Aaaaaaaaannnnnndddddd, we're back! Sorry for my absence, life got in the way of my bloggings.
But, I promised a delicious recipe, and I am here to deliver: Maple Caramel Corn. It came to me in a dream, my mom and I cooked up a batch on Sunday, and I have to say, it's pretty damn good.
Aside from being sinfully tasty, it fits the season, it's easy to whip up, easy to clean up, and a bit healthier than your garden variety caramel corn, which is usually packed with corn syrup and other refined sugars.
So, to make yourself a LARGE single serving (my parents and I split the serving, but I could have easily eaten it all myself), you will need:
Serves 1-3 Depending on how hungry you are, multiply as needed.
1/4 Cup Plain Popcorn
1 Tbs Butter
1/4 Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Dash of Salt
A few dashes of ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
First, pour your popcorn kernels into a paper lunch bag and fold the top over a few times. Pop it into the microwave for about two minutes and pour out into a bowl.
If you have a lot of kernels left, separate them out and put them back in the microwave to pop.
Set your popcorn aside in a greased mixing bowl (butter or cooking spray will work).
In a small saucepan, on low heat, melt your tablespoon of butter. Once your butter is completely melted, pour in your maple syrup and stir slowly.
When the maple butter mixture starts to bubble, pour in your vanilla extract (again, my opinon is if you're not using there real deal, just leave it out).
Keep stirring on low heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Don't stop stirring, it will burn and all will be lost. :-(
When your mixture has thickened, remove from heat and drizzle half of it over your popcorn. Toss and to evenly distribute.
Drizzle the remaining maple butter over the popcorn, sprinkle a dash of salt and a few dashes or nutmeg, and toss again to fully coat your popcorn.
Now, on either a greased baking sheet, or a parchment lined baking sheet, spread out your maple popcorn.
Now, take a moment to smell that delicious smell and enjoy your handy-work.
Just look at those little nuggets!
Pop it in your preheated oven (250 F) and cook for 30 minutes, giving it a toss every 15 minutes to cook evenly. When it's done, it will be crunchy and the maple butter should have hardened into a glaze.
While it's still warm, put it into a bowl, or a cute little paper bag, if you fancy, and munch away!
It's so warm and crunchy, you'll be sure to nibble just a little more than you intended.
Uhhhhh... where did it all go?
