Caramel Corn Snack Mix

This Caramel Corn Snack Mix is the ultimate combination of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy. Baking the caramel-coated popcorn at a low temperature is the secret to getting that perfect, shiny, shatteringly crisp glaze that won’t stick to your teeth.

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Once cooled, tossing it with pretzels, roasted nuts, and chocolate candies turns standard caramel corn into a crowd-pleasing party mix.

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Caramel Corn Snack Mix

Caramel Corn Ingredients

Ingredient Quantity
Popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped kernels) 10 cups
Unsalted butter 1 cup
Packed brown sugar 2 cups
Light corn syrup 1/2 cup
Salt 1 teaspoon
Baking soda 1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

Snack Mix Add-ins

Ingredient Quantity
Pretzel sticks 2 cups
Roasted peanuts (or your favorite nuts) 1 cup
Chocolate candies (like M&M’s) 1 cup
Mini marshmallows (optional) 1 cup

Step-By-Step Directions:

  1. Prep the popcorn: Pop your popcorn kernels and place the popped corn into a very large bowl. Make sure to discard any unpopped kernels.

  2. Melt the caramel base: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, light corn syrup, and salt. Keep stirring until the mixture starts to boil.

  3. Boil without stirring: Let the mixture boil gently for 4 to 5 minutes without stirring. It should turn a beautiful golden brown.

  4. Make it bubble: Take the pan off the heat. Quickly stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will foam up, so handle it carefully.

  5. Coat the popcorn: Immediately pour the hot caramel over your popcorn. Use a spatula to gently fold it all together until the popcorn is well coated.

  6. Bake to crisp: Preheat your oven to 250°F. Spread the coated popcorn onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour, giving it a good stir every 15 minutes.

  7. Cool down: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the caramel corn cool completely so it gets perfectly crunchy.

  8. Toss the mix: Break the cooled caramel corn into bite-sized pieces and put them in a large bowl. Toss in the pretzels, peanuts, chocolate candies, and marshmallows until everything is mixed together.

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