Golden Gaytime Popcorn - copycat recipe!
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Excellent
Golden Gaytime Popcorn - copycat recipe!
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Recipe video above. I love Golden Gaytime Popcorn. But it's expensive. So I decided to create a homemade version - with a 68% saving! It costs $8.96 to make this recipe which equates to 5 packets of Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). After inspecting the packet ingredients, it's just caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs. Easy!One batch makes 780g / 28oz, 12 cups = 5 packets of store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn.
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Ingredients
For the popcorn
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
- 1/2 cup popping corn
For the caramel
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed cup
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup (sub glucose, Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp cooking/ kosher salt
- 2 tsp toffee or caramel essence OR 1 tsp vanilla (substitute) (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb) (Note 3)
Golden Gaytime Finishes
- 1 1/4 cups dark or white chocolate melts or chips (US: semi-sweet chips), I used ~25% white and 75% dark (Note 4)
- 4 plain sweet biscuits (like Marie Crackers) (Note 5)
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Instructions
Popcorn
- Test oil - Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
- Pop - Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid. Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Then crack the lid a tiny bit - let's steam escape for crisper popcorn.
- Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.
Caramel:
- Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F (both fan and standard ovens).
- Combine - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Simmer - When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes - DO NOT STIR!
- Baking soda "foamy" - Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume.
- Coat popcorn - Quickly pour straight over popcorn, toss until caramel cools and starts to harden.
Baking to crisp caramel coating:
- Spread popcorn on 2 large paper lined baking trays.
- Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses - tossing coats popcorn more evenly with caramel. (If using glucose, bake further 15 minutes).
- Cool - Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes. Then break up the popcorn - no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!
Drizzle and crumbs
- Crumbs - Place biscuits in a ziplock bag and bash into crumbs.
- Melt chocolate - Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second increments on high, stirring in between, until melted and smooth - about 1 1/2 minutes. (If doing a small amount of white chocolate, reduce to 20 second increments).
- Piping bags - Transfer chocolate into a piping bag. Use scissors to snip a small opening at the tip. (Alternative: just drizzle with a spoon).
- Drizzle & crumb - Push the popcorn together but in a single layer. Drizzle criss-cross (or any pattern!) all over the popcorn. Sprinkle with biscuits crumbs while the chocolate is wet so it sticks.
- Fridge - Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Gently break popcorn into pieces. EAT!
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Stays crisp for at least a week. Our test batches never lasted any longer!
Notes
- Corn Syrup stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn't occur, plus makes it extra crisp and shiny. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! Can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (here) and Amazon.
- Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it's so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer (because glucose as higher water content).
- Toffee or caramel essence - Store bought Gaytime has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn!
- Baking soda/bi-carb - This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. Helps with even coverage on the popcorn. Without, you end up with big globs of caramel.
- Chocolate - Store bought Gaytime popcorn has ~50/50 white and dark chocolate drizzles. And rather skimpy at that! This homemade version is much more generous with the chocolate.
- Use any mix of dark and white chocolate you want. I used about 25% white chocolate and 75% dark chocolate.
- Be sure to use the right chocolate! Use chocolate purchased from the baking aisle (designed to melt smoothly) not eating chocolate (designed to NOT melt when warm!).
- Biscuits - Any plain sweet biscuits will work here. Just something to sprinkle on the popcorn. The Gaytime Popcorn ingredients just lists "vanilla biscuits" for the crumbs used!
- Storage - stays 100% crisp and fresh at least 1 week, probably more (caramel popcorn lasts 2 to 3 weeks). Be sure to keep it in an airtight container in a cool dry place. If it's super hot and humid, fridge is best.
- Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings. It's not diet food!
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
46g
Calories
339cal
(17%)
Carbohydrates
47g
(16%)
Protein
1g
(2%)
Fat
18g
(28%)
Saturated Fat
8g
(40%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
Monounsaturated Fat
5g
Trans Fat
0.3g
Cholesterol
19mg
(6%)
Sodium
166mg
(7%)
Potassium
101mg
(3%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
40g
(80%)
Vitamin A
223IU
(4%)
Calcium
34mg
(3%)
Iron
0.4mg
(2%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 12cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 339 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 46g | |
| Calories | 339cal | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | 47g | 16% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 19mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 166mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 101mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 40g | 80% |
| Vitamin A | 223IU | 4% |
| Calcium | 34mg | 3% |
| Iron | 0.4mg | 2% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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24 reviews
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