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Curl up with your favorite Christmas movie and a bowl of Gingerbread Caramel Corn. It’s the perfect holiday snack!
A few years ago, we dove headlong into the “cheesy Christmas movie” corner of entertainment and now we eagerly await the ridiculous sequels and new releases every year. It’s wholesome, silly Christmas fun and I love it. I love it even more if I’m munching on a yummy snack like Gingerbread Caramel Corn!
Nothing will replace my absolute favorite Christmas movie, Elf, or classics like White Christmas and Christmas in Connecticut. We even have new favorites like The Christmas Chronicles. But laughing together at the predictable story lines in every Hallmark movie makes the holiday season fun.
Before you curl up with your favorite Christmas movie, gather up the ingredients for this tasty movie snack. Here’s what you’ll need to make Gingerbread Caramel Corn:
- popped corn
- butter
- corn syrup
- molasses
- brown sugar
- salt
- vanilla
- ginger
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- cloves
- baking soda
Place the popped corn in a roasting pan. A larger pan with deep sides like this makes it much easier to mix without losing popcorn and syrup over the sides.
Heat the butter, sugar, molasses, syrup and salt in a saucepan over medium/high heat. Stir constantly until the butter is melted and everything is combined.
Allow the mixture to boil (without stirring) for 5 minutes and then remove from heat. Quickly stir in seasonings and then add the baking soda. The mixture will get bubbly as soon as your stir it in.
Immediately pour the mixture over the popcorn and stir to coat as evenly as possible. Bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. The “low and slow” approach is what you need for that great crispy finish that won’t result in soggy popcorn.
Pour out the caramel corn into sheet pans to allow it to cool completely. Then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Gingerbread Caramel Corn makes a great gift for neighbors, coworkers or delivery drivers! Package it up in a pretty jar and wrap it up for a tasty Christmas surprise.
Gingerbread Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 20 cups popped corn about 1 cup kernels
- 2 sticks of butter 1 cup
- ¼ cup corn Syrup light or dark, I used light
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°.
- Place the popped corn in a roasting pan.
- Heat the butter, corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and everything is combined.
- Allow the mixture to come to a boil, and let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring it.
- Remove it from the heat, quickly add the vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir to combine.
- Add the baking soda and stir. Mixture will bubble up and become foamy.
- Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir so that all of it is coated.
- Bake in the oven for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes.
- Pour the caramel corn onto two rimmed baking sheets and allow to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- I recommend using a roasting pan because it’s much deeper and therefore easier to stir the caramel corn without it spilling over the sides.
- Once the caramel is made, the recipe moves very quickly, so it’s a good idea to have your extract, spices and baking soda pre-measured and ready to go.
- Using freshly grated nutmeg makes this even better!
Nutrition
For more Christmas snacks to enjoy with a movie, try one of these recipes!
Candy Cane Pretzel Bites
- Chocolate Orange Cookies - November 2, 2024
- Nutella Banana Bread - October 14, 2024
- Bacon Onion Dip - September 13, 2024
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