Churro Caramel Popcorn
The weather was cool, but not cold, and we walked about 10 blocks from the apartment we were staying in to the restaurant. It was a beautiful evening and a fun neighborhood, and it was just a perfect evening on vacation.
Ella fell asleep in the stroller and didn’t wake up until we had ordered and our food had arrived. Bart and I didn’t complain about not having to entertain an overly-tired toddler while we stood in line, and Ani enjoyed having us all to herself for a while.
We ordered two tortas which were fantastic (especially the Cubana) and finished off with the churros with chocolate dipping sauce and ice cream, which DOZENS of people had raved about it.
The girls couldn’t get enough of the churros, but I realized that churros in general are not actually my favorite thing. They just taste SO fried to me, and it’s hard for me to get past that.
I WANT to like them because I love cinnamon and sugar in basically any form, but I just need it to not be on a piece of deep fried dough (I don’t know why churros don’t do it for me, when deep fried dough in doughnut form is a-okay with me. I don’t question, I just eat doughnuts).
When we got home, I thought churro popcorn might be worth trying out since it could have that cinnamon sugar flavor without all the frying.
Turns out? Churro popcorn is definitely worth trying.
It’s the perfect after-school snack or movie night treat.
And it’s definitely cheaper than a trip to Chicago or Disneyland.
If you like this churro popcorn recipe, you might also like these:
Churro Popcorn Recipe
Churro Caramel Popcorn
Need a state fair or Disneyland churro fix but don't want to make your own? Try this churro popcorn with caramel sauce and plenty of cinnamon sugar. No frying required just one large bowl!
Ingredients
- 1 bag plain microwave popcorn popped (you should have about 10-12 cups at the end)
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
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After your popcorn is popped, pour it into a large mixing bowl (I cover my bowl with a wire cooling rack and then shake out all the popcorn kernels so we don't have to fly to Vegas and have my dad repair broken teeth).
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In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together, and then let cook at a low boil for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the soda and vanilla. Stir well and then pour over your popcorn, stirring until your popcorn is well-coated.
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Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar mixture, then sprinkle a tablespoon at a time over the popcorn, stirring to make sure everything gets a nice sugar-y coat.
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Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Note: I never buy microwave popcorn. I just stick about 2 Tablespoons of popcorn seeds in a brown lunch sack, fold the top over a couple of times, and then microwave it for 2 minutes and you have yourself some popped popcorn! Way cheaper and no chemicals and fake ingredients involved. I do two bags to get about 10-12 cups.
Your method for cooking popcorn is GENIUS. Thank you!
This looks so delicious! And I love how you pop your own popcorn instead of buying the bags, that's awesome, and such a money saver!
This looks so good! I don't like churros, either. Mainly because I don't like crunchy things. Fried is OK, as long as its soft like a doughnut:)
So glad you were able to make it to Xoco! When we lived in Chicago we went there about once a week and now every time I fly through O'Hare I have to make a Rick Bayless stop.
That sound delicious! Mmmmmm… !
I shall have to try it. Noelle just taught me that cooling rack trick last week!
Mmmm… this looks delicious. I might have to make this… for lunch. 🙂
I'm not a huge churro fan because they usually just don't feel worth the calories to me, with the exception of the ones at Disneyland. They are a different breed. Maybe because they have crack in them. Or because everything is more magical and delicious at Disneyland.
I've never thought of using a rack to get kernels out–I do it painstakingly by hand, loading from one bowl to another. Thanks! I have a thing for caramel/sweet popcorns. I'll try this tomorrow (since I already have banana chocolate chip bread in the oven).
Omg this looks soo good! and it's really hilarious that Vanilla Ice is looking at me from the side of your blog with his mac and cheese. I can't stop laughing!
What a great idea! I always feel so guilty when eating churros but love the cinnamony taste too, so this would be lovely to snack on.
Tamsin xx | A Certain Adventure
looks so yummy! can't wait to give it a try!!!!
I have been wanting to make this since you posted this. Today is the day! We are going to watch a movie in the park and a simple, sweet, easy snack for the family! Thank you!
Made this tonight for our movie night! Delicious! My whole family loved it!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it.
Tried this last weekend! Super yummy, I think I ate way too much of it!
Ha! Thanks for letting me know!
This looks amazing and I’d love to make a few batches to gift for the holidays. Do you know if this will store well and if so for how long? Thank you!
I don’t know!