Caramel Popcorn

Caramel Popcorn (how to make popcorn on the stove top)

(Plain popcorn with icing sugar)

Inspired by: Taste.com.au

Why? I was hungry and there was nothing for me to eat. . .

I used:

½ cup unpopped corn kernels

1/4 cup vegetable oil (you can use less depending on saucepan size)

Carmel

125g dairy free margarine chopped

¾ cup white sugar

2 Tbs honey

What I did:

To cook the popcorn, pour the oil into a medium to large thick bottomed pot (if you are concerned over the amount of oil, I usually just make sure the bottom of the pot is well covered with oil). 
Heat oil on a medium heat (better lower than higher) until hot. 
To test when oil is hot enough, place one kernel of corn in the oil, when the corn spins in the oil, or the corn pops, the oil is hot enough. 
When the oil is hot enough, pour the rest of the corn kernels into the pot, and place the lid on securely, taking care to avoid oil slashes which may burn you. 
Shake the pot gently while the popcorn is popping, and remove the pot from the heat (turn off stove) once the popping stops. 
Pour popped corn into a bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.

To make the caramel, combine margarine, sugar and honey in a small saucepan. 
Stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. 
Bring mixture to the boil, and boil uncovered and without stirring for 5-8 minutes, until light golden, or until the colour turns a slightly darker shade (if your original mixture was light golden). 
Remove from heat (turn off stove) and pour over popcorn. 
Mix through popcorn until popcorn is fully coated. 
It can be left in the bowl, or poured out onto a lined tray to set.

Comments after eating Caramel Popcorn!

I really don’t know how many times I have made this recipe. It is a favourite. I love it. It’s very easy, and once you are familiar with your stove and your saucepans it is fairly foolproof. I do have trouble with burning the popcorn every once in a while when I am trying to make this in an unfamiliar cooking environment. But any reason to experiment with it again is always taken! A bit of salt and a lot of caramel goes a long way to hide slightly smokey popcorn! It's always a hit with visitors too!