Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Golden Gaytime popcorn (copycat) Recipe
Right here’s a copycat recipe for Australia’s (present) favorite confectionary – Golden Gaytime Popcorn! Caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs, it’s ridiculously addictive however fairly costly. Save a fortune by making it your self!
Popcorn and sweet lovers alike have been in a tizzy of pleasure with Golden Gaytime Popcorn was first launched. Yours actually included. The chatter between closet popcorn-loving mates, nonetheless, shortly moved from “Far out, that is loopy good!” to “OMG are you able to consider it’s so costly”??
Named as such as a result of it’s a popcorn model of a beloved Australian’s ice cream known as Golden Gaytime, one packet of the Gaytime popcorn is $5.75 for 100g (3.5 oz). A small bag with simply 2 cups of Gaytime popcorn. I can’t afford to feed my dependancy!!
Which, after all, result in what was affectionately dubbed The Gaytime Popcorn Challenge – a do-it-yourself model I used to be assured I may create for 80% cheaper. How’d I do? My report card is on the backside of the submit!
Retailer-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn
A fast inspection of the components label was all I wanted to provide you with a copycat recipe. It’s actually simply caramel popcorn with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.
Nevertheless, my do-it-yourself Gaytime Popcorn is way extra beneficiant on the chocolate drizzling (oh, why not? 😇). And also you received’t break the financial institution!
Hmm, I did a “sprinkling of biscuit crumbs”, didn’t I. Nevertheless it seems to be extra like I’m assertively throwing biscuit crumbs within the picture under. You need biscuit crumbs? Right here’s your biscuit crumbs!!! 😂
Right here’s what you should make this. The primary half covers the caramel popcorn, then the second half covers the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs.
Caramel popcorn components
Right here’s what you want for the caramel popcorn:
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Corn syrup – This stabilises the caramel to make sure sugar crystallisation doesn’t happen, offers the caramel a pleasant shiny end that’s crisp fairly than sticky. Widespread grocery merchandise within the US and Canada ! It may be bought on-line in Australia from USAFoods.com.au and Amazon.
Glucose is an ideal substitute for corn syrup which is on the market in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a bit tougher to measure out as a result of it’s so thick. Nevertheless, the popcorn must be baked for quarter-hour longer to verify the caramel coating dries out and turns into crisp. It is because glucose has barely increased water content material.
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Baking soda / bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating grow to be form of foamy and improve in quantity if you whisk it in. It helps get even protection of caramel on the popcorn. With out the baking soda, you find yourself with huge globs of caramel. It may’t be substituted with baking powder.
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Toffee, caramel or vanilla essence – Retailer-bought Gaytime popcorn has a stronger albeit extra synthetic caramel flavour than do-it-yourself. To duplicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. In any other case, simply persist with vanilla like regular caramel popcorn. It’s truthfully not an enormous deal, the popcorn nonetheless has a beautiful caramel-y flavour.
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Brown sugar fairly than white sugar, for higher caramel flavour.
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Butter – For flavour. Not margarine or different options. I can’t predict what that can do to the crispness of the caramel coating.
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Oil – Something impartial flavoured like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. That is for cooking the popcorn. It doesn’t work as nicely with butter (as a result of butter is ~15% water and dairy, not simply fats).
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Popping corn! It’s normally offered within the potato crisps aisle in grocery shops right here in Australia.
Chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs
For the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs, you simply want chocolate appropriate for melting and a few plain biscuits to crush up then sprinkle on the popcorn.
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Chocolate -You should utilize a mix of darkish and white chocolate, as I’ve carried out (just like the store-bought Gaytime popcorn combine), or only one or the opposite.
Use a chocolate bought from the baking aisle fairly than consuming chocolate. Baking chocolate is purpose-made for melting and cooking with, whereas consuming chocolate is definitely usually designed particularly so it doesn’t soften when heat! I usually use “melts” for melting and chocolate chips for issues like chocolate chip cookies as they’re designed to carry their form when cookies are baked.
For these of you within the US, semi-sweet chocolate chips is ideal.
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Plain biscuits – A signature a part of Golden Gaytime Popcorn is the sprinkling of crushed biscuits on the popcorn. The components label specifies that it’s vanilla biscuits. Actually although, any plain candy biscuits will work simply tremendous!
Merely make caramel popcorn then end with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkle of biscuit crumbs. It’ll keep crisp and contemporary for a minimum of every week – I’m positive it’s going to final for longer (caramel popcorn lasts for weeks). However each check batch I made mysteriously disappeared earlier than I may end testing the shelf life!!
1. Pop popcorn
Pop your popcorn kernels utilizing your methodology of selection – range or popcorn maker, in case you have one (I do, however for some cause digging it out of the again of the cabinet looks as if extra effort than cooking the popcorn on the range).
Right here’s find out how to cook dinner popcorn on the range.
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Check kernels – Warmth oil in a big pot over medium warmth. Add just a few items of popcorn and wait till it pops, then shortly take away.
Add remaining popcorn, elevate off range to shake and unfold corn out evenly. Cowl with a lid.
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Shake! As soon as the popcorn begins popping in earnest, shake the pot gently as soon as. Take away from warmth when the popping stops (when you possibly can rely to three between pops) and switch to a (very!) massive bowl.
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To make the caramel soften butter in a saucepan over medium warmth. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir till simply mixed.
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Simmer – When it begins to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR! This may occasionally trigger the sugar to crystallise so that you received’t find yourself with a clean caramel.
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Baking soda “foamy” – Take away from warmth then shortly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. Once you cease whisking, the caramel will foam and improve in quantity. That is what makes the caramel coat the popcorn evenly. With out the baking soda, you find yourself with thick heavy globs of caramel on the popcorn and it’s not possible to toss.
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Coat popcorn – Shortly pour the foamy caramel straight over the popcorn and toss to coat the popcorn as greatest you possibly can till the caramel cools and begins to harden.
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Bake for 45 minutes, tossing each 10 minutes or so. The caramel will remelt for the primary 2-3 tosses so it coats the popcorn extra evenly.
REMINDER: If utilizing glucose as an alternative of corn syrup, bake for an additional quarter-hour.
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Cool – Take away from oven, depart to chill on the tray for 20 minutes so the caramel hardens. Then break up the popcorn – no must be too pedantic, clumps are nice!
Gaytime the popcorn!
OK, so time to rework our caramel popcorn into Gaytime Popcorn! Right here’s how:
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Bash the biscuits into crumbs both in a ziplock bag or utilizing a mortar and pestle.
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Soften the chocolate within the microwave (I exploit this) or bain-marie (bowl set over simmering water).
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Switch the melted chocolate right into a piping bag. This makes it simpler to get even protection and zig-zag chocolate drizzles such as you get with the shop purchased Gaytime popcorn. However when you favor, you possibly can simply use a spoon for drizzling.
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Prepared for drizzling!
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Drizzle the chocolate all around the popcorn in no matter sample you like. There aren’t any guidelines! Besides – intention for even protection. No one desires to be the unfortunate one that will get a handful of chocolate-less popcorn!
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Sprinkle the popcorn with the biscuit crumbs whereas the chocolate continues to be moist. The biscuits will persist with the chocolate half solely, and it sort of sticks in concentrated (albeit small) patches so you possibly can style it a bit of higher. I most well-liked this methodology fairly than sprinkling it on the caramel popcorn while within the oven (the crumbs sort of obtained misplaced).
As soon as the chocolate units – I pace issues up by popping the trays within the fridge for quarter-hour – it’s able to dive in!!
In concept, Gaytime Popcorn ought to keep contemporary and crisp so long as Caramel Popcorn which has a wonderful shelf lifetime of a number of weeks.
Check batches made it to across the 1 week mark efficiently earlier than mysteriously disappearing. So I can’t say for positive, however I’m assured it ought to final for a minimum of 2 weeks. Simply be sure it’s saved in an hermetic container in a cool and dry place. If moisture will get in and/or it’s sizzling and humid, the caramel coating will get sticky and chewy so it will get caught in your enamel.
This was a jar meant for gifting. It by no means obtained gifted. 🤭
I boldly said after I began on the Gaytime Popcorn Challenge that I believed I may make it for 80% lower than store-bought.
We’ve run the numbers and the outcomes are in.
One batch prices $8.96 to make which equates to five packets of retailer purchased Gaytime Popcorn which prices $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). That’s a 68% saving!
So, I used to be 12% off. However nonetheless. I’d by no means spend $28.75 for five packets of Gaytime. However I’d spend $8.96 to make a batch of this any day of the week – and twice for film evening! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
- 1/2 cup popping corn
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed cup
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup (sub glucose, Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp cooking/ kosher salt
- 2 tsp toffee or caramel essence OR 1 tsp vanilla (substitute) (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb) (Note 3)
- 1 1/4 cups dark or white chocolate melts or chips (US: semi-sweet chips), I used ~25% white and 75% dark (Note 4)
- 4 plain sweet biscuits (like Marie Crackers) (Note 5)
Instructions
- Test oil – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
- Pop – Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid. Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Then crack the lid a tiny bit – let's steam escape for crisper popcorn.
- Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F (both fan and standard ovens).
- Combine – Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Simmer – When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR!
- Baking soda "foamy" – Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume.
- Coat popcorn – Quickly pour straight over popcorn, toss until caramel cools and starts to harden.
- Spread popcorn on 2 large paper lined baking trays.
- Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses – tossing coats popcorn more evenly with caramel. (If using glucose, bake further 15 minutes).
- Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!
- Crumbs – Place biscuits in a ziplock bag and bash into crumbs.
- Melt chocolate – Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second increments on high, stirring in between, until melted and smooth – about 1 1/2 minutes. (If doing a small amount of white chocolate, reduce to 20 second increments).
- Piping bags – Transfer chocolate into a piping bag. Use scissors to snip a small opening at the tip. (Alternative: just drizzle with a spoon).
- Drizzle & crumb – Push the popcorn together but in a single layer. Drizzle criss-cross (or any pattern!) all over the popcorn. Sprinkle with biscuits crumbs while the chocolate is wet so it sticks.
- Fridge – Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Gently break popcorn into pieces. EAT!
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Stays crisp for at least a week. Our test batches never lasted any longer!
Notes
1. Corn Syrup stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, plus makes it extra crisp and shiny. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! Can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (here) and Amazon.
Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it’s so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer (because glucose as higher water content).
2. Toffee or caramel essence – Store bought Gaytime has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn!
3. Baking soda/bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. Helps with even coverage on the popcorn. Without, you end up with big globs of caramel.
4. Chocolate – Store bought Gaytime popcorn has ~50/50 white and dark chocolate drizzles. And rather skimpy at that! This homemade version is much more generous with the chocolate.
Use any mix of dark and white chocolate you want. I used about 25% white chocolate and 75% dark chocolate.
Be sure to use the right chocolate! Use chocolate purchased from the baking aisle (designed to melt smoothly) not eating chocolate (designed to NOT melt when warm!).
5. Biscuits – Any plain sweet biscuits will work here. Just something to sprinkle on the popcorn. The Gaytime Popcorn ingredients just lists “vanilla biscuits” for the crumbs used!
6. Storage – stays 100% crisp and fresh at least 1 week, probably more (caramel popcorn lasts 2 to 3 weeks). Be sure to keep it in an airtight container in a cool dry place. If it’s super hot and humid, fridge is best.
Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings. It’s not diet food!
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