Easy Peppermint Caramel Corn Recipe Without Corn Syrup
This irresistible peppermint caramel corn recipe not only skips the need for corn syrup, it also features a delightful coating of white chocolate. The result? A crowd-pleasing snack that’s easy to make and perfect for cozy gatherings, gift-giving or simply treating yourself!
When gifting, I love to give a bag of this along with a bag of this classic “moose much” chocolate covered popcorn – also made in minutes with no corn syrup!
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I’ve been making this white chocolate peppermint version of my easy caramel corn recipe for years so I thought it was about time I shared it with you because it always gets all the love when I do make it!
So…imagine crispy, buttery caramel corn tossed with melted white chocolate and then sprinkled with crushed candy canes.
Then mix these delicious morsels with more of the plain caramel corn and you have this “peppermint crunch” popcorn mix that’s just the right amount of salty, sweet, crunchy, and minty.
Besides the flavor, the best part of this is that it all starts with my easy caramel corn that you make with honey – no corn syrup – in just minutes without the need for a candy thermometer. And it turns out every time!
Trust me – I’ve been making this for 20+ years and it’s never let me down. Now it’s time to make it holiday ready with all the minty goodness of peppermint bark!
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this yummy peppermint caramel corn recipe:
Ingredient Notes
- 1 batch of Honey Caramel Corn – you’ll split this in half after making, leaving one half plain.
- White chocolate – you can use broken up bars of white chocolate or chips. I prefer the chocolate bars since they usually have cocoa butter included, but when I only have the chips (like above) that’s what I use!
- Crushed peppermint candy – you can pound candy canes into pieces or do what I do and buy a convenient bag of already crushed candies to use for this and other holiday peppermint baking (and to sprinkle on your homemade peppermint mochas!!).
Make This Peppermint Caramel Corn Recipe
Here are a few helpful visual instructions – the full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Make this easy caramel corn recipe (I’m including this in the recipe card below for your convenience, but if you want to see more details, visit this post). Evenly divide the caramel corn into two large bowls. Cover one bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Melt white chocolate. Do this in a double boiler (a pot or glass bowl that fits over a pot with boiling water) or gently in the microwave. I’ve added a teaspoon of coconut oil to make it easier to melt and pour.
Step 3: Coat the caramel corn. Pour the melted white chocolate over the caramel corn in one of the large bowls. Gently stir to coat the popcorn as evenly as possible.
Step 4: Separate coated caramel corn. Dump the coated popcorn onto a large sheet of waxed paper and separate so the pieces can dry. I like to use two forks to separate them as much as possible.
Step 5: Add crushed candies. Immediately sprinkle the coated popcorn with the crushed candies. Be generous – you can use the forks to move it around if you want to get more candies on the other sides of the popcorn.
TIP: If your house is on the cool side and the chocolate starts hardening after you’ve poured it onto the paper, sprinkle your peppermint pieces BEFORE separating to be sure they get a chance to stick to the coating.
Step 6: Let dry. Leave the coated popcorn to dry overnight (or at least 8 hours) to make sure it’s fully hardened. I keep it on the waxed paper and lay another sheet of paper on top to cover it.
Step 7: Mix the caramel corn together. Once the coated popcorn is dry, remove it from the waxed paper, breaking up any clumps as needed and add it to the bowl of plain caramel corn. Toss to mix evenly.
Gifting & Storage
- For giving as gifts, I like to bag the popcorn up in large clear baggies closed with a twisty. You could also give a more substantial gift by filling a glass and bamboo storage container with the caramel corn.
TIP: Give a bag of this and the chocolate “moose munch” version together in a dollar store paper gift bag. Everyone I have given this duo to has LOVED it!
- Storing: You can make this up to two weeks in advance when kept in airtight bags or containers at room temperature.
- Freezing: Surprisingly, I’ve found this also freezes well – I pulled it out after a month and found it was perfect when defrosted!
More Popular Treats to Try
- Homemade Monkey Bread From Scratch (and Make Ahead Option)
- Oat & Whole Wheat Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix Jar Gift (+ Printable Tags)
- 20+ Favorite Christmas Cookies and Candies
I hope you enjoy this peppermint caramel corn recipe – if you make it, be sure to leave a rating and review so I know how you liked it!
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Easy Peppermint Caramel Corn Recipe Without Corn Syrup
Equipment
- 2 large bowls
- waxed paper or parchment paper
Ingredients
1 Batch Caramel Corn Made with Honey: (See this recipe for more details)
- 2/3 cup unpopped popcorn
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For Peppermint Caramel Corn:
- 12 ounces white chocolate ,chopped or chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
- 1.5 tablespoon crushed peppermint candies or more as needed
Instructions
Make the Honey Caramel Corn:
- Heat oven to 250 degrees. Pop the popcorn and spread it in a large, oiled roasting pan. Put the pan in the oven to stay warm and crisp (it also helps to spread the hot caramel evenly on warm popcorn).
- Combine the butter, sugars, honey, and salt in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir while mixture melts and starts gently bubbling. Set a timer for 5 minutes and stir constantly while mixture gently boils.
- At the end of 5 minutes, remove from heat. Take the pan of popcorn out of the oven and pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn, stirring to coat the popcorn evenly.
- Return to oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring once at the 15 minute mark and again when it’s done (a piece removed with a spoon should be crisp to the bite).
- While caramel corn is cooking, prep a cooling area on a counter with two large pieces of waxed paper (or parchment).
- Immediately pour the hot caramel corn onto the waxed paper and spread evenly to cool, breaking up bigger pieces with a fork so that there will be smaller pieces to coat with the white chocolate.
Make Peppermint Caramel Corn:
- Once the honey caramel corn is made, evenly divide it into two large bowls. Cover one bowl and set aside.
- Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil or butter in a double boiler (a pot or glass bowl that fits over a pot with boiling water) or gently in the microwave. (The coconut oil or butter is added to make it easier to melt and pour.)
- Pour the melted white chocolate over the caramel corn in one of the large bowls. Gently stir to coat the popcorn as evenly as possible.
- Dump the coated popcorn onto a large sheet of waxed paper and separate so the pieces can dry. TIP: Use two forks to separate them as much as possible.
- Immediately sprinkle the coated popcorn with the crushed candies. Be generous – you can use the forks to move it around if you want to get more candies on the other sides of the popcorn.
- Leave the coated popcorn to dry overnight (or at least 8 hours) to make sure it's fully hardened. TIP: keep it on the waxed paper and lay another sheet of paper on top to cover it and use a large cookie sheet if you need to move it.
- Once the coated popcorn is dry, remove it from the waxed paper, breaking up any clumps as needed and add it to the bowl of plain caramel corn. Toss the plain caramel corn and the coated corn together to mix evenly.
Notes
- Storing: You can make this up to two weeks in advance when kept in airtight bags or containers at room temperature.
- Freezing: Surprisingly, I’ve found this also freezes well – I pulled it out after a month and found it was perfect when defrosted!
Nutrition
