Brown Butter Caramel Popcorn
Dessert | American
This isn’t your average movie night popcorn. Brown butter caramel popcorn is what you make when you want to actually impress someone. I’ve taken classic caramel corn and elevated it with brown butter, which brings a deep, nutty richness that regular butter just can’t match. Maple syrup adds depth, a vanilla bean keeps it balanced, and a generous pinch of salt stops it being sickly sweet.
The brown butter is the real hero here. Taking the butter just past the point of melting and letting the milk solids toast and turn golden completely changes the character of the caramel. It goes from sweet to something with real complexity and depth. Once you’ve made it this way, regular caramel popcorn feels like it’s missing something.
It takes more effort than ripping open a bag, but the result is on a completely different level. Make a big batch because it disappears fast.
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp peanut oil (or other neutral oil)
- 120g popcorn kernels
- 120g unsalted butter
- 200g brown sugar
- 80ml (⅓ cup) maple syrup
- 1 tsp sea salt, plus extra for seasoing
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- 60ml (¼ cup) water
- ½ tsp bicarb soda
Directions
POP THE CORN
- Heat the oil in a wide, deep saucepan and place over medium high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and cover with a tight fitting lid.
- Cook, shaking pan back and forth occasionally, until popcorn begins to pop.
- Continue cooking until you hear no more popping, then remove from the heat. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl.
MAKE THE CARAMEL
- Preheat the oven to 120°C fan forced (250°F). Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter starts to brown and smell nutty. Stir in the salt.
- Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the water and bicarb soda. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix quickly to completely coat. Season with a little more salt.
BAKE
- Spread the mixture onto the lined trays and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving it in a bowl.
Recipe notes
Popcorn kernels:
Use raw popcorn kernels, not pre-popped popcorn or microwave bags. You want fresh kernels that pop up light and airy so there’s plenty of surface area for the caramel to coat evenly.
Unsalted butter:
You need unsalted so you can control the salt level yourself. Watch the butter carefully as it browns because it can go from golden and nutty to burnt and bitter in a matter of seconds.
Brown sugar:
Brown sugar gives the caramel a deeper, more toffee-like flavour than white sugar. Don’t swap it for caster or white sugar here as the flavour won’t be the same.
Maple syrup:
Use real maple syrup, not maple flavoured syrup. It adds a subtle complexity that works really well with the brown butter. The real thing makes a noticeable difference.
Bicarb soda:
This is what gives the caramel a light, airy texture rather than a hard, toffee-like shell. When you whisk it in, the mixture will bubble up rapidly. That’s exactly what you want.