Nutella Caramel Corn

Nutella caramel corn is my favorite go-to snack. Simple, sweet, and totally crunchable, Nutella lovers everywhere need this in their lives!

Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, as I did, can be boring at times. And by at times, I mean ALL THE TIME. I lived for babysitter’s club books as a kid, soaking in every detail of Stacey’s sophisticated life in NYC because I was sure that was where I was supposed to be living. I begged my parents to move there. Repeatedly. And was told, repeatedly, that Eugene is a great place to raise children and that someday I’d be grateful for my childhood.

While I’m grateful for some things about my childhood (like the opportunity to spend most of my time outside) others I could have lived without—like the fact that the Pacific Northwest is allotted only three days of sunshine a year. Hence my move to San Diego as soon as that opportunity presented itself.

Other things I didn’t need:

Not knowing until I was a fully grown adult that Birkenstocks aren’t acceptable footwear at nice restaurants. Really, Eugene people! The rest of the world frowns on this, even if you wear your nicest pair. (I know!)

Thinking it’s normal for the smell of patchouli to permeate everything in the downtown area. I’m still surprised when I’m in downtown San Diego and I smell normal city smells—exhaust fumes and pizza and people who don’t bathe.

For that matter, thinking it’s normal to wear tie-dye t-shirts full of holes to work. In an office. A real office. (Although fortunately I grew up with parents who taught me not to do that.)

Never being more than 12 minutes away from anything. I detest traffic more than anything in life and can’t fathom how anyone commutes to work in the morning. I’m sure this is a direct result of growing up in such a small town.

But as a vegetarian I’m glad I grew up in such a veg-friendly place. Nowhere else on earth do regular restaurants cater so well to people like me. And being from Oregon has basically made me immune to rain. I never worry whether I have an umbrella because, as a native Oregonian, I never use one.

Most of all though, I’m grateful for having grown up in a small college town, where the only thing happening in the fall is Duck football, and in the winter, Duck basketball. This gave me a sense of community and gave me an excuse to fill my wardrobe with green and yellow clothing. The Ducks have such cheerful colors!

If you follow college sports at all you know that Duck teams have not always been as successful as they have been in recent years. (Obviously I’m not counting this past football season. That was just ugly.)

Men’s basketball is doing great this year though! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll get a really good seed in the NCAA tournament. Because I’m such an optimist I have the recipe for my basketball-watching snack ready to go.

Nutella caramel corn. The name alone is dreamy, isn’t it? Nutella. Caramel corn. (Side note: why does spell check not recognize Nutella? Is it a sign that I should be calling this “chocolate hazelnut spread caramel corn”? Not gonna happen. We all know what chocolate hazelnut spread means.)

I’m going to have to make another batch because you know this one didn’t last more than a few minutes after I finished shooting it. True life. My stomach is killing me and my head is throbbing from the sugar but it was worth it.

Nutella caramel corn is always worth it.

Note: you’ll probably notice different formatting in the recipe below. I’m using a different recipe card plug-in because the one I’d used forever suddenly stopped working. I guess I’ll have to drown my sorrows in more caramel corn. Life is rough.

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Nutella Caramel Corn

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

This Nutella caramel corn will be your new favorite treat on movie night!

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add popcorn kernels and the pot. Shaking pan frequently, cook several minutes, until the popping slows. Once popping has slowed, remove from the heat and allow to sit until popping stops. Pour popcorn into a disposable roasting pan.
3. Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in Nutella and vanilla. Stir until Nutella has melted and mixture is smooth. Drizzle over popcorn and stir to coat. Bake popcorn for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Adapted from Myrecipes.com.