● Preheat your oven to 250°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.

● Pop the popcorn and remove as many unpopped kernels as possible. Place the popcorn in a very large roasting pan or mixing bowl. If using peanuts or pecans, stir them into the popcorn now.

● In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.

● Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture comes to a gentle boil.

● Once boiling, stop stirring and let the caramel boil for 4–5 minutes without stirring. This helps create a crisp caramel coating.

● Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract and baking soda. The mixture will foam up—this is normal and helps make the caramel light and crisp.

● Carefully pour the hot caramel over the popcorn. Using a large spoon or silicone spatula, gently toss until the popcorn is evenly coated.

● Spread the coated popcorn onto the prepared baking sheets or leave it in a large roasting pan.

● Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to evenly coat the popcorn and create a crisp finish.

● Remove from the oven and spread the caramel corn onto parchment paper to cool completely.

● Once cooled, break apart any large clusters and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 12 cups of crispy, buttery homemade caramel corn. 🍿