Salted Caramel Popcorn

Joe’s top tip... Popcorn does not like moisture, so please make sure all your utensils, bowls and trays are totally dry before you start.

1. We recommend popping your Gourmet Popping Kernels using an air-popper and then skipping to step 5, but if you don’t have an air-popper to hand then fear not, steps 2-4 have you covered.

2. Gently heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat.

3. Carefully add a pouch of Gourmet Popping Kernels to the saucepan and cover. Make sure the lid is secured tightly.

4. The Gourmet Popping Kernels will soon start to POP! Shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking and when the popping stops popping, remove the pan from the heat. Keep the saucepan covered until you are certain the popping has finished and then carefully remove the lid.

BOILING THE CARAMEL (careful now!)

5. Taking care to remove any unpopped kernels, weigh out 45g of Popcorn and transfer this to a heat-proof mixing bowl. If you have any additional Popcorn, please season and enjoy as an extra snack!

6. Remove the lid from your Joe & Seph’s Caramel Sauce jar and heat in a microwave on high for 25 seconds to soften the sauce and then pour into a microwaveable jug.

Careful: Don’t exceed more than 25 seconds in the microwave at this stage.

7. In the microwaveable jug, heat the caramel sauce on high for 40 seconds in a 900w microwave or 55 seconds in a 700w microwave. Keep an eye on the caramel sauce while cooking and once the liquid is boiling remove from the microwave using oven gloves. Careful it will be very hot!

COATING YOUR POPCORN

8. Using oven gloves, pour the hot Caramel Sauce over the Popcorn. Quickly stir using a pair of heat-proof spoons, trying to coat all the popcorn pieces in the caramel. The sauce will cool quickly, but don’t worry if you’ve missed some pieces as you’ll remix them later in the cooking process. Joe’s top tip... Add some popcorn pieces to the microwaveable jug and stir, to soak up any remaining caramel sauce. Transfer these coated pieces into the mixing bowl.

BAKING YOUR POPCORN

9. Transfer to a large baking tray and spread out your Popcorn so it forms a single layer. Then pop the tray into a pre-heated oven for 7 minutes at 120°C.

10. After 7 minutes bring the tray out of the oven, the caramel will now have softened. Stir the popcorn in the tray to evenly coat each piece, then using heat-proof spoons spread the popcorn out again into a single layer and return it to the oven for a further 23 minutes.

11. Once cooked, bring the baking tray out of the oven and stir for one minute to separate all the popcorn pieces.

THE BEST PART!

12. Allow to cool for a few minutes, until the popcorn pieces become crispy and cool enough to touch! Then transfer to a serving bowl… and voilà! Your homemade, Salted Caramel Gourmet Popcorn is ready to enjoy! Joe’s top tip... If you prefer a crispier texture, then pop your Gourmet Popcorn back into the oven for a further 10 minutes at 120°C. If you’ve made your Gourmet Popcorn in advance and want to enjoy it warm later, then before serving return it to the oven for 10 minutes at 90°C