Sweet n’ Salty Caramel Popcorn: The Perfect Snack?
Could be! Our Sweet n’ Salty Caramel Popcorn has crunch and sweetness, coarse salt, four kinds of seeds, more crunch and we even offer you a super-simple variation that turns this treat into a sweet and spicy version.
And in our Tips, we also explain how you can make this recipe into popcorn cereal balls, which are fun to make with the kids. READ THE RECIPE THROUGH before starting, if you want to go this route as the directions are a bit different.
It All Begins with…Cereal?
Yup! Our popcorn snack has the added nutrition, flavor and crunch of FODY Cinnamon Seed Crunch Breakfast Cereal, packed with corn, puffed rice, sunflower, chia, flax and pumpkin seeds and gently sweetened with cane and rice syrup.
And it is Monash University Certified as low FODMAP!
Sure we like it for breakfast, but we thought, hey, we have the box hanging around, what else could we make with it?
First, we made a pie crust and filled it with a lactose-free cheesecake! And now, we bring you a sweet and salty combo of popcorn, cereal, caramel – and spices, if you are a hot head (that’s the cayenne variation)!
We love this recipe for host gifts – especially around the holidays and for the person who “has everything”.
One caveat: Most sources list home popped popcorn (in oil) at 8 grams per cup. The Monash app puts that amount at 17 g. That is a huge difference for which we have no explanation.
Monash also states that 7 cups popped is 1 serving, which is generous. We have done our best to calculate the FODMAPs in this treat, which is so delicious it is easy to over eat! Just stick with the serving sizes ?.
Sweet n' Salty Caramel Popcorn
This popcorn has everything going for it. Sweet caramel, a hit of salt, crunchy cereal and popcorn - and a hot and spicy variation!
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes about 22 cups (1.2 kg); serving size ½ cup (28 g)
Ingredients:
- 10 cups (80 ) popped popcorn (about 2/3 cup unpopped kernels. See Tips below)
- 10 cups (733 g) FODY Cinnamon Seed Crunch Cereal
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 226 g ) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 2 cups (426 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus extra as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Cayenne pepper optional
Preparation:
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Position oven racks in upper and lower third of. Preheat oven to 250°F/120°C. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper, coat lightly with nonstick spray; set aside.
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Lightly coat a very large bowl with nonstick spray. Place popped corn and cereal in the bowl. Lightly coat a large spoon or rubber spatula with nonstick spray; set aside.
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Place the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium-sized saucepan and stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until it boils, then boil for about 4 minutes without stirring. If you have a candy thermometer, you want the mixture to come to 275°F/135°C. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and baking soda and swirl the pot to incorporate. Immediately and slowly pour the caramel over the popcorn and cereal, stirring and tossing it constantly with the prepared spoon/spatula. You want to coat the popcorn/cereal as evenly as possible with the caramel. Taste the popcorn at this stage. If you want more salt, sprinkle some additional salt over the popcorn as you toss it. If you like it hot, sprinkle with cayenne to taste.
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Divide the caramel-coated popcorn/cereal between the two baking pans, breaking up any large clumps. Bake for 1 hour, tossing two or three times during the baking time. Cool completely on racks. Popcorn is ready to serve. Store at room temperature in airtight containers for up to 1 week.
Notes:
Tips
- Every tablespoon of unpopped corn will yield about 2 cups (480 ml) popped. This can vary widely, however, due to your popping technique and how many “old maids” are leftover. That’s the actual term for the unpopped kernels leftover after you have popped your corn.
- To make popcorn balls, spritz your hands with nonstick spray, then mold into balls right after you have finished combining the caramel, popcorn and cereal. Bake the balls as instructed for the loose popcorn.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
