Salted Honey Caramel Popcorn

A quick warning. If you've never made caramel corn before, you're about to realize just how ridiculously easy it is to make at home. I mean you literally just stir a few things in a pot, add popcorn, let cool and eat.

That's it!

Which can be a problem if you fall in love with this salty-sweet Salted Honey Caramel Popcorn recipe. Made with butter, brown sugar, real honey and sea salt, this is such an incredible treat for those of you who like salty with your sweet.

I kept it really basic and simple here (and easy--so so easy!), but you can really have fun with this. Add a bit of sriracha or hot sauce instead of vanilla or swap in a different extract, add some cinnamon for a cinnamon caramel, or use a floral honey for a sophisticated swap. Adding roasted salted peanuts or almonds would be so good too, or maybe even some toasted coconut?

So many fun things you can do with this.

Enjoy!

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Garlic Knot Popcorn (Garlic Parmesan & Herb Popcorn)

Kicked-up popcorn is one of my favorite easy snacks for parties, movie-watching, and even gifts! It's so simple to turn a batch of plain, freshly popped popcorn into a super fun and impressive snack with just a few easy additions.

This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite childhood snacks--garlic knots! I grew up eating the pizza parlor fave of twisted dough rolled around in chopped garlic, butter, olive oil, parmesan and fresh herbs. This popcorn mixture features all the same flavor and ingredients (except the dough) in a fun and totally addictive treat.

Like always, feel free to personalize this one! Add chili flakes for more heat, chop in fresh parsley or rosemary, or skip the cheese if you're not a fan. Seriously no wrong way with this quick snack.

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Pistachio and Cherry Popcorn Balls

Popcorn balls have always been one of my favorite holiday treats, and this recipe from the Wonderful Pistachios event I attended last week was wonderful.

Though this recipe calls for dried cherry, feel free to improvise, adding other dried fruits (or a mix of them!). Dark chocolate chips would also be lovely, as would a dash of almond extract, to bring out the nutty flavors.

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Pig Candy Popcorn w/ Bacon & Chocolate

Some of you may have seen me post a preview snap of this tempting Bacon & Chocolate Popcorn on my instagram a few days ago, and I'm excited to finally share it with you.

This past weekend, I went up to Vermont to co-host a food and wine retreat with a few chef friends. We ate amazing food, went on local excursions, relaxed in the hot tub, and stayed up late into the night sipping wine and eating s'mores by the bonfire.

Well...at least the guests did. I was in charge of making lunch and brunch each day, after which I usually hung out in the kitchen mixing up cocktails and helping the other chefs with dinner prep.

(Though I did get to sneak away for a couple massages and some much-needed hot tub time, so it wasn't all work!)

I was also in charge of snacks for the ride up to Vermont from NYC. There were 11 of us traveling together in a small private charter bus, and I wanted to make sure all were well-fed for the 6-ish hour drive.

I made several gallons of super boozy daiquiris, baked brownies, whipped up a creamy black bean dip, and popped up a huge batch of this totally addictive Pig Candy Popcorn with Bacon, Chocolate, and Spices.

Homemade popcorn with fun additions is one of my favorites for big groups. This was the hit of the trip, with all the guests passing the tin around the bus. I made about 30 cups of it and it all disappeared by dinnertime.

And no wonder why! The popcorn is popped in rendered bacon fat, then tossed with the crispy bits of bacon, smoked paprika, a bit of cayenne, salt, pepper, and chocolate chips. I like to add the chocolate when the popcorn is still warm so that it melts a bit.

This is messy good deliciousness, and just the thing for summer movie nights or casual parties (seriously...this + champagne is SO perfect together!).

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Loved this recipe? Here are three other snack recipes you might like:

• Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Crackers
• Orange Rosemary Marinated Olives
• Crispy Salted Roasted Baby Artichokes

And let's connect so you can find out the next time I post! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates.

Thanks so much for reading!

Pig Candy Popcorn with Bacon & Chocolate
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
6 slices bacon
1/3 cup popcorn kernals (unpopped)
1 teaspoon smoked spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Place a large and deep heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and the bacon and cook for about 7-10 minutes until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp (but not burned). Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool, reserving the fat in the pan.

Raise the heat to medium-high, and add 5 popcorn kernels to the pan. Cook for a minute or two until they pop, then add the rest of the popcorn kernels. Cover and cook, shaking the pan constantly until the popcorn stops popping. (Don’t be tempted to peek while the popcorn is popping—you’ll end up with popcorn everywhere!)

Transfer the popped corn to a large bowl and add the paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Crumble or chop the cooled bacon, and toss that in, too, along with some season to taste. Toss to coat all the kernels evenly, then add the chocolate chips. Some will melt a bit because of the heat—this is good!

Serve immediately, or let cool and store in an air-tight container for up to 24 hours. (Longer than that and it tends to get a bit stale.)

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Movie Treats: Ras el Hanout Spiced Popcorn with Chocolate

This past summer, I was up in Vermont cooking for a retreat group when I ran out of cumin. When it comes to cooking (and eating) my favorite flavors are either Latin or Middle Eastern, so the cumin tends to go quickly.

I started rummaging around in the cabinets for something else to rub on the carrots I was roasting, and came across a small container of homemade Ras El Hanout--a North African spice mix that combines sweet, smokey and hot spices.

"Let's try it," I thought and added some to my prep bowl.

The results? Incredible! I served the roasted carrots with a yogurt dressing and some mixed herbs, and they ended up being one of the most popular dishes of the evening.

The next day, I pulled the spice out again, and whisked it into some yogurt with crumbled feta and finely chopped mint. I served this one with flatbread chips, and once again...another hit!

By the end of the long weekend, that spice mix had become a solid new favorite, and I couldn't wait to add it to my spice cabinet at home for continued experimentation.
And this popcorn? Definitely one of the winners of aforementioned experiments. It's an easy treat, too. You start of with plain buttered popcorn. You can make it on the stove or in the microwave. (The stove is healthier, but I admit to being lazy and almost always just doing it in the microwave.)

Then toss it with the Ras el Hanout, a bit of cayenne (for extra heat--totally optional) and drizzle with melted dark chocolate. Add some roasted salted almonds, and boom...done! A killer movie snack that's salty, sweet, spicy, and so super easy.

Btw, this + champagne? It just WORKS.

Where to Buy: Ras el Hanout is pretty commonly found at well-stocked supermarkets like Whole Foods, online, or at spice shops. Note that the mixes can vary based on the spice combination, so shop around and find the one you like best. Personally I go for the ones that are a little sweeter without too much cumin or turmeric (so look for something brown--not yellow). If you can't find it, Indian Garam Masala OR Chinese Five Spice would also work well in this recipe (each with slightly different, but similar, flavor profiles.) Buy Ras el Hanout online here.

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!    

Ras el Hanout Spiced Popcorn with Chocolate


Ingredients
4 cups popped buttered popcorn (microwave or stovetop)
1 cup roasted salted almonds (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Ras el Hanout
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions
Toss popcorn and almonds in large bowl with oil, ras el hanout, cayenne, and salt. Spread out on a baking sheet. In a separate small bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave, and then immediately drizzle over the popcorn. Let set about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl

(Best eaten the same day.)

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