My neighbor asked me for a Poppycock recipe last year and I said I had never made it before. She nearly fell over!!! Never made poppycock??!!! We had made caramel popcorn before but not poppycock.
No, for some reason I hadn’t. My first kick at the cat was not very successful last Christmas, so I put Ken on the job now to do his best. He likes to try out new and different recipes; I was helping out with my two cents; in the end, the results were fantastic!
We love making treats here like Garlic Rosemary Olive Oil Popcorn, Almond Roca, Easy Chocolate Walnut Fudge, Microwave Peanut Brittle, and Peanut Butter Popcorn or Popcorn Balls with Peanuts. Also check out our 37 DIY Homemade Christmas Gifts for a lot more ideas!!
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How to Make Poppycock
Obviously, you have to start with popcorn. The best popcorn for this is made the old fashion way with a popcorn popper; microwave popcorn is not what you are going to want to use. Using 2 large baking sheet pans divide the popcorn and nuts between them. We use a mixture of nuts, like almonds, peanuts, pecans, and cashew.
In a large saucepan over medium heat bring the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a boil while stirring. Continue to boil the mixture, cook for 5 minutes without stirring.
You don’t even need a candy thermometer for this recipe. Then just remove from heat, stir in vanilla and baking soda. Some recipes use cream of tartar but we stuck with baking soda.
Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and nuts and mix well to make sure everything is coated. Bake them in a 225 degree F oven for an hour, stirring every 10 minutes.
Allow the popcorn mixture to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to a few weeks but as if it would last that long, never would in this household.
You and I both now have an easy poppycock recipe for any occasion!!! It makes a lot, but if you are going to the trouble might as well make double.
What Does Poppycock Really Mean?
Today the definition of Poppycock is senseless chatter; nonsense. Kind of a fun term for this fun treat!!
It is believed that Poppycock, the treat you see here, was invented by Howard Vair in the 1950s as a snack to accompany him on road trips.
In 1960, Wander, a Swiss company, bought the rights to Poppycock and moved production to their Villa Park, Illinois, facility.
It has been a family favorite of ours for years but we had never made it before. I am glad we were prompted by our neighbor to come up with this delicious recipe for ourselves and for you!!
Enjoy this over the holiday season but also it makes a great treat for long car rides, picnics and other gatherings at any time of the year. Also makes a great present to bring to a hostess or as a treat to a potluck! Everyone loves Poppycock!!
Old picture of our recipe in case you have this already pinned.
Poppycock Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 24 cups popped popcorn
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup of corn syrup
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 4-5 cups mixed roasted unsalted nuts
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225F.
- Place popped popcorn on two large baking sheets or roasting pans and divided nuts among the two pans.
- Salt the popcorn.
- In a large saucepan bring butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Let boil for 5 min. on medium heat without stirring.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.
- Pour over the popcorn and stir to coat.
- Place the pans in the oven. If they both don’t fit you will have to bake one and then the other or you can halve the recipe.
- Stir every 10 min. so that the mixture does not burn. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool completely and then store in Ziploc bags or sealed containers. Yum!!
Comments & Reviews
Laurie says
It tastes delicious, but I’m wondering if I did something wrong. The nuts aren’t sticking to the popcorn. Any suggestions?
Ken Noland says
Hmmm, I’ve never had this problem. The caramel should be sticky enough to make things clump together.
Beach buggy racing says
Homemade poppycock is the perfect snack for fueling up during intense Beach Buggy Racing sessions! Its caramel-coated crunch and mixed nuts bring energy to keep you sharp while navigating tricky tracks. Pack some for a gaming night or outdoor racing-themed gathering—it’s as satisfying as crossing the finish line in first place!
Tara Noland says
Glad you are enjoying it!
Cindy says
I am not sure what I did wrong. I stirred constantly till it boiled then I set my timer for 5 min and did not stir while it boiled. The nuts of course ar amazing but the popcorn isn’t crunchy like it was after popping but it’s chewy. 🙄
Great flavor just chewy
Tara Noland says
Did you bake it after that? You need to do that and if you did you probably needed to do it just a bit longer.
Sharon Deane says
I’ve been making Poppycock for my friends and family for several years. Unfortunately, due to the strike at the Rogers company, where most of the sugar in our part of the world comes from, I may not be able to acquire any brown sugar in time for Christmas. Would this recipe work with white sugar and maybe a touch of molasses? I do have a small container of Turbinado sugar, if that would be better. Any thoughts?
Tara Noland says
I think I have the solution to your problem. Have a look at this recipe that doesn’t use brown sugar but white sugar and molasses. https://noshingwiththenolands.com/copycat-cracker-jack/
David says
I think using white sugar makes caramel instead of toffee I think
ClearHolidays™ says
Fantastic recipe! Used a mix of roasted nuts and the house smells amazing. Any tips to know when it’s done besides time? Planning to gift them in cute Christmas tins from the dollar store. Prep the nuts before starting the rest!
Tara Noland says
Time is probably the best way to know it is done, after making it a few times you may pick up on other things.
Cyfra says
Great recipe, reminds me of cinema, greasy fingers and Coke !
Tara Noland says
LOL, all sounds good to me!!
novak jacket 23 says
Your recipe looking so delicious i want to try it.
Ken Noland says
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
casery says
Great amazing stuff here. I am very glad to see your article. Thank
you very much..!
You are appreciated for all you do. Thank you so much.” “The work you
do is important and so appreciated.” “Sending a little heartfelt
appreciation your way today!”
Flappy Bird says
Great recipe
Tara Noland says
Thank you!
Tamara says
Perfect recipe 😋. Doesn’t take long before it’s all eaten up. We drizzled chocolate on it after all done as well…super good and easy to make.
Tara Noland says
So glad you liked it!! Chocolate would send it over the top!!
The Wiki Inc says
Never, what! I can’t wait to make it and share it with my family during the holidays!
Tara Noland says
We sure love to make this now and even during the year too! So good!!
Trish says
I’ve been making this exact recipe for years. It’s definitely the best. I make it every year for my grandkids for Halloween
Tara Noland says
It is a favorite of ours too!! Happy Halloween!!
framed game says
An easy, delicous, addictive treat. We made this to give as gifts for Christmas. There was no amt on nuts We added 2 Cups of nuts per batch. Made for PRMR.
Tara Noland says
It says 4-5 cups of roasted unsalted nuts on the recipe card but you can add what you like.
among us says
Can you store caramel popcorn in the fridge?
Tara Noland says
You can but it may get a bit chewy. We just keep ours at room temperature.
Christi says
Awesome thank you!
Christi says
Hello! My baby shower is on Saturday and we are planning on making this as favours. Any idea how many days ahead we can make it? I was going to package them in individual sized paper bags and then store in like a Rubbermaid container. My dad has lots of sentimental love towards poppy cock so we are super excited to make this for a special occasion!
Tara Noland says
It stores in an air-tight container for a week, ours never lasts that long as we gobble it down. Careful with the paper bags though as it might make grease stains and make them not so attractive looking. You could put the poppycock first into a small sandwich bag and then the paper bags. That would ensure freshness too.
Vanessa says
This recipe is very good, it’s making my mouth water just by reading
Tara Noland says
We make this all the time and just love it!
Ana Clara says
I loved the recipe, very tasty and easy to make. Congratulations on the site !!!
Tara Noland says
Thank you so much, we are itching to make this again!!
Carol says
Great recipe. Have included walnut, cashews almond and pecans – roasted all of them gently in the oven. We purchased large bags of raw nuts at Costco. It is baking now – smells so good. Is there any way to tell (other than the time) when it is done? I purchased pretty Christmas tins from the $ store to store this and give as gifts. Suggest you get the nuts roasted and ready before you start the rest.
Tara Noland says
You just don’t want the caramel to get too dark in color that would be the sign it is burning but about an hour really seems to work well.
Debbie says
Can’t wait to try this, I am making this for my family for Christmas! Thank you for the recipe, Merry Christmas!
Tara Noland says
I hope you enjoy it, Merry Christmas to you and your family!!
jackie cady says
This is Awesome My dad is addicted to poppycock ( from Bj’s Warehouse) he just found their cashew (his favorite nut). After he finishes the containers he has I may try to make some and refill the container to see if he notices its not the store one, lol.
Tara Noland says
LOL, enjoy!!
Kim G says
Curious… could he tell the difference?