Sticky Bun Popcorn Recipe
Sticky Bun Popcorn is a decadent, sweet treat that combines the flavors of a classic sticky bun with the crunch of popcorn and pecans - perfect for movie night!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 729kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups popped popcorn
- 0.5 cup toasted pecans roughly chopped
- 0.5 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 tablespoon honey or light corn syrup
- 0.25 cup salted butter
- 0.5 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 0.25 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 0.25 teaspoon baking soda make sure it is fresh!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place rack in the center for the oven. Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper, and set aside.
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to go, caramel goes from sticky to hard as a rock very quickly.
- Place popped popcorn and toasted pecan pieces in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine brown sugar, honey, and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a silicone or wooden spoon. One mixture boils, continue to cook until it reaches 250°F without stirring.
- Remove from heat. Once the boiling stops, add the cinnamon, vanilla vanilla extract, and baking soda. Stir quickly and throughly, it will foam up.
- Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and pecans, mix gently to coat the popcorn.
- Spread popcorn mixture out over the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes, carefully stirring after 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, stir one last time and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. When popcorn cools, it will be crispy and crunchy. Break up the popcorn into bite-size chunks.
Notes
- Store leftover popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Substitute light corn syrup for the honey if desired.
- If using unsalted butter, a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt with the cinnamon.
- A drizzle of white chocolate (almond bark), or a simple powdered sugar glaze, can add even more of that sticky bun flavor.
- Baking the popcorn heats up the caramel topping, and stirring allows the topping to coat even more of the popcorn. Just open the oven, give it a good flip over with a wooden spoon, and close up the oven - it's that easy!
Nutrition
Calories: 729kcal | Carbohydrates: 126g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 439mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 241IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 5mg
