Tag: popcorn

Holiday Popcorn Crunch- and Shifting our Holiday Focus by Gordon Ramsay

Microwave popcorn makes this candy coated treat quick and easy!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were able to get together with a great deal of our extended family, enjoy one another’s company, and eat some awfully good food. We didn’t do a whole lot other than sit around, drink coffee, and talk, but that was the goal all along – reconnecting. Too often I think we get distracted with the trappings of the holiday that we miss out entirely on the purpose of the holiday itself.

That is one thing we are trying to do – stop talking about supposed meaning of these special days and actually make them special, put our actions where our intent is so to speak. We really set this into motion in a big way last year around this time and cut out a lot of the noise surrounding this time of year to bring the focus in on family, blessings, and gratitude.

We ended up having the least amount of decorations and busy-ness that we’ve ever had and the most meaningful, joyful, and fulfilling season we’d ever had. So this year we are going even further with that concept. We have made some neat plans to implement this and I will probably share some of them in my emails and such so subscribe if you’d like to know a little more about our plans.

Of course, some of my most precious memories are of time in the kitchen and the gifts of time together are truly some of the most treasured, so I have lots of great recipes coming your way!

This delicious candy coated holiday popcorn crunch begins with microwave popcorn, which means it’s quick and easy to make. It’s a fun treat to make when you want to do something special with a little window of time. Perfect for kids to do on their own, grandparents to do with grandkids, or you can make it on a larger scale and to give away as treats.

You’ll need: 2 full size bags of no butter microwave popcorn (light butter is okay), 3 cups of pretzels, 12 ounce bag of candy melts (such as Wilton), and some colorful sprinkles.

Pop your popcorn according to package directions. Pour that into a large bowl and stir in pretzels.

Place candy melts in medium sized microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and creamy.

Pour over popcorn, add some sprinkles, and stir to coat.

I usually add more sprinkles as I stir as well.

Immediately pour it out onto waxed paper and spread it out a bit to allow it to harden.

Once it has hardened, break up the large clumps and store it in an airtight container (or plastic bag) until ready to serve. This is also great to put in those little clear party treat bags, tie with pretty curling ribbon at the top, and give out to friends, family, and coworkers.

So pretty, so yummy, and so easy!

Are you doing anything special this season to slow down and enjoy the things that matter most? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below. Let’s inspire and encourage one another!

Holiday Popcorn Crunch

Ingredients

2 full size bags microwave popcorn (preferably no butter if possible), popped
3 cups mini pretzels
12 ounce bag wilton white candy melts (or color of your choice)
Sprinkles in color of your choice

Instructions

Pop popcorn in microwave according to package directions. Pour into a large bowl and add pretzels, stir to combine a bit.
In microwave safe bowl, place candy melts. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.
Pour melted chocolate (candy melts) over popcorn and pretzels and quickly stir until well coated. Add sprinkles before the chocolate sets and stir again, sprinkling as you stir if needed to help evenly coat.
Pour out onto waxed paper lined baking sheet and allow to Harden. Break up into bite sized pieces and store in airtight container.

3.5.3251

Time spent with loved ones is time well spent.

Yum

BETTER THAN CARAMEL POPCORN – Butter with a Side of Bread by Gordon Ramsay

Better Than Caramel Popcorn is gooey, deliciously sweet and so easy to make! The coating in this caramel popcorn is made with butter, sugar and whipping cream – that’s it!

Better Than Caramel Popcorn is one of my absolutely favorite treats and I really do love it more than traditional caramel popcorn. Not only is the recipe delicious, but it only requires a few very basic ingredients which I usually always have on hand. Actually, maybe that’s not a good thing – it’s almost too easy to make this a little too frequently!

I got this recipe from one of my college roommates way back when. We made this popcorn at least once a week in college and it was always gone within minutes! My kids call it “yummy” popcorn and it is a family favorite around my house.

What kind of popcorn do you use to make caramel popcorn?

You can use microwave popcorn, air-popped popcorn, or you can use my favorite stove-popped popcorn that is made with coconut oil. I haven’t used microwave popcorn in quite a while. At first it was because of the fact that I kept reading things about how it was so bad for you, but then once I started making my own popcorn on the stove, I realized how much better fresh popcorn tastes! If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s so easy and it’s so much yummier too.

How do you make popcorn on the stove?

I used to just use a large stockpot to make popcorn on the stove (which works great!), but I recently got this popcorn maker and it makes the whole process even easier. The popcorn cooks perfectly every time. To make popcorn on the stove:

Put 1-2 Tbsp of coconut oil in the stovetop popcorn maker or in your stockpot. If you are using a stockpot, make sure you have a lid!
Turn the heat on medium high and add about 6-7 “test” kernels to the pot. Put the lid on and wait for the kernels to start popping.
As soon as the test kernels start popping, you can add the rest of the popcorn kernels. 1/8 cup of popcorn kernels will yield about 4 cups of popped popcorn, so you will want about 1/4 cup of kernels to make 8 cups of popped popcorn. I usually do a little bit extra though, it doesn’t have to be exact!
Replace the lid and either continuously stir the handle on the stovetop popcorn maker or periodically shake your stockpot to prevent the kernels from settling in one spot and burning. As soon as the popping starts to slow down significantly, remove the pan from heat. That’s it!

Is caramel popcorn gluten free?

Yes, caramel popcorn is gluten free which makes this a great snack for those who can’t eat gluten. Most popcorn recipes are perfect for those with gluten sensitivities because there is no gluten in popcorn! There are only 3 ingredients in the sauce so it is very easy to identify other potential allergies as well – all gluten free as well!

What are the ingredients in Better than Caramel Popcorn?

2 bags microwave popcorn (make sure to use a more “natural” kind – no butter or salt so that you can taste the sauce better!) or about 8 cups of popped popcorn
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream

How do you make Better than Caramel Popcorn?

Place popped popcorn in a large bowl and set aside while preparing the sauce.
Combine the butter, sugar and whipping cream and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Within a couple of minutes the sauce should be boiling, continue boiling until mixture reaches the soft ball stage (235-240 degrees Fahrenheit)*.
Remove the mixture from heat and pour over the popcorn, stirring until all of the popcorn is well coated. Make sure to serve immediately – this recipe is soooo much better warm! Enjoy!

Better Than Caramel Popcorn is gooey, deliciously sweet and so easy to make! The coating in this caramel popcorn is made with butter, sugar and whipping cream - that's it!

*You can use a thermometer to get the mixture to the right temperature, but I never used one in college and I usually don’t use one now for this recipe. The mixture will just get to a point where it is thicker and starts to get a tiny bit darker and that’s when it is ready. Since this isn’t candy, you don’t have to be quite as exact with the temperature but you definitely don’t want to undercook since you will have soggy popcorn and you don’t want to overcook or it will be too hard.

Better Than Caramel Popcorn

Better Than Caramel Popcorn is gooey and deliciously sweet! The coating for the popcorn is made with butter, sugar and whipping cream – that’s it!

Ingredients

2 bags microwave popcorn make sure to use a more “natural” kind – no butter or salt so that you can taste the sauce better! or about 8 cups of popped popcorn
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream

Instructions

Place popped popcorn in a large bowl and set aside while preparing the sauce.
Combine the butter, sugar and whipping cream and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Within a couple of minutes the sauce should be boiling, continue boiling until mixture reaches the soft ball stage (235-240 degrees Fahrenheit).
Remove the mixture from heat and pour over the popcorn, stirring until all of the popcorn is well coated. Make sure to serve immediately – this recipe is soooo much better warm! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: You can use a thermometer to get the mixture to the right temperature, but I never used one in college and I usually don’t use one now for this recipe. The mixture will just get to a point where it is thicker and starts to get a tiny bit darker and that’s when it is ready. Since this isn’t candy, you don’t have to be quite as exact with the temperature but you definitely don’t want to undercook since you will have soggy popcorn and you don’t want to overcook or it will be too hard.

Can you use margarine instead of butter in this caramel popcorn recipe?

Butter is definitely a better choice in this recipe because it is made with heavy cream. To be honest, I always use real butter in recipes because the taste and consistency just seems to be so much better. I know there is a lot of controversy about the “healthiness” of butter vs. margarine and I’m not going to claim to be an expert on that, but I feel like the taste difference between butter that is made with cream and margarine that is made with vegetable oils is very noticeable!

What type of candy can you you add to caramel popcorn?

Caramel popcorn is easy to change up a little bit with pretty much any type of candy you like. The girl who gave me the recipe told me that her family always put both Hot Tamales and Milk Duds in this popcorn after coating the popcorn with the mixture. I know it sounds absolutely crazy but the combination of those two candies with this recipe is amazing! Any type of small candy is great to add into caramel popcorn – try M&Ms, chocolate chips, Junior Mints, Reeses Pieces… or whatever your favorite candy is!

How do you store caramel popcorn?

Caramel popcorn can be stored in an airtight container for several days. This particular caramel popcorn recipe is a little bit different because the sauce is not actually a traditional caramel. This Better than Caramel Popcorn tastes a million times better when the sauce is hot and fresh so I would plan on eating it immediately after making it.You can save this popcorn and eat it later, but the topping will harden at that point and it’s just not as yummy. This recipe is one that is about a million times tastier if you eat it immediately after making it while it is still warm and gooey.

Better Than Caramel Popcorn is gooey, deliciously sweet and so easy to make! The coating in this caramel popcorn is made with butter, sugar and whipping cream - that's it!

If you enjoyed our Better Than Caramel Popcorn, you may also enjoy the following popcorn recipes:

Better Than Caramel Popcorn is gooey, deliciously sweet and so easy to make! The coating in this caramel popcorn is made with butter, sugar and whipping cream - that's it!

THE PERECT MOVIE NIGHT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE…WITH POPCORN & MILK DUDS BAKED IN!!!!!

Check out this line up!!!!! Have you ever????

Flatten your cookie dough and add some popcorn and Milk Duds!

Start rolling jellyroll style!

Here it is! A chocolate chip cookie dough, popcorn & milk dud jellyroll!

Heading into the oven!

Cooling Time!

That’s mine…right in the front!!

Ooey Gooey!

Mmmmm, mmmmmm, good!

You could also try making a movie theater tart! Just press in the dough and bake!

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 sticks soft butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
1 T. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups Semisweet chocolate chips

3-4 cups popcorn, popped

Milk duds!!!!
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
Beat
butter and both sugars until well blended. Add in vanilla, egg and yolk
until light and creamy. Add in flour, salt and baking soda just until
incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Flatten dough into a large rectangle shape. Lay some popcorn in a row and some milk duds and roll it over. Repeat with more popcorn and milk duds continuing to roll it into a log. Using a serrated knife, cut “slices” off the log and lay onto parchment paper lined sheets. Form into cookie shapes as needed and place more popcorn or milk duds on top to look pretty! Bake 11 minutes and remove. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cool and eat warm while you watch your favorite movie or sneak them into the theater…shhhhhhh!