Remember a while back when I posted about that apple cider cream pie [1]? Well, it remains one of my favorite recipes and it comes from the pastry genius that is Allison Kave of First Prize Pies [2]. She and a partner (Keavy Blueher [3]) are raising funds to open a dessert and cocktail bar in Brooklyn called Butter & Scotch. This sounds like a real dream to me, and so I was super excited when Allison agreed to preview one of their recipes here. And not just any recipe, a recipe for Dark & Stormy Caramel Corn that manages to combine one of my favorite cocktails with one of my favorite sweets.
The recipe is surprisingly easy to make and does not involve a candy thermometer, delightful news for some of you. It is perfect for right now—Halloween on the horizon and leaves falling from the sky. The lime/ginger/rum flavors are nice and subtle, so you still get a strong caramel corn flavor. I can’t stop eating it.
This caramel corn also happens to be one of the rewards for supporting the Butter & Scotch Kickstarter page [4]. They are in the home stretch and trying to secure the rest of the funds to open their restaurant. More on them, and Butter & Scotch HERE [4].
Dark & Stormy Caramel Corn
Yield: 12 cups
Overall time: About 1 hour
- 1 stick (1/4 lb) unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons Gosling’s Black Seal Rum (you can use another rum, but it won’t legally be a dark and stormy or something)
- 12 cups of popped popcorn (I used 1/2 cup of kernals)
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease two clean metal half sheet pans and set aside. (I lined mine with parchment to make clean-up easier)
In a heavy-bottomed 1-gallon pot, heat the butter, sugar, and corn syrup over medium-high heat, stirring until melted and incorporated. Allow the mixture to cook until you smell the caramelized sugar, and see it turn a light amber/beige color. Remove the pot from the heat, and whisk in the baking soda. Then whisk in the salt, lime zest, ginger, and rum (be careful, the caramel will release a lot of steam, so guard your hands). When all the ingredients are incorporated, fold in the popcorn using a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon. Keep folding, pulling caramel up from the bottom of the pot and over the popcorn, until it is well coated.
Spread the popcorn out on the sheet pans, and bake for 20 minutes, pulling it out every five minutes to fold and toss to better coat the popcorn with caramel. Remove from the oven to cool completely (about 20 minutes), then serve, or seal in airtight bags.
The caramel corn will last for up to 5 weeks when kept in an airtight bag away from humidity (but it won’t be around that long!).