When we think about popcorn, our minds usually jump straight to the massive tubs of overly buttered bright yellow kernels at the movie theaters. Some will say the snack is best enjoyed served hot and on its own, but popcorn lovers would say otherwise. This taste snack has been around and enjoyed since the late 1800s, so why do we only think of the delicious treat as only having one form.
With national popcorn day coming up on January 19, Giggle wants to honor the versatility of the snack and share some of our favorite out-of-the-box sweet, spicy and creative popcorn recipes.
Sweet Popcorn Balls
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 3.5 ounces of plain popped microwave popcorn
- 1 10-ounce bag of marshmallows
Directions
- Pop the microwave popcorn and set aside.
- Melt the butter and entire bag of marshmallows in a saucepan on low heat and sit for 5-7 minutes.
- Once the butter and marshmallows are melted into a sticky-like consistency, slowly fold the popcorn into it until all the kernels are covered.
- Pull chunks apart and use hands to form into balls.
- Let balls rest and set for 10 minutes on a buttered baking sheet or pan.
Healthy Parmesan Garlic Snack Mix
Ingredients:
- Popcorn kernels
- Pretzel Rods
- Sunflower seeds
- Raw pumpkin seeds
- Avocado Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Sea salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF and spray a 9X11 baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the kernels, pretzels, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds on the sheet.
- Drizzle avocado oil generously then season with garlic powder and parmesan to taste.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or when most kernels are popped.
- Season with sea salt to taste and let sit for 5 minutes before placing in a serving bowl.
Color-Pops
Ingredients: (per color)
- 1⁄2 bag of unflavored salted popcorn
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3⁄4 cup water
- Neon liquid food coloring: pink, blue and green
Directions:
- Place 1⁄2 bag of popcorn in glass bowl, set aside.
- Boil 1 cup of sugar and 3⁄4 cup of water in a saucepan. Stir.
- Once sugar is completely melted, add 3-4 drops of one color of your food coloring into saucepan and boil until it starts to become a ‘thick” consistency. Stir.
- Once it is thick, pour immediately over popcorn and stir until popcorn is separated and not clumpy.
- Repeat for each individual color wanted.
Everything Bagel Popcorn
Ingredients:
- popped popcorn
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp. poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- melted butter
Directions:
- Pop your popcorn as directed
- In a bowl, add popcorn, melted butter and add in’s.
- Toss to coat popcorn and serve!
And for those looking for the easiest recipe of them all, try creating a build your own popcorn bar. All that’s required is popping multiple bags of popcorn and placing it in a large serving bowl. Then surrounding the plain popcorn with small bowls of several different toppings such as cinnamon sugar, candies, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate chips, nutritional yeast and of course salt and pepper. It’s the best of both worlds; an easy recipe with little effort but something everyone will love. Try these creative popcorn recipes for an awesome family movie night!
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