Who knew that there is such a thing as national popcorn day? I love popcorn and this comes as a complete (but delicious!) surprise to me! I really do not need an excuse to make popcorn, but you better believe I will take one.
If I could eat one snack for the rest of my life, I would definitely pick popcorn.It is truly the perfect snack!
Now, let me clarify. I am not a fan of microwave popcorn at all. It is just not my thing. It tastes very…fake to me. If it is your thing, keep doing it, but to me, it is so much easier to make it fresh. Plus, you never have to worry about that awful smell microwave popcorn makes if it burns in there. UGH. Worst. Smell. Ever. I especially loved (not) that when I was working in an office and the same person burned their microwave popcorn EVERY SINGLE DAY. I always thought that he had to be a terrible cook if he couldn’t even make microwave popcorn, and he practiced every day!
I make mine on the stove. It tastes so much better and makes the house smell amazing! There is nothing like getting your kids excited about family movie night while starting a pot of popcorn on the stove. You will find a few recipes for popcorn already on this blog, like this sweet cinnamon popcorn, a decadent caramel one and this delicious party popcorn. You can also check out this parmesan rosemary popcorn that is my absolute favorite, but today, I will share my basic recipe for perfectly popped popcorn, and adding a sweetly spicy twist that you are going to LOVE! This popcorn will make you think of summer with its tangy barbecue flavor.
- To Make Popcorn:
- ⅓ cup canola or coconut oil
- ½ cup popcorn seeds
- To Make Spicy Popcorn:
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- To make popcorn:
- Put oil in large saucepan with a lid
- Turn up heat to med/high
- Heat oil (if using coconut oil, wait until it melts)
- Add popcorn seeds
- Put lid on pan
- Let the kernels start popping
- Start shaking the pan around over the flame to move things around so it pops evenly
- When popping slows down, turn heat off and leave it on the burner until you don't hear any more
- Take the lid off and carefully pour into a bowl
- For Sweet/Spicy Popcorn:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees
- Whisk all the spices, sugar and salt together in a small bowl.
- Add to melted butter and mix.
- Pour over popped popcorn in bowl and gently turn it over to coat
- Pour popcorn onto a large rimmed baking sheet covered in parchment.
- Bake for 30 minutes, gently tossing every ten
- Let popcorn cool.
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