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Smoky Candied Popcorn

Source of Recipe

From "Food, Gift, Love" by Maggie Battista


Recipe Introduction

"This sweet and savory popcorn is coated with an amber-hued caramel touched with a little chili powder. It's not spicy or sweet; it has an irresistible just-right balance. You may be tempted to toss in some peanuts or almonds. I say, go with that feeling."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 8 cups popped popcorn
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon chili powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
â—¦ 1 cup sugar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon golden syrup or corn syrup
â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter


Recipe

Line a large (18- x 13-inch) baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone pan liner. Place the popcorn in a large metal bowl. Add the chili powder, baking soda, and salt to a separate tiny bowl and set aside.

In a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, golden syrup, and butter. Cook 10 minutes, occasionally swirling or stirring with a rubber spatula, until it all melts into an amber-hued caramel and pulls away a bit from the side of the pan. This mixture will be super hot, so please don't get any of it on your skin; it will burn. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the chili powder, baking soda, and salt — the mixture will bubble up, so be careful.

Quickly pour the caramel over the popcorn and toss with a rubber spatula to evenly coat all the popcorn kernels. Once coated, carefully spread the popcorn onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, separating the pieces. Let cool 15 minutes if serving immediately or 2 to 3 hours to cool completely before wrapping and gifting. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Makes 8 cups



GIFT WRAP:

â—¦ Resealable food-grade cellophane bags
â—¦ Washi tape
â—¦ Pinking shears

Fill plastic bags with the popcorn and seal. Cut a small piece of tape, and crimp each edge with pinking shears. Apply the tape to the edge of the bag and fold over to the other side.