Thursday, January 20, 2011

Nutella Caramel Corn


So I don't know if anyone else has noticed this trend, but I feel like recipes using Nutella have been EVERYWHERE recently.

For anyone that doesn't know what that is - Nutella is a hazelnut & chocolate spread that's smooth, like creamy peanut butter.  It's sort of like a spreadable Ferrero Rocher candy. 

In other words- incredibly delicious.

I've been dying to get in on the Nutella action for a while now - I had a little bit left in the cabinet from some recipe I made months ago.  But I wanted to make something I haven't seen yet & nothing has really come to me.

Until now.

This week I had a serious hankering for popcorn... which, actually, happens on almost a daily basis... but this time I wanted caramel corn specifically.

Then I got to thinking - what if I made a Nutella caramel corn?  That could be awesome.

And... it is.

I only had a half of a cup of Nutella left, though, so be aware that caramel corn made from the recipe below only has a hint of the chocolate hazelnut.  Mr. V really liked it, and he said he could tell that it was not regular caramel corn - but he was not able to pick out the Nutella flavor specifically.

I think if you wanted a stronger flavor, you could probably increase the amount to 2/3 or even 3/4 of a cup and still have a caramel with the right consistency.

But hey - "experimenting" will just give you a good reason to eat a bunch of caramel corn.

What could be wrong with that?

Nutella Caramel Corn
  • 4 quarts plain popped popcorn*
  • 6 T. butter
  • 1/2 C. light corn syrup
  • 1/2 C. brown sugar
  • 1/2 C. Nutella spread (see note above)
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/4 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. vanilla

Place popcorn in large roasting pan and preheat oven 250 degrees.  (I covered my pan in foil first to minimize cleanup).

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, Nutella, and salt, stirring to blend.  Bring to a boil, then boil five minutes while stirring constantly.  You will see large bubbles in the mixture.

Remove saucepan from heat, then stir in baking soda and vanilla until combined.  Mixture will become light and foamy.  Pour over popcorn, and mix with a spatula to coat.  You will be cooking & stirring the popcorn a few more times, so don't be too concerned with covering all the corn fully at this point.

Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Line your countertop with a few sheets of waxed paper and dump corn out onto paper.  Being careful not to burn your fingers, separate the pieces as desired.  Store in an airtight container.

*Note:
2/3 C. of unpopped popcorn should yield 4 quarts of popcorn for you.  You could also use microwave popcorn, but just make sure you get one that's plain NOT buttered.

Original Recipe

32 comments:

  1. Oooooh I love it! I would have never thought of using nutella on my popcorn - that's brilliant! Thank you for sharing!

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  2. holy cow! I would go nuts with this. How would I make myself stop?

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  3. I could cuddle up in front of the TV with a bowl of this right now! Thanks for sharing - sounds great.

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  4. Brilliant! I agree, it seems like every third recipe recently has been about Nutella. This is the best use of it I've seen so far, well done!

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  5. Omg this looks awesome. This is on my to make list!

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  6. You're right, Nutella is everywhere these days! This is an amazing addition to the pile of Nutella recipes, so different!

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  7. I think there was a nutella challenge somewhere. Anyway, this looks heavenly. I'm going to go make some popcorn...without nutella since I have none :(

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  8. I've never seen Nutella used this way before. Thanks for the idea and recipe.

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  9. Funny thing you should mentioned the Nutella trend. When I saw your post, I was thinking the same thing. I must confess that I like to dip a spoon in the creamy chocolate hazelnut goodness late in the evening. I love popcorn and the two sound like a perfect match. So excited to try this!

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  10. Thanks sounds fabulous and by the way the picture is perfect.

    And thanks for sharing it on Food Frenzy (http://blogstew.net/foodfrenzy)

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  11. Nutella is everywhere this week! I might actually get my hubby to eat popcorn with this recipe. Yum, thanks for sharing!

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  12. Though I am not a big sweets eater, I have a weakness for Nutella. I bet salty sweet crunch is wonderful!

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  13. very innovative!! Wouldnt have thought to add nutella to caramel corn. Sounds great.

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  14. Oh mercy this looks so good! I love nutella.

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  15. Genius! I was dying for something sweet the other day and just melted Nutella in the microwave and drizzled it on my popcorn. Your recipe is SOOOOOOOOOOO much better :D Also, YES, I have noticed that there are recipes EVERYwhere using Nutella!

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  16. Oh boy, that looks addicting. I can just see myself eating it and unable to stop going for that final bite. I'm starting a new linky on my blog called "Sweets for a Saturday" and I'd like to invite you to stop by and link this up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/01/sweets-for-saturday-1_21.html

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  17. This sounds amazing, thanks for sharing!

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  18. Wow, this looks wonderful! I love caramel corn and nutella! Never thought of this combination! :) thanks for sharing.

    I'm having the very first GIVEAWAY on my blog. Please stop by to submit an entry. Good Luck.
    http://utry.it/2011/01/happy-birthday-to-meand-very-first.html

    By the way, I'm your newest follower! ;)

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  19. this is so going to be made by me SOON! results to follow! love this & love your blog, super fun!
    -meg
    @clutzycooking.blogspot.com
    @myscribblednotebook.blogspot.com

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  20. Thanks for linking this up to Sweets for a Saturday. I truly appreciate your support and hope that you'll be able to join in again next Saturday. By then I'll have a cute button that you can grab.

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  21. What an amazingly great idea! I love nutella....almost too much.

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  22. wow I love caramel popcorn....will definitely try!!

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  23. Yum yum yum!!!!! I am making this as a Valentine's treat. Can't wait!

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  24. Just found you on the nutella site; I'll be following you in my google reader. This looks delicious!!!!!!

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  25. Just finished making this. It's absolutely delicious! Can't wait to share it with my family...if there is any left! Thank you!!!

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  26. I found your recipe and have been keeping it on my phone search and finally made it today! It's my daughter's treat bag for her b-day party. It is amazing. I'm so glad that I found it.
    I used my non-stick broiling pan and increased the Nutella mix by a half so that it was more chocolatey. Non-stick pan made it so much easier. This recipe will surely make you Mom of the Year, or at least feel like it :)
    Thanks!

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  27. @TempletonSilver That's awesome, no recipe was ever hurt by adding extra Nutella!! Happy birthday to your daughter and I'm so glad you both enjoyed this treat :)

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  28. Congratulations! We wanted to inform you that this post has been selected as the Archive Featured Post of the week on Food Frenzy.

    http://blogstew.net/foodfrenzy

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