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

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

Ingredient Differences

Toffee is a product of heating sugar or light corn syrup and butter at 300F. Therefore, it tastes like light buttery, and sugary candy. The sweet buttery taste balances well with the saltiness of the popcorn. On the other hand, caramel has dark corn syrup, milk or cream, and water.

How to make popcorn taste like the movies? ›

Flavor with butter and salt.

Pour half of the butter or ghee over the popcorn, cover, and shake the pot to coat. Pour the remaining butter or ghee over the popcorn and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon finely ground kosher salt, table salt, or popcorn salt. Cover again and shake. Serve immediately.

What to add to popcorn to make it better? ›

What can I add to popcorn for flavor?
  1. Garlic powder or garlic salt.
  2. Dried parsley and grated Parmesan.
  3. Nutritional yeast, which is a healthy—but still flavorful—alternative to cheese.
Apr 7, 2021

What happens if you forgot the baking soda in caramel corn? ›

What happens if you forgot the baking soda in caramel corn? Baking soda is basically what makes the caramel corn chewy with a little bit of crunch.

Is toffee just hard 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.

Can you use toffee instead of caramel? ›

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 is the secret ingredient in popcorn? ›

The flavor all comes down to one ingredient: Flavacol. You've likely never heard of Flavacol because, really, only movie theaters use it. Essentially, it's butter-flavored salt. It's a really fine, bright orange powder that adds that buttery flavor you crave and the signature yellow color.

What candy to put in popcorn? ›

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

Why use baking soda in toffee? ›

Brittles and toffees accumulate small amounts of acid from the browning reactions that occur during cooking. This is one reason why the baking soda is added at the end of cooking. The soda reacts with the acid to make bubbles, and the syrup foams.

What does cream of tartar do in toffee? ›

Cream of tartar is a white powder sold in the baking aisle that's commonly used to stabilize whipped egg whites in meringues and cakes, prevent sugar crystallization in candies and caramel, and act as the activating ingredient in baking powder.

Why is my caramel popcorn bitter? ›

Overheating the mixture. Be very careful as you heat your caramel. Follow the recipe carefully, and never melt your caramel on your stove's highest setting—it will cause the caramel to scorch and taste burnt. Once it gets a burnt or bitter flavor, it can't be saved.

What does toffee popcorn taste like? ›

First taste fresh buttery caramel, followed by sweet toffee increasing in intensity as you finish.

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 is the difference between caramel and toffee color? ›

While they share a golden-brown colour and a sugary base, toffee and caramel are distinct in ingredients, preparation, and texture. Toffee, known for its hard and brittle nature, contrasts with caramel's soft, chewy consistency.

Is chewy toffee the same as caramel? ›

Caramel, combining sugar with butter, cream, and sometimes vanilla, is cooked to a lower temperature for a soft, chewy texture. Toffee, typically made from sugar and butter, is cooked at a higher temperature, resulting in a hard, brittle texture and a deeper flavour.

References

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