Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (2024)

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Butter Toffee Popcorn is a family snack favorite and a personal love of mine. You can use microwavable buttery popcorn for that extra buttery flavor and coat in a simple toffee caramel sauce to give the popcorn that sweet and salty flavor combination.

Hey Sugar Babies! I love this Butter Toffee Popcorn recipe! I hope you got everything you wanted for Christmas this year. Lord knows I did. The two biggest things I wanted were a camcorder and an Amazon Kindle Fire. I got them both. YAY ME!

I was going to post one last recipe for you before Christmas if you wanted to make something to share with your friends and family, but I got the stomach flu. I had it for two days. That thing is not fun to have, ya know? Now I am back and feeling better and ready to get back into sharing some awesome recipes and pictures of how my Christmas went. What did I do? My fiancée just lounged around, watched basketball, and cooked dinner. Yea, we stayed in our PJs all day. It was pretty darn awesome.

Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (2)

How I made this Butter Toffee Popcorn

Now, about this popcorn recipe. It is pretty easy to make! I will say that I made this version of the caramel popcorn recipe twice and tried two different ways to make the popcorn. The first way I made the popcorn was the stovetop way. This wasn’t too bad, but I burnt some of the popcorn, so that didn’t work out. Also, there were too many hard kernels in the mix, and it became a serious pain. So, I decided to use a bag of plain microwavable popcorn, and it was much easier to discard the kernels that way. Not only that, it didn’t take that long either. I recommend that method if you’re uncertain. Of course, there is the toffee sauce part, which is just amazing! I will say to be careful and line your baking tray with wax or parchment paper.

Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (3)

This Butter Toffee Popcorn has a special place in my heart. It does. It is the perfect partner for a couch potato like myself sometimes. Not only that, it is an awesome gift idea to give to people for the holidays. Yea, I know I’m kind of late with the gift ideas, but we have Valentine’s Day coming up, and this will serve just as good as a V-Day gift as a Christmas Day gift.

Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (4)

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, you know I went to the grocery store the day after Christmas, and they were already putting up stuff for V-Day?! How absurd! I mean, the Thanksgiving turkey gets no love at all, and there is all this hype about Christmas from September to December, and as soon as it is over, they dump it like a bad habit. I’m sorry. I’m always a little sad when Christmas is over. Not as sad as I was when eating this popcorn was over. So…enjoy!

Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (5)

Recipe partially adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Commonly Asked Questions

Can I add additional toppings to this toffee popcorn recipe?

Yes! I have added a few times toffee bits, a little drizzle of chocolate by melting some semi-sweet chocolate chips, and/or a sprinkle of sea salt for a sweet and salty combination.

Do I need a candy thermometer for this recipe?

I’m sure a candy thermometer wouldn’t hurt to make this recipe, but I have been fine without using one.

Similar Recipes

If you like recipes like this toffee popcorn recipe, you will like some of the other snack recipes below:

  • Peanut Toffee Nut Clusters
  • Cashew Clusters
  • Salted Dark Chocolate Clusters
  • Brownie Crisps

Print

Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (6)

Butter Toffee Popcorn

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 8 reviews

  • Author: Cupcake from Brown Sugar
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 mins
  • Yield: 18 cups 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Try Butter Toffee Popcorn as an awesome snack and to give away for gifts. This is the perfect sweet and salty combination for popcorn. Try this Butter Toffee Popcorn today!

  • 43 oz. bags microwave popcorn (lightly salted)
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 23 cups roasted, salted peanuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 Degrees and butter a large rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Pop the popcorn in the microwave.
  2. Sift the bag of popcorn and remove as many unpopped kernels as possible and place the popped popcorn in a large bowl along with the peanuts. Set the popcorn and peanuts to the side to the side.
  3. Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat, add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt and constantly stir as it begins to slightly boil. Allow boiling while constantly stirring for 3 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract and baking soda. The baking soda will cause the caramel mixture to bubble up a little bit but keep stirring until it completely dissolves. Pour the toffee mixture over the popcorn and the peanuts using a rubber spatula, toss carefully until the popcorn mixture is covered.
  5. Place popcorn onto the prepared baking sheet or silpat silicon sheet and spread out evenly and bake for 1 hour.
  6. Once finished baking, allow to cool for 25 minutes, break apart, and store in an airtight container or serve!

Notes

If you have a hot popcorn popper, you can pop 3/4 c. uncooked popcorn kernels instead of the original recipe. I just thought this may be a little easier.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 75 mins
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

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Comments

  1. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (8)Amanda says

    Oh, wow! Have to try this!

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (9)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      Let me know when you do!

      Reply

  2. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (10)Yuliya says

    Hi, Nicole. Love this recipe and made it a few times already but it’s been ages. Now I’m a bit puzzled. The temp in the oven is 250 degrees Fahrenheit right? Not Celsius. Thanks

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (11)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      Yes.

      Reply

  3. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (12)Tammi says

    This is the first time I’ve made butter toffee popcorn and OH EM GEE! Phenomenal, stupendous, fantastic, PERFECTION!

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (13)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      YAAAAAY!!!!

      Reply

  4. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (14)ChristopherD says

    Ingredients and proportions make delicious popcorn. I like to add a tablespoon of local honey, or orange blossom honey at the end, right before adding the vanilla and baking soda. Also, once mixture begins to boil, I stop stirring. I’ve found that constantly stirring causes crystallization, producing a grainy coating in the end…like, every time. Of course, I stir in the final ingredients, but only then. Also, during the oven phase (as it were), I pull the sheet pans out every 20 minutes and fold everything over and together, replace, and repeat until the hour is up. Furthermore, I flick out a popcorn pop/kernel/whatever to let cool on my counter while awaiting the next 20 minutes, just to test “doneness”. =]

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (15)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      Awesome!

      Reply

  5. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (16)Neda says

    This is amazing! I popped the popcorn kernels in a microwave safe bowl covered with a microwave safe plate. Followed the advice of one reviewer and didn’t stir while it was boiling. I ended up with the most delicious caramel mixture.

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (17)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      Yay!

      Reply

  6. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (18)Janice says

    I wonder if this same method will work for peanuts and nuts? I need a recipe for toffee crunch nut mix.

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (19)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      Hmmm. I don’t see why not. I would try it and let me know how it comes out!

      Reply

  7. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (20)Annie says

    I’ve made this at home several times with no issues and it’s fabulous! I try to make it at work and it almost burnt part of it during the baking process. I’m going to guess it was because these ovens are older than the hills. I want to try again at work so they get a better representation of the heaven that is this popcorn. I want to try in our convection oven. What is your recommendation for time and temp in a convection oven?

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (21)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      This is great Annie! I am so glad you have a great experience with this recipe!

      Reply

  8. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (22)Susan says

    My first time ever making Carmel popcorn and this recipe was very easy to follow and very DELICIOUS!!!! Thank Yiu for sharing!

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (23)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      No problem! Thanks for trying!

      Reply

      • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (24)Jennifer says

        Can this be rolled into popcorn balls?

        Reply

        • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (25)Nicole Nared-Washington says

          I don’t think it will stick together and the caramel may burn your hands.

          Reply

  9. Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (26)Lynn says

    I’m excited to try this. One question. How much is 2 sticks of butter in cups? Our sticks here in Canada come in different sizes.

    Reply

    • Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (27)Nicole Nared-Washington says

      2 sticks is one cup, 16 tablespoons.

      Reply

Butter Toffee Popcorn Recipe - Brown Sugar Food Blog (2024)

FAQs

How do you make butter popcorn without getting soggy? ›

Movie theaters use butter-flavored oil, which has a lower water content than butter so it makes popcorn less soggy. Real clarified butter has the same effect. To make it, melt 2 sticks butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Let sit for a few minutes; the butter will separate into 3 layers.

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 do you make popcorn more buttery? ›

Microwave the butter until it melts; about 30 seconds if whipped and 1 minute if cold. Place the popcorn you just popped into a bowl. Take out butter and pour over the microwave popcorn. Toss the popcorn to allow the butter to coat it evenly.

How do you make Martha Stewart caramel popcorn? ›

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss. Spread popcorn evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.

Does soaking popcorn in water make it pop better? ›

There isn't enough moisture in unpopped kernels to create the pressure, so they fail to burst and open. To make your popcorn pop better, try soaking the kernels in a bowl of water for 10 minutes and then draining them. Then, pop the kernels as usual.

What is brown butter toffee flavor? ›

Brown butter, in all its tantalizing toasted nuttiness, is getting lots of love. Dunkin' has created a unique twist on this versatile ingredient with the addition of caramel-like toffee– the perfect match to create a latte that's smooth and creamy without being overly sweet.

Is toffee just butter and sugar? ›

Ingredients: Toffee consists of sugar and butter, while caramel comprises sugar, water, and cream—or just sugar. Temperature: Confectioners cook toffee to the hard-crack stage, around 310 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in its signature craggy shards.

Is butterscotch the same as toffee? ›

Toffee vs Butterscotch

While butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.

What do movie theaters use for butter? ›

What replaces real butter is quite a list — partially hydrogenated soybean oil, beta carotene, tertiary butylhydroquinone, and polydimethylsiloxane. Sure, the chemicals may not sound appetizing, but what's even more disappointing is that the buttery flavoring contains more calories than actual butter.

Why does movie theater popcorn taste better? ›

Toppings and Secret Ingredients

Other theaters cook their kernels in a mix of oil and real butter, helping to maximize that butter flavor and fine salt taste before the actual popcorn kernels are popped. However, many don't know that the main reason for the taste of that movie popcorn is a topping called Flavacol.

Why put an egg in caramel popcorn? ›

While some people said that she added the egg to absorb extra heat, others had different views. "Whole eggs absorb excess heat so it's an easy way to regulate the temperature balance of the other ingredients," a user wrote.

Why is my homemade caramel popcorn soggy? ›

Give it some time to cool. If it's still tasting soggy after 1–2 hours of cooling at room temperature, you may have under-baked the caramel corn. 1 hour in the oven is usually plenty. Additionally, be sure to cook the caramel on the stove for long enough.

Why is my homemade popcorn soggy? ›

As your popcorn kernels heat up, the moisture inside the kernels heats up and turns into steam. That steam can collect in the pot or the popper. That can lead to excess moisture in the pot or popper if they are not properly ventilated.

How do you make popcorn stay crunchy? ›

Humidity is what makes popcorn chewy rather than crisp, so sealing it shortly after popping keeps out humidity. Open the bag at home and leave it open for very long and the ambient humidity in the air will turn the popcorn stale.

Why is my popcorn always soggy? ›

You use too much oil

Kernels that are saturated with oil won't pop properly. And when they do pop, they'll explode right into a pool of oil, which will leave them soggy and sad. Less is more when it comes to oil-popped popcorn.

Can you spray Pam butter on popcorn? ›

Great for popcorn! Spray on air-popped popcorn instead of melted butter. Also on fry-pans for a taste of butter when frying.

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