Oooey Gooey Caramel Popcorn

Food Network’s Tyler Florence is one of my favorite Food Network chefs. His recipe for caramel popcorn is perfect for a movie night, girls night in or just a little sweet snack!

Oooey Gooey Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• Pinch cream of tartar
• 1/2 (10-ounce) package marshmallows, about 4 cups
• 10 cups hot, salted popcorn, uncooked kernels removed or if you do not have a popcorn maker or know how to pop the kernels – 10 cups of popped popcorn – kept warm

1. In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water, corn syrup, vegan butter, and cream of tartar (fun food note – this bit of acid keeps the sugar from crystallizing)
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. When thesugar syrup reaches a boil, stop stirring and swirl the pan around over the heat so it doesn’t burn.
3. As the syrup reaches the caramel stage, the bubbles on top will become smaller, thicker, and closer together. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the caramel coats the back of the spoon. (If you have one -stick a candy thermometer in the pot and cook until the syrup reaches the “soft-crack stage”, which is about 270ºF. When you drop a bit of this syrup into cold water, it will solidify into threads that, when removed, are hard yet bendable.)
4. Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the marshmallows. Fold the marshmallows into the hot caramel so they all melt into a gooey caramel sauce.
5. The caramel will coat better if the popcorn is hot, so make it while boiling the sugar or pop it first then keep it warm. Put the popcorn in a big bowl and pour the caramel marshmallow mixture over thepopcorn. Gently fold with a wooden spoon to coat each kernel.
6. If you want to make this into popcorn balls, grab handfuls of the popcorn and squeeze it together to form popcorn balls; make them about the size of a tennis ball. Put the popcorn balls on a sheet pan lined with waxed paper to cool completely.
7. If not, just spread the popcorn caramel mix onto a baking pan lined with wax paper and let cool then break into pieces.

ENJOY!

Coconut-Almond Popcorn Balls

Another tasty popcorn recipe! This coconut- almond recipe has some of the same ingredients as the Mexican Chocolate Popcorn Balls and is just as delicious! Coconut is one of my favorite flavors!

Coconut-Almond Popcorn Balls

Adapted from Food Network.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 1 cupconfectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• A pinch of salt
• 12 cups popped popcorn until coated
• Toasted shredded coconut

1. Bring corn syrup, vegan butter, cup confectioners’ sugar, mini marshmallows and water to a boil in a large pot over medium heat, stirring.
2. Add almond extract and a pinch of salt.
3. Remove from the heat; using a rubber spatula.
4. Stir in popcorn until coated.
5. Butter your hands, then shape into balls
6. Roll popcorn balls in toasted shredded coconut.

Don’t want to make popcorn balls? No problem. Instead of rolling the popcorn mixture into balls, spread out onto a baking pan and sprinkle shredded coconut on top. If your coconut it not already toasted, preheat your oven to 350ºF and place popcorn mixture with coconut on top into the oven until the coconut is a nice light brown.

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney. 

Mexican Chocolate Popcorn Balls

Food Network has great snack recipes that are easily adaptable to be gluten free/dairy free! The other day, I came across some great popcorn recipes and I thought HEY! I’ll do a little popcorn series! It first started with the Peanut Maple Popcorn. Today – Mexican Chocolate Popcorn Balls! Movie night snacks will never be the same!

Mexican Chocolate Popcorn Balls

Adapted from Food Network.com

Making these will be sticky but worth it! The mix of chocolate and spices is great!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 1 cupconfectioners’ sugar
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey’s is great – you can use Toll House as well but I like Hershey’s cocoa powder way better)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt.
• 12 cups popcorn – popped (I suggest using a natural or light butter popcorn or even Kettle corn (my personal favorite) )
• Cinnamon Sugar for rolling

1. Bring corn syrup, butter, sugar, 1 cup mini marshmallows, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper, and water to a boil in a large pot over medium heat, stirring.
2. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt.
3. Remove from the heat; using a rubber spatula, stir in popcorn and 1 more cup of mini marshmallows.
4. Now for the fun and sticky part – yes it will be sticky! Butter your hands, and shape mixture into balls.
5. Roll formed balls in cinnamon sugar.

Who said popcorn balls were boring!?! ENJOY!

Peanut Maple Popcorn

Popcorn is a great snack that is also a great canvas for flavors and textures. Thanks to Food Networks Pinterest page, I stumbled upon this Peanut Maple Popcorn recipe that I tweaked a just a little bit.

Peanut Maple Popcorn

This takes regular popcorn to another level. Movie night snacking gets a little bit sweeter with this tasty treat.

Adapted from Food Network.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Real Maple Syrup – pure maple syrup (non of that fake stuff)
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 (3.5 oz.) package natural microwave popcorn, popped (10 cups)
• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 250ºF.
2. Combine sugar and maple syrup in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla.
3. Place popped popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over popcorn, stirring until coated.
4. Place popcorn in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Pour into your favorite bowl and ENJOY!

So pop in your favorite DVD, kick back and relax with this snack!