Cinnamon Sugar Kettle Corn

So tell me... is it wrong to post another popcorn-based recipe in the span of a few weeks?

Don't answer that.

Because I seriously cannot get enough of this.

First of all, let's just have a moment of honesty amongst friends here -  I have a sick obsession with popcorn.

Or at least Mr. Vittles says so. 

I may or may not need counseling, that is yet to be determined. 

I can't go anywhere that sells popcorn without losing what little all self control that I have.  Like, I can spend an hour at a fair or market and not buy a single thing... but God forbid there is a stand with kettle corn anywhere near the vicinity, and out comes the wallet.

I can't help it!  Even Target gets me sometimes.  From the minute you walk in the door, they torture you with heavenly smells of freshly popped, buttery popcorn and it's not even fair.

"Ok, let's focus now.  I need paper towels, dish soap, deodorant, shaving cream, and... POPCORN!  I mean, er, toothpaste...  And POPCORN!"

Ahhhh!  And... all focus goes right out the window. 

In any case, I've been making my own 'kettle corn' for quite a while now, and unfortunately I've long forgotten where I found the original instructions.

Actually no, the truly unfortunate part is that I no longer need to look at the instructions I wrote down, because I make it so often.

But I honestly think it's as good as anything you'd get from someone that makes authentic kettle corn.

(Even so, Mr. V is worried that I'm going to come home with giant kettle one day for the real deal.  I assured him I'm fine with the stovetop variety, but then again they say the first sign of addiction is denial that you have a problem?)

Anyway, I don't know what came over me recently, but I decided to throw a little cinnamon in there and that took things to a whole new level!  But if you're a purist, feel free to leave it out for some good old-fashioned sweet & salty popcorn.

Either way, just go make this.  Immediately.  For both our sake.

I won't judge.  Your secret is safe with me, I swear.

Cinnamon Sugar Kettle Corn

• 1/4 C. unpopped popcorn
• 3 T. canola oil
• 2 T. sugar
• 1/4 t. cinnamon (or more, if preferred)
• salt, to taste

Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl, and set aside.  Place large, empty bowl on counter near stove (this will be the bowl you'll dump the popcorn into).

Place popcorn in 2-quart saucepan (with handle & cover), and pour oil over top.  Shake pan to distribute evenly and coat popcorn kernels with oil. 

Place uncovered on burner at medium to medium-high heat.  In 2-3 minutes, oil will start to sizzle.  When first kernel or two pops, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top and quickly cover.

Holding handle of saucepan, shake pan back & forth and side to side while keeping on the burner.  (Think old-school Jiffy Pop on the stove.)  Popcorn may not immediately start popping once you put the sugar on, but it won't take long.  Keep shaking until popping slows.

Immediately empty into bowl, being careful not to burn yourself on the hot sugar.  Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve.

Recipe Adapted from Unknown Source

Nutella Caramel Corn

So I don't know if anyone else has noticed this trend, but I feel like recipes using Nutella have been EVERYWHERE recently.

For anyone that doesn't know what that is - Nutella is a hazelnut & chocolate spread that's smooth, like creamy peanut butter.  It's sort of like a spreadable Ferrero Rocher candy. 

In other words- incredibly delicious.

I've been dying to get in on the Nutella action for a while now - I had a little bit left in the cabinet from some recipe I made months ago.  But I wanted to make something I haven't seen yet & nothing has really come to me.

Until now.

This week I had a serious hankering for popcorn... which, actually, happens on almost a daily basis... but this time I wanted caramel corn specifically.

Then I got to thinking - what if I made a Nutella caramel corn?  That could be awesome.

And... it is.

I only had a half of a cup of Nutella left, though, so be aware that caramel corn made from the recipe below only has a hint of the chocolate hazelnut.  Mr. V really liked it, and he said he could tell that it was not regular caramel corn - but he was not able to pick out the Nutella flavor specifically.

I think if you wanted a stronger flavor, you could probably increase the amount to 2/3 or even 3/4 of a cup and still have a caramel with the right consistency.

But hey - "experimenting" will just give you a good reason to eat a bunch of caramel corn.

What could be wrong with that?

Nutella Caramel Corn

• 4 quarts plain popped popcorn*
• 6 T. butter
• 1/2 C. light corn syrup
• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 1/2 C. Nutella spread (see note above)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. vanilla

Place popcorn in large roasting pan and preheat oven 250 degrees.  (I covered my pan in foil first to minimize cleanup).

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, Nutella, and salt, stirring to blend.  Bring to a boil, then boil five minutes while stirring constantly.  You will see large bubbles in the mixture.

Remove saucepan from heat, then stir in baking soda and vanilla until combined.  Mixture will become light and foamy.  Pour over popcorn, and mix with a spatula to coat.  You will be cooking & stirring the popcorn a few more times, so don't be too concerned with covering all the corn fully at this point.

Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Line your countertop with a few sheets of waxed paper and dump corn out onto paper.  Being careful not to burn your fingers, separate the pieces as desired.  Store in an airtight container.

*Note: 2/3 C. of unpopped popcorn should yield 4 quarts of popcorn for you.  You could also use microwave popcorn, but just make sure you get one that's plain NOT buttered.

Original Recipe

Caramel Corn

You know what they say... when the hubby's away, the wife will play :)

Ok wait.  Not like that. 

It's all very innocent.

I'm just eating my weight in popcorn, watching bad reality tv, and going to Target at 9PM.

And... dancing around the house in my pj's and doing laundry at midnight and writing blog posts at 2AM.

Mr. Vittles is at a bachelor party tonight in Atlantic City, so he's probably getting into waaay more trouble than I am.

I'm sure it involves lots and lots of alcohol.

Although tonight is actually just the pre-party festivities, so maybe it's a bit more low-key?

...

Nah.

But more importantly - this caramel corn is amazing.  I mean, I could seriously eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Is popcorn a food group?

Well, at least it's a whole grain.

...covered in buttery, sugary goodness.

Which reminds me - what you definitely don't want covered in buttery, sugary goodness is your finger.

Ouch.

Or as my dad used to say, "Ooch McGooch."

?? 

Me, I always manage to burn the #%$* out of my hand at least once with anything involving hot caramel.

And while its sooo worth it in the end, it totally sucks every time.

So let that be a warning to you.  Just "go easy" with the molten sugar, ok?  For Pappy V's sake and mine. 

Now.  Back to the Real Housewives :)

Caramel Corn

• 3 quarts plain popped popcorn (1/2 C. unpopped kernels)
• 1 C. brown sugar
• 1/4 C. light corn syrup
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 C. dry roasted peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven 250 degrees and place popped popcorn into 2 shallow greased baking pans (I usually line a roasting pan with foil becuase it can get rather messy).  Add peanuts to popcorn, if using.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in saucepan and stir occasionally until mixture starts to boil.  Boil 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, and stir in baking soda and vanilla (mixture will be light and foamy).  Immediately pour over popcorn and stir to coat.  Note: at this point, there is no need to go crazy making sure all the corn is covered - the baking process should take care of that.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to evenly coat the corn.  Line the countertop with waxed paper, dump out corn, and break any clumps into pieces to separate.  Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Recipe barely adapted from Allrecipes.com