Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (2024)

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This homemade toffee popcorn recipe is a buttery caramel toasted popcorn and tastes like a richer Fiddle Faddle butter toffee popcorn (or a little like Crunch and Munch, if you remember that!). Some people use the terms toffee popcorn, caramel corn and kettle corn interchangeably, but they do have different recipes. We’ll cover differences between toffee popcorn vs caramel popcorn and more!

Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (1)

Easy Toffee Popcorn Recipe

If you want to make toffee popcorn at home like you get at fairs or festivals, you’ll love this quick toffee popcorn recipe!

How To Make Toffee for Popcorn

How do you make toffee popcorn?

  • Popcorn
  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Salt
  • Vanilla

(see full recipe for popcorn toffee below)

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Before we get to the recipe for butter toffee popcorn, here are some questions people have when making this dessert snack:

What is the difference between toffee and caramel popcorn?

You may be wondering is toffee popcorn the same as caramel corn? Toffee popcorn has a lighter, buttery than caramel corn because toffee popcorn uses light corn syrup, while a caramel corn recipe uses dark corn syrup.The toffee for popcorn recipe is made with light corn syrup, butter, and sugar.

If you’re wondering how to make caramel corn, it’s a very similar recipe, except swapping out the light syrup for dark corn syrup and dark brown sugar.

Why is my caramel corn so sticky?

If your recipe for caramel corn or toffee corn is sticky, it might be because you didn’t dry it properly or long enough. Be sure to spread your caramel corn / toffee popcorn recipe in a single layer on foil and allow it to dry completely before storing it in an airtight container.

YOU’LL ALSO LIKE THESE RECIPES FOR POPCORN:

Purple People Eater Popcorn Balls Recipe

Old School Stove Top Popcorn Recipe

Can you make a caramel corn recipe without corn syrup?

Yes, you can actually leave out the corn syrup from your caramel corn or toffee popcorn. The texture may be a little different than you’re accustomed to, but you will still have a yummy coated popcorn recipe to enjoy!

Kettle Corn vs Caramel Corn

Is kettle corn the same as caramel corn?

Kettle corn is not the same as caramel corn. Kettle corn is made by popping popcorn in sugar mixture, while caramel corn is made with butter, dark corn syrup, and dark brown sugar. Kettle corn is a lighter, sweet and salty treat. While caramel corn is just as yummy, it is a darker and richer simple sweet treat.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Kettle Corn On The Stove Recipe

Ok!

Let’s get to popcorn toffee recipe easy to make with your kids!

Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (2)

Easy Toffee Popcorn Recipe

This toffee popcorn homemade treat is an easy go-to for a birthday party treat or anytime you need an easy dessert or snacks for kids.

We didn’t add them for this recipe, but you can also make this butter toffee popcorn with nuts. Just add in a half cup of your favorite shelled nuts (like pecans or walnuts) to your toffee popcorn ingredients before adding the toffee popcorn sauce / glaze.

TIP: There is no special toffee popcorn machine. We use our popcorn popper like this oneSimple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (3) all the time and we love it. It’s perfect for this butter toffee popcorn recipe (and other popcorn recipes), too! Some people make this with microwave popcorn, but we prefer to pop or own popcorn.

Some people have also told me that they doubled the toffee glaze because they like their popcorn with toffee sauce extra gooey. So keep that in mind.

Here’s how to make toffee popcorn in a pan…

Yield: 10

Easy Toffee Popcorn

Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (4)

This crunchy toffee popcorn recipe is so buttery and sweet. You can vary the toffee popcorn ingredients by adding nuts or leaving them out.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 cups popped popcorn (½ cup of kernels before popping)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter a large, rectangular baking pan. Set aside.
  2. Pop popcorn. Remove unpopped kernels.
  3. Spread popcorn (and nuts, if using) in the pan.
  4. In a pot, melt the butter, sugar, corn syrup, salt on low. Stir continuously until the sugar has melted and the sauce has become smooth and thickened, usually around 8-10 minutes.
  5. Remove sauce from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
  6. Drizzle the sauce over the popcorn, stirring the until all the popcorn is completely coated.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after the first 15 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven. Spread on lightly buttered tin foil and allow to cool completely.
  9. Store leftovers in a air-tight, covered container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10 cups

Serving Size:

1 cup

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 228Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is estimated. Changes to the recipe and use of different brands may cause changes to the nutritional information to vary slightly from the ones provided here.

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Cooking With Books: Recipe and Read For Kids

Here are children’s books that would be great paired up with this recipe (obviously, any popcorn theme book will work well!):

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE TOFFEE POPCORN RECIPE!

LOOKING FOR FUN COOKING PRINTABLES FOR KIDS?

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Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is caramel popcorn the same as toffee popcorn? ›

Caramel corn or caramel popcorn (toffee popcorn in the UK) is a confection made of popcorn coated with a sugar or molasses based caramel candy shell that is normally less than 1mm thick. Typically a sugar solution or syrup is made and heated until it browns and becomes thick, producing a caramelized candy syrup.

How do you make Martha Stewart caramel popcorn? ›

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss. Spread popcorn evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.

How do you make sweet popcorn without burning it? ›

Toss the popcorn kernels in the oil to coat. Put the lid on, and keep over a medium heat until you hear the first popcorn pop, then turn the heat to medium-low. When you begin to hear lots of popping, give the pan a shake. Continue to shake frequently until the popping stops.

Is toffee popcorn a sweet? ›

Using our secret recipe, our generously covered Toffee popcorn is a taste sensation, a perfect sweet treat to share. Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Popped Maize, Salted Butter (MILK), Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Cane Molasses, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Single Cream (MILK), Emulsifier: Lecithins.

Is toffee just burnt caramel? ›

Toffee vs Caramel

The difference between toffee and caramel is that caramel is made with white granulated sugar and cooked to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas toffee is made with butter and brown sugar and cooked to 295 - 309 degrees Fahrenheit.

What happens when you put sugar in popcorn? ›

Your family will never want plain popcorn again! If you use white sugar, it will taste like popcorn balls; if you use brown sugar, it will taste like caramel corn. Make kettle corn at home with just three easy-to-find ingredients.

How do you get sugar to stick to homemade popcorn? ›

There are actually a few ways to do this:
  1. Pop your popcorn in a popcorn maker or on the stove. ...
  2. Put the popcorn in the microwave and add one teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract to a mixture of melted butter and brown sugar.
  3. Set the oven temperature to 350 °F (176 °C).
Sep 5, 2022

How to make popcorn at home taste like movie popcorn? ›

That's the secret. Use a good quality butter on the popcorn but don't oversalt it like they do at the theatre. The secret is to pop it in coconut oil and add Flavacol. Flavacol is a flavored salt that theaters use when popping the popcorn.

Can diabetics eat toffee popcorn? ›

Popcorn has few calories and is high in fiber, which can make it a suitable snack for people with diabetes. However, adding butter, sugar, and other toppings may mean it is no longer a healthy choice.

What kind of candy do you put in popcorn? ›

9 Best Candies & Sweets to Mix with Popcorn
  1. White Chocolate Chips. White chocolate chips are amazing with salty popcorn. ...
  2. Candy Corn. Candy corn popcorn makes an ideal snack around Halloween. ...
  3. Sprinkles. ...
  4. Milk Chocolate Fudge. ...
  5. Oreos. ...
  6. Peanut Butter Cups. ...
  7. M&M's. ...
  8. Mini Marshmallows.
Apr 17, 2023

Why is toffee popcorn round? ›

Round and wingless, mushroom popcorn is ideally suited to caramel corn; its spherical shape means it's easier to coat evenly, and its tougher texture means it can stand up to that sweet, sweet caramel without breaking apart.

What is the difference between caramel and toffee taste? ›

The difference between caramel and toffee is greater, as caramel has a more liquid consistency and is usually pure sugar (it doesn't contain butter or flour). Still, the taste of caramel, fudge, and toffee is relatively similar, as they are all made from mostly sugar (as well as butter in the case of fudge and toffee).

What's the difference between caramel popcorn and regular popcorn? ›

While both caramel corn and kettle corn are sweet, caramel corn is richer in flavor and texture. Historically sweetened with molasses, caramel corn is most-often candy-coated. The thin, crunchy, sweet coating is derived from melted sugar. The coating is applied after popping.

What does caramel popcorn taste like? ›

The best caramel corn is a masterful nugget of salty, sweet, crunchy deliciousness. It delivers an impressive hit of rich, homemade caramel flavor with just enough salt to tame the sugar. Bad caramel corn is too sweet, too salty or entirely lacking in caramel flavor.

Is Cracker Jacks caramel popcorn? ›

The CRACKER JACK® brand has been an American favorite for 120 years. The delicious blend of caramel coated popcorn and peanuts is just as good as you remember. And, as if a tasty snack weren't enough, who can forget the thrill of opening the surprise inside?

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