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This simple, fool-proof caramel corn is so crispy and sweet! The microwave method ensures that every kernel is lightly coated. So pop up the corn, grab a brown paper bag, and let’s make this easy Paper Bag Microwave Caramel Corn!

It’s the time of year where I want to curl up with Teddy, a good movie and my bowl of this delicious snack. I can’t seem to keep Teddy away from the bowl.

Other recipes

In a traditional caramel corn recipe, the caramel is prepared on the stove and cooked to 250 degrees. Baking soda and vanilla is added and your mixture becomes even more sticky. The sticky mixture is quicky stirred into the caramel corn. Good luck with that step. It can really form clumps. Then the caramel corn gets turned out onto a cookie sheet and baked some more. For about 45 minutes of your life.

The paper bag

Did I mention that you need a brown paper bag for this recipe? There are really no substitutes. You obviously can’t use plastic. And you can’t shake the popcorn well enough in a bowl. So you’re just going to have to bring one of these home from the super market. Bag your groceries in paper this time. Or just ask them for a paper sack and any good Midwestern grocery store will just pack it in with your groceries for free.

The Microwave Method

With this recipe, you stir the caramel ingredients and let them cook together in the microwave. This recipe is tested on a 1000 watt microwave oven, but you can adjust the timing for yours using this guide. It’s important to get the timing right so that your caramel is cooked perfectly.

It’s in the bag

After the caramel sauce is ready, pour it into your paper bag filled with popcorn, baking soda and vanilla. You can add the baking soda and vanilla to your caramel sauce and stir this together before adding to the bag. But I prefer adding the baking soda and vanilla to the corn for a few reasons. Reason 1: Even though the vanilla appears to dissolve some of your popcorn kernels, you’ll never notice it later. Reason 2: As soon as you add that baking soda, the caramel begins to thicken and harden. Which makes it more difficult to add into your bag. Instead of the caramel beginning to harden in your bowl, it begins to harden on your popcorn.

Shake, shake, shake

After you’ve added the caramel sauce to the popcorn in the paper bag, it’s time to shake it. Curl down the end of your paper bag, hold it shut and shake vigorously! Microwave, thirty seconds at a time, shaking again after each minute, until your corn is fully cooked. The better you shake it, the more evenly it will be coated.

Cool and enjoy

After you’ve completed the cooking time, simply rip open the bag and pour the contents out onto wax paper or a lined baking sheet. Spread out your popcorn and let it cool and harden. Then you can dig in with Teddy.

I’d love to hear how you and your teddy enjoyed this recipe! Hopefully you had enough to share with friends and family. If not, you can always share the recipe instead.