There’s nothing quite like that warm, spicy-sweet scent filling the kitchen to get you into the holiday spirit. This Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe transforms humble popcorn into a festive treat that’s crunchy, cozy, and just a little bit magical. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll be hooked.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe is one I come back to every season because it feels both indulgent and comforting—perfect for sharing with family or as a gift. The balance of spices with buttery caramel makes it a standout treat.
- Perfect Holiday Flavor: The cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice blend bring traditional Christmas warmth to every bite.
- Crunchy, Yet Tender: Baking the caramel-coated popcorn ensures it stays crisp without being too hard—just the perfect candy-like texture.
- Easy to Customize: You can adjust the spice blend or nuts to suit your taste or dietary preferences, making it very versatile.
- Great For Gifting or Parties: It holds up for weeks when stored properly, making it ideal for sharing during busy holiday days.
Ingredients & Why They Work
Each ingredient in this Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe plays a vital role, creating layers of flavor and texture that you’ll notice in every handful. A little note on selecting quality ingredients will make a big difference.
- Popcorn kernels: Fresh kernels pop the best; I like using the recommended amount to control caramel coverage and sweetness.
- Vegetable oil: Helps pop the corn evenly without interfering with flavor—skip if using an air popper.
- Butter: Unsalted butter lets you control the salt balance and lends rich, creamy flavor.
- Brown sugar: Packed brown sugar adds deep caramel notes and moisture for a perfect coating.
- Corn syrup: This keeps the caramel smooth and prevents crystallization — a must for that glossy finish. Glucose syrup works well too.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the spices.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a subtle, warm aroma that rounds out the caramel’s richness.
- Baking soda: Makes the caramel light and foamy, so it coats the popcorn beautifully.
- Christmas spices: Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves combine to evoke that classic holiday flavor.
- Slivered almonds: A nice crunchy contrast to the popcorn and caramel. Feel free to swap for pecans or walnuts!
Make It Your Way
One of the best things about this Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe is how easy it is to tweak it. I usually stick to the original spice mix, but every year I try small tweaks to keep things fun.
- Variation: Sometimes, I toss in dried cranberries or mini chocolate chips after baking for a festive twist. It’s an instant crowd-pleaser!
- Dairy-free option: Use coconut oil and a vegan butter substitute, and make sure to use a corn syrup alternative that suits your needs.
- Nut swaps: If almonds aren’t your thing, pecans or macadamia nuts add their own unique crunch and flavor.
- Less sweet version: Use a bit less brown sugar or popcorn kernels to caramel ratio for a lighter glaze and balance out the sweetness.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe
Step 1: Perfectly Popped Popcorn
Start by heating your vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Drop in a few kernels as a test—when they pop, you know the oil is ready. Then pour in the rest, shake the pot occasionally to keep things moving so the kernels don’t burn, and cover it. Listen closely; once the popping slows to about 3 seconds between pops, remove it from the heat immediately to avoid burnt tastes. Transfer your popcorn to a very large bowl—aim for about 10 cups popped.
Step 2: Making That Luscious Caramel
While the popcorn cools, get your oven preheated to 110°C (230°F). In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt just until combined — then leave it alone. When the mixture bubbles, let it simmer for 4 minutes without stirring to form a smooth caramel base. Off the heat, whisk in the Christmas spices, vanilla extract, and baking soda quickly. This is the moment the caramel foams and becomes delightfully airy, so don’t delay pouring it!
Step 3: Coating and Baking to Crispy Perfection
Pour the hot caramel sauce immediately over your popcorn. Toss it gently but thoroughly, then sprinkle on those slivered almonds and toss again until everything is evenly coated. Spread the mixture across two large baking trays, and bake for about 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. This baking step is key—it crisps the caramel nicely without making it too hard. Patience is your friend here!
Top Tip
From my many holiday experiments, a few little adjustments make all the difference—these helped me master the perfect Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe.
- Use a Large Bowl: When tossing caramel-coated popcorn, use the biggest bowl you own to avoid crushing the popcorn and to coat it evenly.
- Don’t Skip the Baking: This transforms your popcorn from sticky to delightfully crisp without sacrificing chewiness—trust me, it’s worth the wait.
- Quick Whisking: After removing the caramel from heat, whisk vigorously and pour immediately. If you wait too long, it won’t foam and coat right!
- Store Properly: Keep the popcorn in an airtight container once completely cooled to keep that crunch lasting up to three weeks.
How to Serve Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe
Garnishes
I love sprinkling a little extra cinnamon or nutmeg on the popcorn just before serving for an extra holiday touch. Sometimes I toss in festive red and green sprinkles or drizzle melted white chocolate for a beautiful, party-ready presentation.
Side Dishes
This popcorn is fantastic alongside spiced hot cocoa or mulled cider for cozy holiday gatherings. It also pairs splendidly with cheese boards featuring sharp cheeses and dried fruits.
Creative Ways to Present
One year, I packaged the popcorn in small mason jars tied with twine and rustic tags for neighbors—such a hit! You can also serve it in a festive bowl lined with holiday napkins for casual gatherings, or layer it in clear treat bags with some candy canes for gifting.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Once your Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn has cooled completely, I store it in an airtight container at room temperature. This keeps it fresh and crisp for up to 2-3 weeks—perfect for snacking throughout the season.
Freezing
I’ve frozen caramel popcorn a few times by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and sealing it in freezer bags. When thawed at room temp, it’s still surprisingly good, though I usually prefer making fresh batches since it’s so quick.
Reheating
If the popcorn loses a bit of its crispness, pop it in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 5–7 minutes to revive that crunch. Just keep an eye to avoid burning the caramel!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! If you prefer, air-popped popcorn works great and means you can skip the vegetable oil. Just be gentle when tossing with the caramel to keep it from breaking.
The key is to simmer the caramel mixture for exactly 4 minutes without stirring, then remove it promptly from heat before whisking the spices and baking soda. Using medium heat and a timer helps avoid burning.
Yes, corn syrup stabilizes caramel but you can use glucose syrup as a substitute or even golden syrup, honey, or maple syrup. Just bake the popcorn an additional 15 minutes to get the right crispness.
Properly stored in an airtight container, this caramel spiced popcorn stays crisp and tasty for 2 to 3 weeks, making it ideal for holiday treats that last.
Final Thoughts
This Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe holds a special place in my heart every holiday season. It’s simple enough to make with kids yet impressive enough to share as a gift. I hope you enjoy making and sharing it as much as I do—it really encapsulates that cozy, joyful holiday feeling in every bite.
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Christmas Caramel Spiced Popcorn Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western
Description
This festive Christmas Popcorn Candy recipe combines crunchy popcorn with a rich, spiced caramel coating and toasted almonds for a perfect holiday treat. The caramel is infused with warm Christmas spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves, giving it a cozy seasonal flavor. The popcorn is baked to crisp the caramel, resulting in a crunchy, sweet snack that stores well for weeks.
Ingredients
Popcorn
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
- ⅓ cup popping corn (yields 10 cups popcorn for lighter caramel coverage)
- ⅔ cup slivered almonds
Caramel
- 100g / 7 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (170g) light corn syrup (or substitute glucose)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Christmas Spices
- 3 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon allspice powder (or more cinnamon)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (or more cinnamon)
Instructions
- Pop the popcorn: Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until they pop, then quickly remove them. Add the remaining popcorn kernels, lift the pot off the stove to shake and spread the kernels evenly, then cover with a lid. Once the popping intensifies, gently shake the pot once. Remove from heat when the popping slows down to about one pop every three seconds. Transfer the popped popcorn to a very large bowl. You should have about 10 cups.
- Prepare the caramel: Preheat your oven to 110°C (230°F). Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup (or glucose), and salt, stirring just to combine. When the mixture begins to bubble, let it simmer for 4 minutes without stirring.
- Finish the caramel: Remove the saucepan from heat. Quickly whisk in the Christmas spices, vanilla extract, and baking soda vigorously for 10 seconds. Immediately after stopping, the caramel will foam and increase in volume.
- Coat the popcorn: Pour the hot caramel straight over the prepared popcorn and toss thoroughly to coat. Sprinkle the slivered almonds over the coated popcorn and toss again until the caramel begins to cool and harden.
- Bake for crispiness: Spread the caramel-coated popcorn evenly across two baking trays. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes to coat the popcorn evenly as the caramel melts and hardens. If glucose was used instead of corn syrup, bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Gently break into pieces before transferring to an airtight container for storage.
Notes
- For a more intense caramel coating, use ⅓ cup popcorn kernels which yields approximately 10 cups popped corn, making the popcorn very sweet like candy.
- Using ¾ cup popcorn kernels gives a lighter caramel coating if a less sweet snack is preferred.
- Corn syrup helps prevent sugar crystallization and stabilizes the caramel. Glucose syrup is a suitable substitute but requires an additional 15 minutes of baking time due to higher water content.
- Other substitutes for corn syrup can include golden syrup, honey, or maple syrup; with these, extend baking time by 15 minutes for best results.
- Store the popcorn candy in an airtight container to keep it crisp and fresh for 2 to 3 weeks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
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