Pumpkin Pie Spice Popcorn with White Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup, unpopped popcorn kernals
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 5 oz chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Pop the popcorn and transfer it to a very large bowl, taking a moment to discard any kernels that did not pop.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Mix in the brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Once the mixture reaches a boil, let it bubble for 4 minutes without stirring.
3. Take the pan off the heat. Add the vanilla and baking soda, then stir until the caramel turns thick and shiny.
4. Drizzle half of the caramel over the popcorn and toss well. Add the rest of the caramel, then continue tossing until the popcorn is coated as evenly as possible.
5. Transfer the popcorn to a large rimmed cookie sheet and bake it in the heated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Let the popcorn cool all the way. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate at 50% power in 20 second bursts, stirring after each burst, until it is smooth.
7. Spoon the melted white chocolate into a piping bag or ziploc bag. Snip off a tiny corner and drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn, then leave it at room temperature until the chocolate sets.
8. Store the finished popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If using salted butter, it works fine here; reduce the salt to 1/4 tsp.