Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn Recipe

Bacon makes everything better – including this recipe for spicy caramel bacon popcorn. It’s the perfect movie night snack!

If you’ve been reading long, it’s no secret I’m a popcorn recipe fanatic. From healthy snack to decadent treat, I love how versatile it is. I first made this Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn Recipe for a backyard movie night.  My first thought was that it sounded too good to be true.  Sweet, salty, bacon, caramel?  All in one recipe? Could it be too much of a good thing?

Easy Recipe for Movie Night

I assure you it is not. It’s just the right amount of heavenly deliciousness, and perfect for your next movie night! Even better, a backyard movie night! That’s actually one of my goals this summer, is to figure out a way to set up for movies on our porch or backyard. Either that or attend one of the many outdoor movie screenings held in the parks here in San Francisco.

Oh, and can we talk about making bacon in the oven? What a genius idea! No grease splatters all over my stove top and perfectly flat, gorgeous bacon every time. It’s so so easy and only takes 15 minutes.

Let’s face it, that picture wasn’t enough. More bacon, mo’ better:

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Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn Recipe

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Bacon makes everything better – including this recipe for spicy caramel bacon popcorn. It’s the perfect movie night snack!

• Author: Kelly Egan - A Side of Sweet
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 10 cups, 1 cup = 1 serving 1x
• Category: Snacks
• Method: Oven + Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 10 slices of bacon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 10 cups of popped popcorn (1 cup kernels)
• 3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoon fine sea salt

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Instructions

1. Line bacon side-by-side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, until crispy and brown. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Press the tops with another layer of paper towels. When cool, cut into small pieces.
2. Mix the baking soda and cayenne pepper and set aside.
3. Prepare a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchenaid bowl) by spraying generously with cooking spray. Also, coat two spatulas with cooking spray. Dump the popcorn in the bowl.
4. Combine sugar, butter, salt, and water in a medium saucepan. Cook without stirring on high heat, until it becomes light golden-yellow caramel. This takes about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and add the soda/cayenne mixture. Careful, as the mixture will bubble up! Add the bacon bits.
5. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and toss until coated evenly. Pour the popcorn onto a large baking pan and flatten and break into small pieces. Cool to room temp and serve, or store in an airtight container. The popcorn will keep up to four days in the fridge.

Notes

Recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

P.S. – This recipe was actually initially published on my site in July 2012! I hope you enjoy this much-needed update! Curious to see what my photography looked like when I was just getting started 5 years ago? Take a look:

P.P.S. – Looking for more fun popcorn recipes? Check out this recipe for white chocolate confetti popcorn: