Maple & Brown Sugar Popcorn with Bacon

Sweet and salty, with a hint of smoke, our Maple and Brown Sugar Popcorn with Bacon is the perfect treat. With just six ingredients, it's a simple snack you can make to cozy up with on the couch.

One of our favorite snacks to play around with in the kitchen is popcorn. It's a quick and simple snack that can be made healthy or not-so-healthy, depending on your mood. It works as a savory snack, sweet treat, or even as a garnish on a dinner dish. The possibilities are endless. And while we love eating it simply prepared with a little butter and salt, popcorn by design, with all its nooks and crannies, is the perfect vessel for holding the sweet maple caramel and little bacon bits our recipe features.

How to Make Our Maple and Brown Sugar Popcorn with Bacon

Ingredients for Our Maple Bacon Popcorn Recipe

Bacon, popcorn kernels, light olive oil, salted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup.

Step 1 | Brown the Bacon

Lay bacon out on a frying pan and place on medium heat. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes until crisp, turning once about halfway through cooking. Place on a paper towel to cool, then finely chop and set aside.

Step 2 | Pop the Corn

Place three kernels of corn in a large, heavy-bottom French oven with olive oil. Cover and heat on medium-high. Once you hear all three kernels pop, pour in the ⅓ cup of kernels. Cover the pot, leaving the lid about half an inch ajar. Once the corn begins to pop, shake the pan back and forth every 30 seconds until the popping slows to every 2 seconds or so. Remove from heat, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Once the popping completely stops, remove the lid to let the popcorn cool completely.

Step 3 | Make the Maple Caramel

Add the butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan. Place on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the reserved bacon and return the caramel to a boil.

Step 4 | Dress the Popcorn and Cool

Pour the caramel over the popcorn and toss using a spatula until the popcorn is evenly coated. Transfer the popcorn onto baking sheets and allow to cool for 10 minutes, until the caramel is cool and crunchy.

Elevate the Experience

There's bacon in the recipe and there's no point in hiding that fact. Kick the bacon flavor up a few more notches by making a batch of candied bacon and chopping it up to put on top or just tuck a couple of slices into your popcorn bag.

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