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Home » Dessert + Sweets » Gingerbread Caramel Corn Recipe

Gingerbread Caramel Corn Recipe

Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon Jessica Randhawa
October 20, 2020
5 from 13 votes


Last Updated October 20, 2020 | 2 Comments

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Gingerbread Caramel Corn Pinterest PIN Collage
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Delicious Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe made with warming gingerbread spices and sweet buttery caramel sauce. Enjoy this perfectly sweet and crunchy snack time favorite all holiday season and share your very own gingerbread caramel corn with family and friends for an easy, homemade, edible gift. 

Gingerbread caramel corn in a glass mason jar wrapped with twine.

Gingerbread Caramel Corn

Despite the ninety-degree temperatures (Oh, California), I am ready to bust out my Christmas decorations and start my holiday baking. 

Today we’re making homemade gingerbread caramel corn. Sweet, snackable, giftable, and perfectly spiced, who wouldn’t want to throw back a couple of handfuls of this crunchy autumn treat?

Have you ever made homemade caramel corn? So much easier to make than you’re probably thinking, the ingredients are straightforward and the process simple.

If this is your first time making this recipe at home, check out my tips and tricks before getting started.

Gingerbread caramel corn in a glass mason jar wrapped with twine.

How to Make Gingerbread Caramel Corn

1. Preheat oven and prepare pan:

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Grease or lightly spray a large roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper (see notes).

Transfer the popped corn to your prepared roasting pan and set aside.

2. Make the gingerbread caramel sauce:

I recommend pre-measuring the ingredients for the caramel sauce before getting started as things start to move quickly.

Heat the butter, corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly. Continue stirring until the butter is melted, everything is combined, and the mixture comes to a boil.

Once boiling, stop stirring. Allow the mixture to boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Quickly add the vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir to combine. Immediately add the baking soda and stir again (the mixture will bubble up and become foamy).

3. Combine:

Immediately pour the prepared caramel over the popcorn, mixing as you pour (if possible). Continue to stir until the popcorn is completely coated.

4. Bake:

Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

5: Cool, serve, and store:

Remove from the oven. While it is still warm, transfer the gingerbread caramel corn to two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients needed to make homemade gingerbread caramel corn.

Helpful Tips and Tricks

  • Save time and use pre-popped popcorn or microwave (plain) popcorn. The exact number of bags will vary from one brand to another, so if you’re unsure how much popcorn you have, buy extra.
  • Unless, of course, you prefer your caramel corn to be extra caramel-y. If that’s the case, you may want to add 8 cups of popped corn rather than 10 cups. 
  • Don’t forget non-stick cooking spray and parchment paper – it makes for a much easier clean-up! Baked on caramel sauce is not easy to scrub off.
  • Mixing and baking the caramel corn in a roasting pan helps make prep much easier given the tall sides of the roasting pan (less chance of the caramel corn spilling over the sides).
  • Once the caramel is made, the recipe moves very quickly, so it’s a good idea to have your extract, spices, and baking soda pre-measured and ready to go.
  • Have fun and add other additions like salted pretzels or Chex cereal.

Collage of step-by-step images showing how to make homemade gingerbread caramel corn.

More Delicious Desserts,

Caramelized Apple Oatmeal Cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie Recipe

Cherry Coffee Cake Recipe

Carrot Sheet Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe (How to Make Sugar Cookies)

If you try making this Gingerbread Caramel Corn Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know how it turned out! I always love to hear your thoughts. 

Gingerbread caramel corn in a glass mason jar wrapped with twine.

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Gingerbread caramel corn in a glass mason jar wrapped with twine.

Gingerbread Caramel Corn Recipe

5 from 13 votes
Chef: Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa
Delicious Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe made with warming gingerbread spices and sweet buttery caramel sauce. Enjoy this perfectly sweet and crunchy snack time favorite all holiday season and share your very own gingerbread caramel corn with family and friends for an easy, homemade, edible gift. 
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 20 cups (approximately)
Calories 234 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 20 cups popped corn - (approximately 1 cup kernels)
  • 1 cup butter - 2 sticks
  • ¼ cup corn syrup - (light or dark corn syrup OK)
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 cups light brown sugar - packed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 250°F. Grease or lightly spray a large roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper (see notes).
  • Transfer the popped corn to your prepared roasting pan and set aside.
  • Heat the butter, corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the butter is melted and everything is combined and the mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling, stop stirring. Allow the mixture to boil for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat. Quickly add the vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir to combine. Then add the baking soda and stir again (the mixture will bubble up and become foamy).
  • Immediately pour the prepared caramel over the popcorn, mixing as you pour (if possible). Continue to stir until the popcorn is completely coated.
  • Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven. While it is still warm, transfer the gingerbread caramel corn to two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cool completely.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Jessica's Notes

  • Save time and use pre-popped popcorn or microwave (plain) popcorn. The exact number of bags will vary from one brand to another, so plan accordingly.
  • The non-stick cooking spray and parchment paper will make for much easier clean-up! Baked on caramel sauce is not easy to scrub off.
  • Mixing and baking the caramel corn in a roasting pan helps make prep much easier given the tall sides of the roasting pan (less chance of the caramel corn spilling over the sides).
  • Once the caramel is made, the recipe moves very quickly, so it’s a good idea to have your extract, spices, and baking soda pre-measured and ready to go.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 272mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)

Keyword Caramel Corn Recipe, Gingerbread Caramel Corn
Did You Make This Recipe? Tag it Today!Mention @theforkedspoon or tag #theforkedspoon and please leave your star rating in the comment section below.

About Jessica

Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

Jessica Randhawa is the head chef, photographer, and recipe developer of The Forked Spoon. Jessica fell in love with cooking while traveling through Asia and Europe, where she discovered her passion for good food and new adventures. Her recipes have been featured on Yahoo, MSN, USA Today, FeedFeed, and many more. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California.

143 shares
Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

About Jessica Randhawa

Jessica Randhawa is the head chef, photographer, and recipe developer of The Forked Spoon. Jessica fell in love with cooking while traveling through Asia and Europe, where she discovered her passion for good food and new adventures. Her recipes have been featured on Yahoo, MSN, USA Today, FeedFeed, and many more. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California.

Comments

  1. Kelly says

    November 26, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    Yum, this looks amazing and perfect for gifting! I have added it to our round-up, 30+ Ultimate DIY Christmas Teacher Gifts. You can view it here if you wish, https://www.diythought.com/30-ultimate-diy-christmas-teacher-gifts/ Thank-you, and have a great Christmas!

    Reply
    • Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa says

      November 27, 2020 at 8:59 am

      Thanks Kelly 🙂

      Reply

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Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

I’m Jessica! Aka mom, wife, chef, and travel-obsessed photographer. Welcome to The Forked Spoon. Here you can browse hundreds of incredible family-friendly recipes covering dozens of diets, courses, and cuisines. Learn more about me.

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