Caramel Popcorn Recipe

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, which means Christmas is just around the corner, so we might as well start exchanging gifts like yesterday. I’m a huge fan of the tasty gift, and I wanted to put a fresh twist on the food gifts we see exchange, with my Whiskey Cream Caramel Popcorn Recipe. Made using Jackson Morgan’s Whiskey Cream using their season flavours, these make quite the hostess gift.

*Jackson Morgan sponsored this post, but all thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make PMQ for two possible

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good store bought gift like the next person, but there’s always a place in my heart for a homemade or handmade gift. A tin of boozy whiskey cream caramel popcorn counts both of those in my books.

Ingredients for Whiskey Cream Caramel Popcorn

• 1 cup of corn kernels (for stovetop popping)
• 1 cup of coconut oil
• 1 cup each of Jackson Morgan Whiskey Cream in Peppermint Mocha, Salted Caramel and Brown Sugar & Cinnamon.
• 1 tsp of Baking soda
• Candy thermometer

How to make stovetop popcorn

This is the base of the recipe, so start here. In a pot with a lid, put 1 cup of coconut oil on high heat until melted. Add a kernel to the oil and wait. Once it has popped, remove it, and add 1 cup of corn kernels. Cover with a lid and wait about 30 seconds. Remove the pot from he heat once the popping has started to slow.

You’ll divide the popped corn into 3 – or however many flavours you want to do. I placed them on large sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

How to make caramel with Jackson Morgan Whiskey Cream

Instead of making caramel from scratch, we’re reducing each flavour of Jackson Morgan Whiskey Cream, to a caramel consistency. 

In a small saucepan, pour 1 cup of Jackson Morgan Whiskey Cream, and bring to a boil. Using a rubber spatula to stir and keep it from crystalizing around the edges of the saucepan. It should hit a rolling boil for about 2 mins, before you add 1 tsp of baking soda.

The baking soda will aerate the caramel and make it easier to spread. Once you’ve added it, the caramel with foam up and froth, at which point you pour it over the poporn.

Fold the popcorn into the caramel mixture using a big wooden spoon (or a silicone spatula).

How to make crunchy Caramel Popcorn

If you stop the recipe here, your popcorn will remain kind of wet. If you want the crunchy caramel popcorn, you’ve then gotta place the popcorn in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 200°F, and transfer the caramel popcorn to a roasting pan (if it wasn’t already). Bake for 30-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. The longer you leave it in there, the crunchier it will get.

Once it’s done baking I recommend adding a dash of salt to bring out the sweetness of each flavour.

Whiskey Cream Caramel Popcorn

I placed each flavour in a different tin, with some parchment paper liners. Top with a bow and BOOM! The cutest hostess gift of the season, made using your favourite Jackson Morgan Whiskey Cream flavour.

The fun part about making 3 different flavours, is that you get to make a big sampler tin, or try them all until you find a favourite.