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Home Christmas Christmas Desserts

Christmas Popcorn Candy

By:Nagi
Published:17 Dec '20Updated:19 Dec '20
76 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This Christmas Popcorn should come with a warning. It’s dangerously addictive, and will be the likely cause of many sugar crash sofa naps during this holiday season!

It’s my caramel corn with a Christmas twist – traditional festive spices and a sprinkle of almonds. It makes for great Christmas candy snacks as well as food gifts that’s easy to make in bulk, economical and lasts for 2 – 3 weeks.

Close up of bowl of Christmas Popcorn Candy

Christmas Popcorn

While everybody likes a good Caramel Popcorn, it really is just flat out sweet, and that’s it (but I still love you, Caramel Popcorn, don’t worry).

On the other hand, this caramel popcorn is far beyond just sweet. It’s loaded with warm Christmas spices and is studded with nutty almond for extra crunch. It is insanely, completely and ridiculously addictive!

Close up of hand picking up Christmas Popcorn Candy
Bowl of Christmas Popcorn Candy

What you need for Christmas Popcorn

Here’s what you need to make this:

Ingredients for Christmas Popcorn Candy
  • Popcorn kernels – Just plain popping kernels

  • Holiday spices – I’ve use a mix reminiscent of Gingerbread Men, but you could even just use cinnamon alone and it would still be wonderful!

  • Corn syrup (or glucose) – This is required to ensure the caramel doesn’t crystallise, ie. when instead of turning into liquid, you end up with sugar grains. You can make caramel without it, but it’s a bit temperamental so corn syrup helps makes it a sure thing.

Corn syrup is not sold in Australian grocery stores but that’s not a problem. Just use glucose instead. It’s just a thicker form of corn syrup which works just as well. I get corn syrup online from USA Foods because I make caramel popcorn regularly for bribing gifting!

Other substitutions: golden syrup is best for the dry crisp coating. Honey also works but it does add extra flavour.

Corn syrup and glucose
Corn syrup (left) and the best substitution for it, glucose syrup (right) which is thicker.
  • Baking soda / bi-carb soda – An important ingredient which makes the caramel foam up and lighten a bit so you get a more even, thin coverage on the popcorn surface (rather than thick globs that get stuck in your teeth);

  • Brown sugar – Better than white, for extra caramel flavours;

  • Salt – Just a touch, to balance out all the sweetness; and

  • Almonds – Because I think of nuts when I think of Christmas candy! Switch it out with literally any other nut you want – or seeds like pepitas, sunflower seeds or anything else that will hold up in the oven.


How to make Christmas Popcorn Candy

1. The Popcorn

You can either air pop the popcorn using a popcorn machine – in which case no oil is required – or cook it on the stove.

How to make Christmas Popcorn Candy

PRO TIP: While air popped popcorn is fat-free, it is not as crispy as stove popped popcorn!

Air popped popcorn made using popcorn maker

2.Christmas Caramel for Popcorn

Plonk ➔ Simmer ➔ whisk!

How to make Christmas Popcorn Candy
  1. Combine the sugar, butter and corn syrup in a saucepan;

  2. Once it starts foaming, simmer for 4 minutes without stirring;

  3. Take it off the stove, then add the spices and baking soda; and …

  4. Foam it! Whisk vigorously and you’ll notice that the caramel increases in volume slightly and becomes a bit foamy. It looks a bit like candy honeycomb. This is due to the baking soda and is key to achieving a thin even coverage of caramel over all the popcorn. Without the baking soda, you end up with thick globs of caramel that gets stuck in your teeth when you eat the popcorn.

3. Bake to crisp it!

How to make Christmas Popcorn Candy
  1. Pour the caramel over the popcorn;

  2. Toss well to coat, add the almonds and keep tossing. You won’t be able to get an even coating at this stage because the caramel will harden too quickly. But don’t worry, we’ll fix this during the oven tossing stage!

  3. Bake & toss! Spread the popcorn across two lined baking trays, then bake in a low 110°C/230°F oven for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Baking makes the caramel melt again so it can continue spreading over the popcorn in a more even coating as you continue to toss it. It also dries the popcorn and caramel coating so the caramel coating is brittle and crisp instead of sticky and chewy;

  4. Cool on the trays then break it up into small or large chunks before storing in airtight containers or bags.

Christmas Popcorn Candy on a tray, cooled and ready to be eaten
Bags of Christmas Popcorn Candy for gifting

What to do with Christmas Popcorn Candy

This particular type of Caramel Popcorn is new to my stable of recipes so I haven’t used it to its full potential yet! But here’s what I envisage:

  1. Bribing Gifting – Who doesn’t love a homemade edible gift?? (Bonus that it’s super-duper economical, easy to make in bulk and has a shelf life of 2 – 3 weeks!)

  2. Nibbly-style dessert – If your family is anything like mine, we inevitably go all out on the mains and tap out before dessert, leaving us too full to eat a full size, proper dessert. So snack-size sweet treats like this are ideal. I am forever scarred by the giant gingerbread house I made once which took me hours to construct, only to be completely rejected by the entire family because everyone was so full after dinner. Only the chimney got eaten. Reluctantly, at that!! I was seriously peeved shattered, and vowed never again to make an enormous effort for Christmas dinner dessert; and

  3. Candy – Certainly with the amount of sugar in this, it totally qualifies as a candy! And it has the shelf life of candy too (2 -3 weeks).

Of course, it also makes for an excellent secret stash of treats, just for yourself. Shh! I won’t tell if you don’t… 😉 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Close up of Christmas Popcorn Candy in a bowl

Christmas Popcorn Candy

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 55 mins
Total: 1 hr 5 mins
Dessert, Sweet
Western
5 from 22 votes
Servings8 – 12
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is Caramel Popcorn, dressed up for Christmas! Perfumed with warm traditional Christmas spices and studded with almonds, it is outrageously addictive.
Great as a snacky dessert option, for gifting and store-like candy. Stays crispy 2 – 3 weeks!
Baking soda makes the caramel coating foamy so it coats the popcorn thinly and evenly, rather than in sticky globs.
CARAMEL COVERAGE: Use 1/3 cup kernels for full caramel coverage (very sweet, like candy pieces, pictured in post), 3/4 cup for a lighter coating (still sweet enough but you get some white patches, see this photo for comparison)

Ingredients

For the popcorn

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
  • 1/3 cup popping corn (10 cups popcorn, Note 1 for lighter caramel coverage)
  • 2/3 cup slivered almonds

For the caramel

  • 100g / 7 tbsp butter , unsalted
  • 1 cup brown sugar , packed
  • 1/2 cup (170g) corn syrup , light (substitute glucose, Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

Christmas Spices

  • 3 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 2 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/2 tsp allspice powder (or more cinnamon)
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves (or more cinnamon)

Instructions

Popcorn

  • Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
  • Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid. Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once.
  • Remove from heat when the popping almost stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl. You need 10 cups of popcorn.

Caramel:

  • Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F.
  • Melt butter in a saucepaan over medium heat.
  • Add sugar, corn syrup (or glucose) and salt. Stir until just combined.
  • When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR!
  • Remove from heat then quickly whisk in Christmas Spices, vanilla and baking soda. Whisk vigorously for 10 seconds, then when you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume.
  • Quickly pour straight over popcorn, toss to coat.
  • Sprinkle over the almonds, and toss again until caramel cools and starts to harden.

Baking to crisp:

  • Spread popcorn across 2 baking trays.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses – tossing further coats popcorn more evenly with caramel. (If using glucose instead of corn syrup, bake further 15 minutes).
  • Remove from oven, leave to cool. Gently break into pieces then transfer to airtight container for storage. Stays crisp 2 – 3 weeks!

Recipe Notes:

1. Caramel coverage – 1/3 cup popcorn kernels will give you a generous, full caramel coating on each popcorn. This makes the popcorn like candy – it’s very sweet! I use 3/4 cups popcorn for “normal” coverage – it’s still sweet, but not intensely sweet where every piece feels like you’re eating candy. See in post for photo comparison.
2. Corn Syrup is called for to stabilise the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur. Corn syrup is a common grocery item in the US and Canada – I stock up every time I go! It can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (here).
Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (look in the baking aisle; it’s a clear, thick syrup with honey-like consistency). However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer (because glucose as higher water content).
More subs – golden syrup, honey or maple syrup. For these, bake popcorn further 15 min.
3. Storage – Stays 100% crisp and fresh for 2 – 3 weeks in an airtight container!

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 46gCalories: 210cal (11%)Carbohydrates: 27.6g (9%)Protein: 0.8g (2%)Fat: 11.7g (18%)Saturated Fat: 7.3g (46%)Cholesterol: 30mg (10%)Sodium: 663mg (29%)Potassium: 6mgFiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 23.1g (26%)Vitamin A: 400IU (8%)Iron: 0.2mg (1%)
Keywords: caramel corn, Caramel popcorn, christmas candy, christmas popcorn, food gift ideas
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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76 Comments

  1. Sandra Roberts says

    February 23, 2023 at 7:45 am

    5 stars
    I make Caramel Corn all year long Its great for picnics Birthday Parties (All 16 of the grands and the three older Great Grands insist on it!) 4th of July watching the fireworks, BBQs and tailgating. No Reason to wait for Christmas

    Reply
  2. Tracey Jones says

    December 26, 2022 at 5:36 pm

    This is a brilliant recipe! I have made it several times. I like extra nuttiness, so my favourite combination is 1 cup each of chopped macadamia and cashew nuts. I have also adapted this recipe base using lightly salted packaged cooked pork rinds (a.k.a. pork crackling in Australia) with maple syrup, pumpkin pie spices, and a touch of Tajin chilli and lime seasoning. The result is a delicious sweet, and spicy treat with a touch of saltiness. I was inspired by Nagi’s “Man Candy” recipe which my family love but I needed something that didn’t require refrigeration for my Christmas gift baskets. Everyone loved it! Thanks again, Nagi.
    PS. The Man Candy recipe is here: https://www.recipetineats.com/man-candy-candied-bacon-nuts/

    Reply
    • Tracey Jones says

      December 26, 2022 at 5:38 pm

      Also, I use a combination of walnuts and pecans with the pork rind version, as in Nagi’s Man Candy.

      Reply
  3. Kathy says

    December 22, 2022 at 2:08 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely amazing!!! I started on my second batch before the first was done after tasting a sample! I LOVE the slightest kick from the ginger – it is SO good. Thank you 😊

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    December 19, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious! I was making this to put into little gift bags for Christmas Day, but we all loved it so much it didn’t even touch the bags! Second batch it is! Make this – you will love it!

    Reply
  5. Margie says

    December 18, 2022 at 2:50 pm

    5 stars
    HoHo what a jolly good recipe! I hav made a batch to gift all my nursing co-workers.

    Reply
  6. Ilona says

    December 9, 2022 at 8:46 am

    Hi Nagi. We have nut allergies – can we leave out the almonds or substitute something for it? Looks amazing!

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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