Chocolate Popcorn

from A Cozy Kitchen

My dad always gets tons of flavored popcorn from his clients for Christmas, so for that reason fancy popcorn has a Christmas-y feeling to it. The chocolate covered popcorn is always my favorite, and it is so easy to make. I combined this with a batch of caramel popcorn to take to a party and it was a hit. This stuff is seriously addictive.

1 Tbsp oil (to make the popped corn)

1 cup popcorn kernels (unpopped)

2 Tbsp butter

12 oz (350 g) chocolate

splash milk

salt to taste

Make popcorn using a pot, or whirly pop or air pop machine.

Using a double boiler (or a glass bowl over boiling water) mix together the butter, chocolate, and milk. Stir until melted and smooth.

Pour the chocolate over the popcorn and stir with a wooden spoon until popcorn is fairly evenly covered, then spread out on a baking sheet or some waxed paper and sprinkle with salt.

Let cool for 3-4 hours for the chocolate to harden (can also put in the fridge or freezer to speed cooling process)

Caramel Nut Popcorn

from Taste

I love popcorn so much, but sometimes I get a little bored with the simple sprinkling of salt. This was a really easy way to make popcorn POP.

1 Tbsp oil

1 cup popcorn kernels (unpopped)

9 Tbsp (125 g) butter

3/4 c white sugar

2 Tbsp honey

1 cup nuts (I used almonds, but walnuts or pecans would also be great)

salt to taste

Using the oil and a pot or whirly pop or air pop machine, make the popcorn. Put in a bowl and set aside.

Combine butter sugar and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil, uncovered, without stirring for 5-7 additional minutes (or until a light golden brown). Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir until the popcorn is coated fairly evenly. Spread on a baking sheet (lined with baking paper for easy clean up) and set aside to cool. Break into pieces and serve.

Kettle Corn

from Allrecipes

I LOVE kettle corn. It reminds me of my mom, who can't resist the stuff. Unfortunately I can't find it anywhere here, so I thought I would find a way to make it at home.

Let me warn you, this recipe took a few tries to get down. I burned the sugar a few times, and once was left with a lot of unpopped kernels. So be prepared for a learning curve. But it's a great recipe to learn and fun to experiment with. White sugar makes it taste like popcorn balls, brown sugar like caramel corn and powdered sugar is supposed to work as well, though I have never tried it. Also, I read that you can add food coloring to the oil to turn the popcorn different colors... So many possibilities!

Serves 4

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

4 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup sugar

salt to taste

1. Take a large pot with a lid. Cover the bottom of the pot with the oil and put it on the stove on medium-high heat.

2. Place 3 kernels of popcorn in the pot and wait until these kernels pop. Once they do, the oil is hot enough. Pour the sugar into the kettle and once it has melted (it only takes a few seconds) quickly add the kernels on top. Place the lid on the pot.

3. Begin shaking the popcorn. Leave the pot on the stove for three seconds and then pick it up and shake it for three seconds so the sugar doesn't burn. Repeat until the popping slows considerably, then take it off heat and continue shaking for 30 seconds. It is very easy to burn this popcorn, so err on the side of more unpopped kernels than burned sugar. Dump it in a bowl and immediately add salt. Watch out, the sugar will be hot.

4. Let cool and enjoy!

Caramel Apples

From Allrecipes

We wanted to bring something very American to a Finnish Halloween party this year and finally decided on caramel apples. The caramel was a little hard to find, but once they were finished it was well worth it. The nuts added a nice saltiness that complemented the sweet sugar and tart apple beautifully. I have to admit that these were the best caramel apples I have ever had, and something I plan on making a Halloween tradition in our house.

6 tart apples

14 ounces of caramel (about 400 grams)

2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup salted nuts, chopped

sticks

Stick the sticks (we used plastic forks...) into the top of the apples about 3/4 of the way through. In a small saucepan, heat the caramels, water and vanilla on low, stirring frequently. Once the caramels are melted and soft, dip the apples into the caramel and carefully scrape off the excess using the side of the pan. Roll the apples in the nuts and place on wax paper to cool. Allow at least 30 minutes for the caramel to harden.

Puppy Chow

from the Chex website

Called puppy chow because of the brown kibble look, this stuff tastes much better than it looks. And it is probably very bad for you. But it is so very good. Perfect for road trips or slumber parties or any time you are getting lots of people together. It is so easy to make and so hard to resist!

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp vanilla

9 cups chex cereal (or other similar cereal)

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips together in a saucepan over low heat. Mix in the vanilla, and then pour over cereal and mix in a large bowl. Once cereal is coated with chocolate/peanut butter mix place in a large ziplock or sturdy paper bag and dump in the powdered sugar. Shake up mixture until thoroughly coated with powdered sugar.