasses and vanilla bean paste.30 ml (2 tbsp) dark corn syrup, 10 ml (2 tsp) molasses, 10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla bean paste
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, brown sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Heat over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally until the amber color deepens slightly and the mixture reaches 260°F.120 g (10 tbsp) sugar, 120 g (10 tbsp) brown sugar, 120 ml (½ cup) water, 60 ml (4 tbsp) light corn syrup, 1 tsp vanilla salt
- Remove from the heat and immediately add the popcorn cream mixture and stir to combine (the mixture may bubble furiously and rise in the pan and temperature will drop significantly).
- Return to the heat and cook, stirring frequently, until it reaches 242-245°F. Remove from the heat and pour immediately into your prepared pan. Let it cool for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt – enough to make sure each piece of caramel will have a few flakes on top to give that salty pop. Allow the caramel to set over night at cool room temperature before cutting into 1" squares.Maldon flaky sea salt
- In a very small saucepan (1/2 quart if possible) combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, continue cooking until light to medium amber in color. Immediately transfer to a small glass bowl (microwave safe).100 g (½ cup) sugar, 30 g (2 tbsp) water
- Use a pair of kitchen tweezers to pick up a single kernel of caramel corn. Dip it in the liquid caramel and quickly press it into the top center of one square of popcorn caramel. Repeat until all of the popcorn caramels are crowned with individual kernels of caramel corn. If the liquid caramel gets too thick, heat it in the microwave in 5 second increments until it is loose enough to work with again.50 Caramel corn kernels
- Wrap each caramel individually in small cellophane bags or cellophane sheets twisted on the ends to close. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Private Notes
Nutrition
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