Dairy-Free Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup Popcorn kernels
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 0.5 cup Dairy-free butter
• 1 cup Brown sugar
• 0.25 cup Corn syrup
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1Place 0.5 cup Popcorn kernels into a large pot with a lid. Add 2 tbsp Vegetable oil. Heat the pot over medium-high heat (about 400°F / 200°C). Once the kernels start popping rapidly, shake the pot gently. Continue shaking until the popping slows to several seconds between pops, then immediately remove the pot from the heat. Pour the popped popcorn into a large heatproof bowl and carefully pick out and discard any unpopped kernels.
2. 2Preheat your oven to 250°F (120°C).
3. 3In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the 0.5 cup Dairy-free butter. Add the 1 cup Brown sugar and 0.25 cup Corn syrup. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble. Let it boil, stirring all the time, for exactly 5 minutes. The mixture will be thick and syrupy.
4. 4Carefully remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the 0.5 tsp Salt and 0.5 tsp Baking soda. The mixture will bubble up and foam significantly – this is normal. Stir in the 1 tsp Vanilla extract until just combined.
5. 5Pour the hot caramel mixture over the popped popcorn in the large bowl. Use a heatproof spatula to gently toss the popcorn, ensuring every piece is coated evenly with the caramel. Work quickly before the caramel cools too much.
6. 6Spread the caramel-coated popcorn in a single layer onto a large baking sheet. Make sure it is spread out so it bakes evenly.
7. 7Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour, stirring the popcorn every 15 minutes. This helps to ensure it bakes evenly and doesn't clump together too much.
8. 8Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Let the caramel popcorn cool completely on the baking sheet for at least 1 hour. Once fully cooled, break the popcorn into bite-sized pieces.

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