Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn

This crunchy and delicious peanut butter caramel popcorn is the perfect sweet and salty snack, and totally addicting!

What’s your go-to snack for movie nights? Or for just crashing on the couch after the kids are in bed and mindlessly watching Netflix until you fall asleep? (Or is it just me who does that?) I have several favorite snacks, but most of them involve peanut butter. If I’m feeling very lazy, I’ll just grab a spoonful of peanut butter (maybe with a few chocolate chips sprinkled on top). If I have a little more energy, then maybe I will rustle up some peanut butter pretzels. But my perfect movie night snack is this peanut butter caramel popcorn! It has the perfect combination of sweet and salty flavors, with a totally addicting sweet crunch. It is so, so good!

I first discovered peanut butter caramel popcorn at Trader Joe’s a while ago, and decided to give it a try. It’s such an obvious combination of flavors that I’m surprised I had never thought about it before. It was absolutely delicious, and after the first bag I couldn’t stop eating it! The problem is that the bags from Trader Joe’s are tiny, so keeping it on hand in my house was impossible. I decided to figure out a way to make it at home, and this peanut butter caramel popcorn was the result. It turned out absolutely amazing! I started with my favorite caramel popcorn recipe, then tossed in some peanut butter powder and sea salt to add another dimension of flavor. I have to say, I think it’s even better than the store-bought popcorn!

This popcorn will keep well for several weeks in an airtight container (although it never lasts that long at my house). It’s perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors! I think it would be so cute in a cellophane bag with some festive ribbon and a cute tag. I sent a big bag of it to work for my husband to share with his fellow nurses, and it got rave reviews. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn

Print Recipe

Prep Time:30 minutes mins

Cook Time:30 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 1/2 cup butter cut into pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup peanut butter powder I used PB2
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the popcorn kernels and shake to coat with oil. When the kernels begin to pop, place the lid on the pot and continue popping until most of the kernels are popped and there is only one pop every few seconds. Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl to cool. Remove any unpopped kernels.
• Preheat the oven to 250. In a medium pot, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and butter. Heat over medium heat until the mixture reaches a simmer. Simmer until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda, sea salt, and vanilla. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and toss to coat. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Sprinkle the peanut butter powder and sea salt evenly over the popcorn and toss to combine. Bake 15 minutes, then toss the popcorn, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool ten minutes, then break into pieces.

Servings: 12