About a month or so ago, my mom asked me if there were any recipes for homemade Kettle Corn. She had been enjoying a little chocolate drizzled kettle corn as an afternoon snack, but the bag was almost empty, and as it was a seasonal item, the stores around here didn't have any more available.
So I went searching on Pinterest to see what I could find. Sure enough, I found a recipe that looked easy, and decided to give it a try. The first batch was sort of a success. I only had a regular cooking pan to make the popcorn in, and the sugar stuck to the bottom of the pan a little and the popcorn had a slightly burned taste.
I wasn't ready to give up yet, and thought I'd try it again on a lower temperature. This time was worse! Not only did the popcorn burn again, the sugar also badly burned onto the pan leaving black spots that only came off with vigorous scrubbing and cleaning products! Things were just not working!
Then one day we were at church getting our weekly carry-in meal ready and one of the families brought their new Whirley Pop popcorn maker to make kettle corn! That's what I was missing! A regular pan just wasn't good enough for making kettle corn, I needed a special popcorn popper! We've always used and air popper for making popcorn, so this was something new.
Within a week or two, I had purchased a used Whirley Pop popper off of Ebay and was in business! This pan is just perfect for making kettle corn, and we have been thoroughly enjoying it since we got it. It takes a lot of turning to keep the oil, sugar, and popcorn kernels moving so that they won't burn, but it's worth it, and turns out perfect yummy kettle corn every time!
Making Kettle Corn
Measure 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, 1/4 cup organic sugar (or regular sugar), and 1/4 cup
coconut oil (
affiliate link).
Pour oil in popper and heat over medium heat until hot. Add popcorn and sugar. Stir to combine. Close lid and begin stirring as the popcorn heats and the sugar melts.
Just as you begin to think nothing is going to happen, the kernels begin to explode first one or two at a time and then more and more at once! Keep stirring until you can't stir anymore as the pan is completely full.
Quickly dump into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt to taste, stirring to get the salt mixed in thoroughly.
Now, you're ready to dig in and eat your yummy treat, OR you can go a step farther and turn your plain kettle corn into an even more special treat by adding drizzled chocolate!
Melt 1/2-3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (depending on how much popcorn you have left after eating sampling the plain kettle corn) and whatever oil has settled in the bottom of the measuring cup from making the popcorn.
Spread the popcorn in a single layer on cookie sheets. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Place the pans in the freezer (or fridge) for about 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
Break into chunks and enjoy!
You could also try this with semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips or peanut butter chips for a fun and yummy variation!
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