Here’s a copycat recipe for Australia’s (current) favourite confectionary – Golden Gaytime Popcorn! Caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs, it’s ridiculously addictive but rather expensive. Save a fortune by making it yourself!
Golden Gaytime Popcorn
Popcorn and candy lovers alike were in a tizzy of excitement with Golden Gaytime Popcorn was first released. Yours truly included. The chatter between closet popcorn-loving friends, however, quickly moved from “Far out, this is crazy good!” to “OMG can you believe it’s so expensive”??
Named as such because it’s a popcorn version of a beloved Australian’s ice cream called Golden Gaytime, one packet of the Gaytime popcorn is $5.75 for 100g (3.5 oz). A small bag with just 2 cups of Gaytime popcorn. I can’t afford to feed my addiction!!
Which, of course, lead to what was affectionately dubbed The Gaytime Popcorn Project – a homemade version I was confident I could create for 80% cheaper. How’d I do? My report card is at the bottom of the post!
Store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn
A quick inspection of the ingredients label was all I needed to come up with a copycat recipe. It’s really just caramel popcorn with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.
However, my homemade Gaytime Popcorn is far more generous on the chocolate drizzling (oh, why not? 😇). And you won’t break the bank!
Hmm, I did a “sprinkling of biscuit crumbs”, didn’t I. But it looks more like I’m assertively throwing biscuit crumbs in the photo below. You want biscuit crumbs? Here’s your biscuit crumbs!!! 😂
Ingredients you need
Here’s what you need to make this. The first part covers the caramel popcorn, then the second part covers the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs.
Caramel popcorn ingredients
Here’s what you need for the caramel popcorn:
Corn syrup – This stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, gives the caramel a nice shiny finish that’s crisp rather than sticky. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! It can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au 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 to make sure the caramel coating dries out and becomes crisp. This is because glucose has slightly higher water content.
Baking soda / bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. It helps get even coverage of caramel on the popcorn. Without the baking soda, you end up with big globs of caramel. It can’t be substituted with baking powder.
Toffee, caramel or vanilla essence – Store-bought Gaytime popcorn 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. It’s honestly not a big deal, the popcorn still has a lovely caramel-y flavour.
Brown sugar rather than white sugar, for better caramel flavour.
Butter – For flavour. Not margarine or other alternatives. I can’t predict what that will do to the crispness of the caramel coating.
Oil – Anything neutral flavoured like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. This is for cooking the popcorn. It doesn’t work as well with butter (because butter is ~15% water and dairy, not just fat).
Popping corn! It’s usually sold in the potato crisps aisle in grocery stores here in Australia.
Chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs
For the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs, you just need chocolate suitable for melting and some plain biscuits to crush up then sprinkle on the popcorn.
Chocolate -You can use a combination of dark and white chocolate, as I have done (like the store-bought Gaytime popcorn mix), or just one or the other.
Use a chocolate purchased from the baking aisle rather than eating chocolate. Baking chocolate is purpose-made for melting and cooking with, whereas eating chocolate is actually often designed specifically so it doesn’t melt when warm! I typically use “melts” for melting and chocolate chips for things like chocolate chip cookies as they are designed to hold their shape when cookies are baked.
For those of you in the US, semi-sweet chocolate chips is perfect.
Plain biscuits – A signature part of Golden Gaytime Popcorn is the sprinkling of crushed biscuits on the popcorn. The ingredients label specifies that it’s vanilla biscuits. Honestly though, any plain sweet biscuits will work just fine!
How to make Golden Gaytime Popcorn
Simply make caramel popcorn then finish with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkle of biscuit crumbs. It will stay crisp and fresh for at least a week – I’m sure it will last for longer (caramel popcorn lasts for weeks). But every test batch I made mysteriously disappeared before I could finish testing the shelf life!!
1. Pop popcorn
Pop your popcorn kernels using your method of choice – stove or popcorn maker, if you have one (I do, but for some reason digging it out of the back of the cupboard seems like more effort than cooking the popcorn on the stove).
Here’s how to cook popcorn on the stove.
Test kernels – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid.
Shake! Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.
To make the caramel 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! This may cause the sugar to crystallise so you won’t end up with a smooth caramel.
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. This is what makes the caramel coat the popcorn evenly. Without the baking soda, you end up with thick heavy globs of caramel on the popcorn and it’s impossible to toss.
Coat popcorn – Quickly pour the foamy caramel straight over the popcorn and toss to coat the popcorn as best you can until the caramel cools and starts to harden.
Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. The caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses so it coats the popcorn more evenly.
REMINDER: If using glucose instead of corn syrup, bake for an extra 15 minutes.
Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes so the caramel hardens. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!
Gaytime the popcorn!
OK, so time to transform our caramel popcorn into Gaytime Popcorn! Here’s how:
Bash the biscuits into crumbs either in a ziplock bag or using a mortar and pestle.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave (I use this) or bain-marie (bowl set over simmering water).
Transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag. This makes it easier to get even coverage and zig-zag chocolate drizzles like you get with the store bought Gaytime popcorn. But if you prefer, you can just use a spoon for drizzling.
Ready for drizzling!
Drizzle the chocolate all over the popcorn in whatever pattern you prefer. There are no rules! Except – aim for even coverage. Nobody wants to be the unlucky person who gets a handful of chocolate-less popcorn!
Sprinkle the popcorn with the biscuit crumbs while the chocolate is still wet. The biscuits will stick to the chocolate part only, and it kind of sticks in concentrated (albeit small) patches so you can taste it a little better. I preferred this method rather than sprinkling it on the caramel popcorn whilst in the oven (the crumbs kind of got lost).
Once the chocolate sets – I speed things up by popping the trays in the fridge for 15 minutes – it’s ready to dive in!!
Storage
In theory, Gaytime Popcorn should stay fresh and crisp as long as Caramel Popcorn which has an excellent shelf life of several weeks.
Test batches made it to around the 1 week mark successfully before mysteriously disappearing. So I can’t say for sure, but I’m confident it should last for at least 2 weeks. Just make sure it is stored in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. If moisture gets in and/or it’s hot and humid, the caramel coating will get sticky and chewy so it gets stuck in your teeth.
This was a jar intended for gifting. It never got gifted. 🤭
REPORT CARD: Homemade is 68% cheaper!!
I boldly stated when I started on the Gaytime Popcorn Project that I believed I could make it for 80% less than store-bought.
We’ve run the numbers and the results are in.
One batch costs $8.96 to make which equates to 5 packets of store bought Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). That’s a 68% saving!
So, I was 12% off. But still. I would never spend $28.75 for 5 packets of Gaytime. But I would spend $8.96 to make a batch of this any day of the week – and twice for movie night! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Golden Gaytime Popcorn – copycat recipe!
Ingredients
For the popcorn
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
- 1/2 cup popping corn
For the caramel
- 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)
Golden Gaytime Finishes
- 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
Popcorn
- 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.
Caramel:
- 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.
Baking to crisp caramel coating:
- 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!
Drizzle and crumbs
- 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!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I promise Dozer, there is nothing going on in here that would be of interest to you…..😂
Love this site Nagi. As an Australian, I was intrigued by this recipe.
I live on the West Coast of Australia and while I’ve eaten and enjoyed the Gaytime ice cream – I’ve never ever seen this popcorn. Might only be available on the East coast of Australia. Going to have to do the copycat.
eeek, this is my first fail on one of your recipes, maybe I read this wrong 🙁 everything is fine until we get to spread on trays and cook in oven 45mins at 200f after 10 minutes the whole tray was a burnt black mess, what the heck did I do wrong on that one, and I had glucose and was meant to cook for a fourth 15 mins eeek is the word 🙂
So, uh, remember when I commented on your rocky road recipe and mentioned that popcorn tends to end up a bit too dense? I’m thinking this just might be good enough that no one will care 😂
OMG.
I make many of Nagi’s recipes.
I’m not a sweet tooth kinda person but I have one daughter that is. I bought the ingredients 4 weeks ago and my daughter has asked me every weekend since. I made this yesterday.
She loved it! Brought some to school today and her friends loved it. I brought some to work and one guy wants the recipe and another said 10/10. Another said “take them away”, as he was eating so many. My daughter is happy that we have left over ingredients. I know what I am doing again this weekend!
Thanks for the great recipes.
OMG. I’ve only got to the cool caramel stage, and it’s like trying to keep the seagulls off it! I hope there is some left to make it to the biscuit and chocolate stage. Btw I added salted peanuts to one tray. Definitely a game changer and I’m trying to diet! Oh no!! I’ve never tried the golden gaytime but reminds me of lollygobble bliss bombs so far! Thanks so much Nagi!
That is what my wife said. I gave her a batch without the chocolate and she commented…lollygobble bliss bombs!
I’ve never tried the bought Golden Gaytime popcorn, but was pretty sure everyone in the household would love it. What’s not to like? So I got out my air popper out for the first in ages and got to work, Thanks, Nagi, for justifying me keeping it all this time. 😉 Did everything else as instructed other than reducing the sugar to 120g (it was fine) and only tossing the popcorn every 10 minutes four times even though I used glucose syrup as that is all the time I had before my movie buddy turned up. Also used spoons to drizzle the chocolate as I try to avoid any additional plastic waste. Was a hit. After transferring it to two big containers (it makes a lot), hubby sprinkled the leftover crumbs on some vanilla ice-cream. No need for a Dozer in this household when it comes to this sort of thing. 😄
This was incredible! I did half brown sugar and half demerara sugar and the caramel notes were amazing. My kids think I’m a goddess. Dont forget to pick out the unpopped kernels or you’ll break a tooth! Thank you Nagi for making me look so good!
Your recipe worked a treat. I rarely post comments unless there are really good 🙂 Thanks for sharing your recipe
How to feel like a fool. Mis read the temperature. I used the F setting instead of the C and my kitchen still stinks. I am trying again as soon and I make more brown sugar
I tried making this. Everything was burnt to a crisp in 9 min at 230C
Are you sure about the temperature?
The recipe says 110°C/230°F (not 230°C, which is 446°F).
This looks great! I plan to make it for our b-i-l who has helped us so much. I don’t have biscuits but have graham crackers I’m trying to use up. Are they too sweet?
I make something similar and found to do large batches I spray a large aluminum roaster pan with oil and place my popcorn after it has popped into that. You can add the caramel, toss, etc. and bake as directed. To get rid of unpopped kernels I found and aluminum foil pan with wholes in it to cook on the grill and you can put the popcorn in batches and shake and the kernels will fall out.
Dear Nagi…
I love you, I love Dozer, and I Love your recipes. This Popcorn is no different. I hope I can make some, Soon!
(Now for the real reason I wanted to write to you today…..)
This is and open question to you and all your readers/followers…
In reference to the picture of the glass jar filled with the popcorn…….Take a good, long look at it again. Now, I Need to ask if I am the ONLY person who sees Heads and faces in the pieces of popcorn???
For instance: ust under the lid, top right, there’s a reflection of some sort of light. But to the right of that little ‘cloud’ I see the head and face of Albert Einstein. And in another spot, I see (for the obscure people) a Cross between Pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan, and Lionel Jeffries who played Grandpa Potts in “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang!”.
Okay folks, Please tell me I am Not 1000% hallucinating! Tell me you See Some kinds of faces….even animal faces.
Love you all !
Christie
California, USA
LOL! I’ll have what you’re having!
My teen daughter made this for us and it’s absolutely delicious! She was tempted to stop after the caramel (we’d all started picking and it tasted so good) but was so glad she pushed on with white chocolate and biscuits. We have tickets to some World Cup games and I feel like this needs to come with us in our bag for a halftime snack
For the biscuits, I suggest some good quality Anzac biscuits instead of plain sweet ones, home made being best.
I am so ready to make this popcorn! It sounds incredible, and It sure sounds just as good as the original.
Your feed pops in daily only to get my taste buds going! Off to afternoon drinks, had all but the biscuits and popcorn in cupboard. Recipe easy to follow. What a huge hit! It will definitely be made again. Thank you Nagi.
As I write this my daughter is driving up to the grocery store for chocolate and biscuits!
For anyone who can’t get or don’t want to use corn syrup (its a GMO product) or glucose, golden cane syrup works the same way. Here in Canada it is branded as Roger’s Golden Syrup and I believe Lyle’s is available world wide.
Thanks for this! I was going to ask whether golden syrup would work, because it’s a lot cheaper than glucose syrup!
Never mind the popcorn Nagi, one of the things I most miss from Oz with moving to Norway is a Golden Gaytime on a summer day.
You need to come up with a Golden Gaytime ice cream sub for homesick expats 😉
SO HARD!!! So many components….😭
Hi Nagi, I just wanted to clarify if you mean dark chocolate or milk chocolate. Depending on its cocoa strength, dark chocolate can sometimes be a bit bitter.
Looking forward to trying this
Hi Christine! Just standard dark chocolate which is sold labelled as such which is usually around ~45% cocoa. The bitter chocolate you’re talking about is upwards of 70%+. I hear you! For really high cocoa % chocolate, it won’t be labelled just “dark chocolate”, it will be labelled with a clear “70%” or even 85% cocoa. It’s also more expensive 🙂 N x