Cinnamon Maple Caramel Popcorn
You’ll need a large saucepan or frypan with a lid (glass can be helpful) and a baking tray.
Ingredients
Ingredients – Popcorn (makes 8-9 cups)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
Ingredients – Cinnamon Maple Caramel Coating
- 6 cups popped popcorn
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup or flavoured maple syrup
- 2-3 tablespoons tahini almond butter or nut butter of choice
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon plus more for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Method – Popcorn
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine oil with 2 popcorn kernels.
- Cover saucepan and wait for a few minutes for the kernels to pop.
- Then, remove saucepan from heat and pour in remaining popcorn kernels.
- Cover the saucepan again and give it a little shimmy to distribute the kernels evenly.
- After 60 seconds, place saucepan back on the heat. Cook carefully, shimmying the saucepan occasionally to cook the kernels evenly. Please do not allow the oil to smoke as it will destroy the popcorn. In this case, reduce the heat.
- Once kernels start popping, tip the lid a touch to allow steam to escape, but not the popcorn.
- Keep saucepan on the heat until the popping slows to about one pop every few seconds. Never leave unattended, and if the popcorn tries to overflow the saucepan, tip the upper portion into a bowl and return saucepan to heat.
- Place popcorn into a serving bowl. If necessary, pick out any unpopped kernels.
Method – Cinnamon Maple Caramel Popcorn
- Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring maple syrup to a boil over medium heat for 2 and half minutes. Reduce heat only if necessary to prevent burning.
- Then remove saucepan from heat. Add nut butter, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Whisk together.
- Then drizzle the mixture over the popcorn. Toss until well coated.
- Pour popcorn onto baking tray and arrange it in a single layer.
- Bake the popcorn for 6 minutes. Then stir, and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon to taste.
- Once cool, break into pieces or leave in chunks. Serve.