Golden Gaytime Popcorn - copycat recipe!
User Reviews
5
Golden Gaytime Popcorn - copycat recipe!
Description
Golden Gaytime Popcorn captures the unique texture and flavor of caramel-coated popcorn inspired by the popular treat. Starting with freshly popped popcorn prepared to retain crispness, this recipe uses a caramel made by melting butter with brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt, then simmering and aerating it with baking soda and toffee essence. This causes the caramel to foam, allowing for a lighter but thorough popcorn coating. Once coated, the popcorn is finished with a generous drizzle of both dark and white chocolate melts, which enhances the sweetness and adds a creamy texture. Finally, crushed plain sweet biscuits provide an additional crunch and a hint of vanilla flavor.
The popcorn is prepared on the stovetop by testing oil temperature, popping the kernels with occasional shaking to prevent burning, and releasing steam to maintain crispness. The caramel is carefully blended without stirring during simmering to avoid crystallization and baked for texture stability when corn syrup is substituted. After coating the popcorn with warm caramel, it is spread in a large bowl to cool before the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs are applied. The result is a snack with layers of crispy popcorn, sticky yet airy caramel, silky chocolate, and crunchy biscuit bits.
Once prepared, the snack is best stored in an airtight container to retain crispness for at least a week. It can be a special homemade treat for gatherings or as a dessert accompaniment. The texture contrast and caramel flavor make it ideal for enjoying with tea or coffee.
Note that using glucose syrup instead of corn syrup requires adjusting baking time due to moisture content. Selecting baking aisle chocolate melts ensures smooth melting for drizzling. Crushing biscuits to retain some crunch adds to the overall texture complexity. These practical details contribute to a successful replication of the treat.
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 butter unsalted
- 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed cup
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup (sub glucose, Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt cooking
- 2 tsp toffee essence substitute) (Note 2, or caramel essence, or 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking soda Note 3, aka bi-carb
Golden Gaytime Finishes
- 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate melts US: semi-sweet chips), I used ~25% white and 75% dark (Note 4, or white chocolate melts or chips
- 4 sweet biscuits like Marie Crackers) (Note 5, plain
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 prevents sugar crystallization in the caramel, keeping it shiny and crisp.
- Glucose syrup can replace corn syrup but requires longer baking time due to higher moisture.
- Toffee or caramel essence adds a stronger artificial caramel flavor; vanilla essence is a milder substitute.
- Baking soda added to caramel makes it foam, promoting even popcorn coverage without big caramel clumps.
- Use baking aisle chocolate melts, not regular eating chocolate, for smooth melting and drizzling.
- Any plain sweet biscuits can be crushed for topping; retain some crunch for texture contrast.
- Store finished popcorn in an airtight container in a cool, dry place to maintain crispness for at least one week.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition 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.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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