Salted Beer Caramel Corn
Today is the day.
Today, September 18th, ย the book I spent months creating, turning myself into a figurative nightmare, pouring blood, sweat, tears and beer into each recipe, hits mailboxes and store shelves across the land. While I should be feeling excessively accomplished now that I can officially slap a Publish Author tittle after my name, there is also a thin film of vulnerability draped over today. Because more than I want it sell like Funfetti Cronuts, I want it to be well received, I want you to love it. I wish all the recipes to be Home Runs, every step to make sense to ever cook, and every Amazon reviews to be glowing.
What you think matters to me, probably more than it should. So if you buy this little book of mine, The Craft Beer Cookbookย (affiliate link), and you have a question about a recipe, email me: [email protected]. If you make a recipe and love it, tweet a picture to me @TheBeeroness. If you make a recipe on your own blog, share it on my Facebook page.ย I want to know what you think (let’s be honest) especially if it’s good.
While I spent the weekend worried about the release of cookbook, and working out the details of the book tour, I decided it was a great idea to stress eat caramel corn. I even made two batches. ย The first batch I used a hoppy brown ale, which gave the caramel a mild beer flavor that was a bit lost once it coated the corn. The next batch I used an imperial stout, a big bold beer with enough monster taste to give the caramel corn notes of beer in every bite.
Caramel corn and a cookbook, not a bad Wednesday.
Salted Beer Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup corn kernels
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbs light corn syrup
- ยฝ cup imperial stout plus 2 tbs, divided
- 4 tbs butter
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250.
- Place the corn kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold the top over. Place in the microwave (long side down), microwave on high for 4 minutes. When the popping starts to slow to about one pop per one second, remove from microwave. Measure out 7 cups of popcorn (if there is less than 7 cups, pop additional kernels in the same manner, if there are more than 7 cups, reserve the remaining popped corn for another use).
- Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray.
- Add the corn kernels to the baking sheet in an even layer, place in the oven until the caramel sauce is ready.
- Add the brown sugar, light corn syrup, ยฝ cup stout and butter to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Allow to boil for 7 minutes, without stirring. Remove from heat, immediately stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons stout.
- Spray a silicon spatula with cooking spray (except the handle).
- Gently pour the caramel sauce over the corn, stirring to coat.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 250, stir, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and spread evenly onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper, sprinkle immediately with salt. Allow to cool, until hardened. Store in an air-tight container.
Comments
Rachel September 18, 2013 um 9:32 am
Wow, this looks so amazing!! I am definitely going to try this soon!! Thanks for sharing!!
rachmariepr.blogspot.com
Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain September 18, 2013 um 10:38 am
I’ll gladly take a beer and some of this delicious popcorn to get me over the hump!
Congrats on your book! I know it’s going to be huge hit! A round of high-fives my dear!!!
Michelle Lahey September 18, 2013 um 10:54 am
Congrats on the book release! I’m sure it will be a huge success. Best of luck!
Becki @ Bites 'n Brews September 18, 2013 um 12:58 pm
Congratulations! I’ll be going out to get a copy when I’m back in the states! I’ve loved every recipe I’ve made so far!
Natalie || The Devl Wears Parsley September 18, 2013 um 1:26 pm
Jackie, I am so incredibly ho(a)ppy for you!! ๐ I can’t wait to get my copy in the mail… they said it should be here tomorrow. Yayy!!! I’m 100% positive it will be well received and that everybody will devour it!
<3 <3
Jackie September 18, 2013 um 1:36 pm
Thank you so much Natalie! And thank you so much for your feedback on a couple of those recipes!
Cassie September 18, 2013 um 1:45 pm
Beer + popcorn + a beer cookbook? What could be wrong! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, Jackie! I know it’s fabulous!
Dawn September 18, 2013 um 2:13 pm
Congrats! I’ve had a crappy week but the one bright light has been the excitement of your cookbook! I’ve been following the tracking all day and thankfully my boyfriend stayed home today so I can bug him every 5 min asking if it was delivered yet. "Out for delivery" still?! I’m sure it’s going to be amazing and I’ll share all of the reviews of happiness and joy from my friends after I cook them most of the things in it in about the next month! ๐
Jackie September 18, 2013 um 5:52 pm
Thank you Dawn!!
Averie @ Averie Cooks September 18, 2013 um 6:42 pm
CONGRATS!!!!! You deserve it and such an amazing job. So excited for you! Now you can finally…breathe. It’s here, it’s done. Woot!!
And I would inhale this caramel corn. Love popcorn. Pinned to my popcorn board!
Sarah | The Sugar Hit September 18, 2013 um 6:59 pm
Congratulations!!!! I am so happy for you – you seem like such an honest hard worker, I can’t help but feel like you deserve all the success in the world.
PASS THE POPCORN.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist September 18, 2013 um 7:00 pm
I can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on this book!!!! and YES. I want to eat all of this.
Tieghan September 18, 2013 um 7:01 pm
So, so, SO incredibly happy and excited for you!! I can only imagine the emotions you are going through today! Excitement, fear, worrying, second guessing and so on! But seriously, I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy and I know it is going to be KILLER! Everyone will love it! Enjoy the day!!
Now the caramel corn? Yeah, could you please send that along with a copy of the book? I’l eat and read as I go!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious September 18, 2013 um 11:03 pm
Congrats on the book! You are a rockstar, Jackie! Can’t wait to receive my copy!
And this caramel corn – oh yes! Jason is not a caramel corn fan so when I make this, I can have it ALL FOR MYSELF!
Emily {Pink Tiger in the Kitchen} September 19, 2013 um 8:19 am
A HUGE CONGRATS on the book Jackie!! I can’t wait to get mine delivered {sometime next week!} and cook all the delicious things in there!! I know it’s all going to be fantastic because everything I’ve ever made from your recipes always has been!!
Now I just need to make some caramel corn to go with my reading!! YUM!!
Maggie September 19, 2013 um 9:01 am
Yeah! Book tour? Does this mean you may enter the beautiful Northwest? Please let me know if you are within 100 miles of me.
Bree (Skinny Mommy) September 19, 2013 um 9:20 am
Huge congrats! I can’t wait to see the book!
Amber DeGrace September 19, 2013 um 12:43 pm
Congrats on the book! That’s one of my life goals. I made these today – so delicious and simple. Now to see if they last until tomorrow’s craft beer party โฆ ๐
Jenni September 19, 2013 um 8:22 pm
I’m putting your cookbook on my Christmas list!
Nitch September 20, 2013 um 10:56 am
We LOVE YOU! And whatever you make. Can’t wait for a copy of the book and to try out this popcorn- always a genius of beer cooking.
MERCI!!
Prez September 20, 2013 um 5:21 pm
Woo!
Will you be doing other digital editions? (Mac user here…)
Cheers!!
addie | culicurious September 21, 2013 um 8:58 am
Yay congrats on the book hitting shelves! ๐ What a fantastic concept for a book. So glad I was able to test one of the recipes.
And this caramel corn recipe looks sooo good too!
HeatherChristo September 22, 2013 um 11:21 am
I can NOT wait to read this book and get it into the kitchen!! This caramel corn is insane- I love this!!
Chefmike@reformation brewery September 23, 2013 um 8:45 am
I have to disagree with the final step in your recipe: store in an airtight container. There is no way that will happen!! I am eager to try this. Good luck with the cook book and thanks for being a vital part of the craft brew community.
dishing up the dirt September 23, 2013 um 9:51 am
Congratulations! that is fantastic news. You deserve a big bowl of caramel corn!
Dawn October 2, 2013 um 2:16 pm
I made the carrot cake recipe from your book this last weekend for my boyfriend’s birthday. It was AMAZING, easier than the previous 2 I’ve made for him but no one could tell, and a HUGE hit.
I also made the recipe into cupcakes that were equally as delicious.
Tonight we’re making the cheddar and apple pancakes for breakfast-for-dinner ๐
Thank you for the delicious recipes!
P.s. the book is also beautiful!!!
Jackie October 2, 2013 um 2:29 pm
Thank you so much! I love that cake, glad you do too ๐
CTGirl October 6, 2013 um 6:58 am
Would I be able to use any kind of beer with this? My husband loves Yeungling beer.
Jackie October 6, 2013 um 9:27 am
You can. The type of beer you pick will effect the final beer flavors in the caramel corn but any beer will work.
samantha December 18, 2013 um 7:25 pm
What temperature did you heat the caramel sauce to? Times and candy recipes have never quite worked in my favor, but temperatures have always yielded consistent results. The sauce seemed awfully thin during my first attempt at this.
emily December 19, 2013 um 12:56 pm
This is a great Christmas present! I just made it for all of my coworkers and they love it! Since I’m a home-brewer, I used my own beer and then gave them a bottle along with the popcorn. Also, I put it in glass tupperware containers as a bonus present. I will admit that I burnt the first batch of caramel just slightly, so I kept it for myself haha. The second batch turned out great! I love your website! And congrats on the book–I’ll have to get my hands on one asap!
Jackie December 19, 2013 um 1:08 pm
I wish I was your co-worker! Sounds like a great present.
Laura @ InWideningCircles June 21, 2014 um 7:16 am
This was AMAZING. Made it for a get together and we swear it tastes exactly like homemade Cracker Jacks. Next time we’ll add peanuts when we add the caramel!
Emily January 16, 2015 um 5:40 pm
Help! My popcorn just absorbs the caramel and shrinks down to nothing! ๐ Tastes great though…
Jackie January 16, 2015 um 6:25 pm
I have no idea! That’s never happened to me. Did you roast it in the oven first? That helps it to be a bit sturdier for the caramel coating. I’m sorry you had a hard time, that sucks!
Brittany January 28, 2015 um 8:54 pm
Clearly I’m late to the new book release news, but congrats nonetheless. ๐
So, let’s talk about this corn. Genius. Simply genius. I was confused about putting it into the oven, particularly for so long, but I figured I’d trust the genius. So glad I did. The beer flavor of this is definitely more prominent than the other recipes of yours I’ve tried and that’s definitely a good thing. Used Epic Brewing’s Imperial Stout, which was a perfectly bold choice.
Jessica K. January 25, 2016 um 12:05 am
Absolutely one of my favorite cookbooks.
I am making this for our Super Bowl 50 party!!