Tahini Caramel Corn

Tahini Caramel Corn is a super delicious and easy twist on traditional caramel corn. A Tahini Caramel is poured over freshly popped popcorn and then baked until perfectly crispy and coated. This Caramel Corn is easy to make and stores well in an airtight container, making it the perfect gift!

This recipe was made for an Instagram post with The FeedFeed and If you Care Parchment Paper, but I am also just popping it here for ease of access!

Tahini Caramel Corn

Hi hi! Just popping in to share this recipe for Tahini Caramel Corn with you! As a popcorn connoisseur, I've eaten more than my fair share of caramel corn in my life, and this has to be some of the best I've made. I switched it up a wee bit, adding in some tahini to the caramel mix. Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, so gives the most amazing earthy flavour to the caramel, cutting through the sweetness and providing an amazing depth of flavour. I made about eight batches of this while testing, and to me, it is the perfect treat, and would make incredible gifts!

Steps for Making Tahini Caramel Corn

There are a few steps to making Caramel Corn, but the process itself is fairly hands off and it is easy to make a big batch to have on hand!

• Make your popcorn: I make my popcorn in a silicone popcorn maker that goes in the microwave. I love it so much, and it is mess free. You can use whatever method you like to make fresh popcorn.
• Prepare the caramel: The caramel is made by adding almost all the ingredients and cooking to a certain temperature on the stove (250°f / 121°c, or the 'hard ball stage'). Baking soda is then added to help aerate, and then the tahini stirred in. This goes quite quick so make sure you have your tahini all ready to go.
• Pour the caramel over the popcorn: Once you have the caramel all ready to go, it gets poured over the popcorn and given a good stir. This part is a bit tricky and the caramel will seem super sticky but just keep at it - it gets there eventually!
• Bake the caramel corn: Once the popcorn is coated in caramel, it goes into the oven for 30 minutes at a low temperature at 250°f / 120°c, and stirred often to help the caramel coat each piece of popcorn.
• Remove from the oven and cool: I like to have a second sheet pan ready for this part so that the pieces of popcorn can be separated out so they aren't clumpy.
• Store: Super important to keep caramel corn in an airtight container!

Secrets for the Best Caramel Corn

I have a couple of wee tricks I came across while I was testing and researching the recipe for this Tahini Caramel Corn. While the recipe itself is a super simple concept, there are a few things which really make a big difference to how the caramel corn comes out.

• Low and Slow Baking: This helps to slowly melt down the caramel without burning it, so that as you stir, the popcorn gets evenly coated in caramel.
• Add in some non-caramel popcorn pieces: This is my secret trick for the BEST caramel corn. To me, it tastes best when you have a variation of caramel coating on the pieces - so some more heavily coated than others. To do this, I hold back a couple of handfuls of the popcorn, and add them throughout the process. One handful goes in just after the caramel is added, and the other goes in just after it comes out of the oven.
• Stir often: Once the popcorn is baking, you want to stir it often to get a nice even coating.
• Separate when cooling: This step is a quick one but helps to keep the popcorn from clumping. Once it is cool enough to handle, separate out the pieces and leave them to cool individually.

The Best Popcorn Kernels to use for Caramel Corn

A few years ago I started making popcorn a few times a week for an afternoon snack, and found myself one afternoon on the internet down a deep popcorn kernel rabbit hole. There's a whole load of different types of popcorn which all give varying results of the popped corn. My favourite to use for Caramel Corn is Mushroom Popcorn Kernels, which give the big puffy popcorn pieces. You can use whatever you have on hand - i've given a weight measurement for the kernels for this reason. Feel free to pop a little extra just to make sure that you have enough so you can add some more in if you need!

FAQ for Tahini Caramel Corn

A few wee tips for Tahini Caramel Corn

• It's going to feel like the caramel isn't going to coat the kernels properly. Don't freak out - as you stir them in the oven, they get a really nice coating.
• It will also feel like the caramel is a bit strange with the tahini added. When you add in the tahini it changes texture. Just make sure it's mixed in well, and you will be fine!
• I like to spread the caramel corn out to dry over two sheet pans. This means the pieces of popcorn dry individually, and don't stick to each other when it comes to storing.
• I clipped my parchment paper down with binder clips to my sheet pan, so that when I was stirring the popcorn, it didn't go anywhere.
• Things move fast once you are making the caramel, so make sure that you have your popcorn ready to go on the sheet pan. It may help to have a second set of hands to help quickly stir if you can. Don't worry too much about coating every piece - as it bakes in the oven the caramel melts down and coats the popcorn.

For more Popcorn Recipes, Check out:

• Brown Butter Salted Caramel Popcorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Honey Caramel Corn
• Funfetti Kettle Corn

Made this recipe and love it?

I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!

Tahini Caramel Corn

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Erin
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6 people
• Category: Caramel Corn
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Tahini Caramel Corn is a super delicious and easy twist on traditional caramel corn. A Tahini Caramel is poured over freshly popped popcorn and then baked until perfectly crispy and coated. This Caramel Corn is easy to make and stores well in an airtight container, making it the perfect gift! 

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Ingredients

• Freshly popped popcorn from 90g kernels
• 115 light brown sugar
• 85g unsalted butter, cut into chunks (cold from the fridge is fine)
• 75g honey
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp baking soda, sifted
• 50g tahini
• Flaky sea salt to finish (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°f / 120°c. Line two baking sheets with Parchment Paper, clipping with binder clips if desired.
2. Spread popcorn onto one of the baking sheets. Remove two big handfuls of popcorn and place in a small bowl.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and honey. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, and cook until it registers 250°f / 121°c on a thermometer.
4. Remove from the heat and add the salt, then add the baking soda and whisk to combine. It will foam up, so use caution. Add the tahini and mix, then pour the caramel over the popcorn.
5. Stir well to combine. Once most of the popcorn is covered with the caramel, add one big handful of the reserved popcorn and stir to incorporate.
6. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the popcorn for 30 minutes, stirring well every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the remaining plain popcorn, and mix lightly to incorporate. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
7. Transfer half of the popcorn to the second sheet pan, then using your hands, separate out the pieces of popcorn so that none of them are touching.
8. Leave to cool completely, about 30-40 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container.

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Notes

Have your baking soda and tahini pre-measured and your popcorn on the sheet pan before starting the caramel as it can go quite quickly.

Keywords: Caramel Corn, Tahini Caramel Corn, Caramel Popcorn, Tahini

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