“Popcorn”:

12 egg whites
1 cup vanilla egg white protein
2 tsp vanilla extract (or other extract: almond, coconut, maple)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Separate the eggs, and whip the whites in a clean, dry, cool bowl for a few minutes until VERY stiff (see photo). Blend in the protein powder. Gently stir in the extract.

Grease a bread pan. Pour batter into pan and bake for 35 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting (I usually wait until the next day). Once cool, cut into small popcorn sized squares. Set aside.

Caramel Layer:

Allulose: Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go – the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Work fast or the sweetener will burn. Heat butter on high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan. As soon as it comes to a boil, watch for specks of brown (this is brown butter….so good on veggies!). Immediately add the allulose and the cream to the pan. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, and then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Xylitol: Again have everything ready. Wear oven mitts; the caramel will be much hotter than boiling water. In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart (2 L) or 3-quart (3 L) saucepan, heat sweetener on moderately high heat. As it begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. As soon as all of the xylitol crystals have melted (the liquid should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note that when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 2 TBS)
Traditional Caramel Sauce = 130 calories, 24 carbs, 0 g fiber
“Healthified” Allulose Caramel = 51 calories, 12 carbs, 12 g fiber, (0 effective)
“Healthified” Xylitol Caramel = 60 calories, 1 carb, 0 fiber (1 effective)

Place the “popcorn” bread onto a baking sheet. Warm caramel until soft and pour over the “popcorn.” Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, or until the caramel has hardened onto the “popcorn.” Let cool and enjoy! Makes 10 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Caramel Corn = 317 calories, 39.5 carbs, 4g fiber
“Healthified” Caramel Corn = 193 calories, 14.5g fat, 14g protein, 1g carbs, 0g fiber (68% fat, 30% protein, 2% carbs)