There's often quite a bit of confusion, and even apprehension, regarding just how simple it is to make flavored caramel corn.

As a practical matter, the only difference in the process is that toward the end of the caramel cooking process, you add concentrated colors and flavors to overcome the natural color and flavor of the caramel itself. Whether you want to make simple variations like Blueberry, Cherry or Birthday Cake or test more off the beaten path flavors like Kahlua, Bubble Gum or Chocolate Mint, it's all the same process.

Because there's not standard recipes or agreement on how strong flavors and colors should be, the only requirement is a bit of patience and willingness to experiment. When trying out a new flavor, you might have to make several test batches in order to get the taste and appearance that you feel is right for your market.

Beyond that, we can offer some general rules that can make the process a bit more successful.

Ingredients

Search the web and you're going to find no shortage of companies selling flavoring and colors. Prices and availability depend on the quality of the ingredients and the quantity you're purchasing. Small quantities can be found from LorAnn Oils, among others. Companies such as Carmi Flavors and Weber Flavors sell more concentrated flavoring and in larger quantities. These companies also usually sell coloring, as do countless others. Some companies specialize in just colors, like Sensient Food Colors but usually in larger volumes.

Whether you're looking for small quantities, even ordering off Amazon, or are buying in bulk, there's really no shortage of options available. But, remember, there's no agreed upon standard for flavoring. You might test 10 different "Maple Syrup" flavorings and find that each needs to be mixed in different ratios to get the flavor profile that you prefer. On the other hand, while you might find some too strong or some too weak, just about anything will taste good when mixed into sugary caramel sauce, so you'll never really end up with disaster on your hands either.

A Few Important Tips

Keep in mind that the high temperatures involved in caramelize sugar can degrade both colors and flavors. Thus, it's best to add these as late in the caramel cooking process as possible. With liquids, you can add them as late as the last minute or two and they'll work just fine. It's generally best to use "Oil Soluble" formulations rather than water based, though these will work as well.

If you're using powders, then you'll need to add them a bit earlier in order to minimize clumping. You may also want to mix them into a very small amount of oil or water to dissolve them first, but still add them in the last few minutes of caramelizing to produce better results.

When you're making batches that call for lighter colors, such as yellows, pinks or even white, then it can be helpful to adjust your caramel recipe to produce a lighter color caramel sauce to begin with. A lighter colored caramel requires less added color and will usually result in a stronger and more vibrant color in the result.

Replacing brown sugar with white sugar and eliminating molasses (if you're using either) can help by producing a lighter shade of caramel corn. Replacing butter with coconut oil also helps produce a lighter color sauce as well. In addition, adding a small amount of Cream of Tatar or Citric Acid in the beginning of your cook will lower the Ph level in your caramel which has the benefit of minimizing the "Maillard browning" effect that helps naturally give caramel corn its brown coloring.

Keep in mind, these suggestions aren't required, and won't make much difference when you're adding darker colors, but they can be very helpful when trying to create the lighter and more delicate colors.