Spicy Maple-Cashew Popcorn
For a more kid-friendly version, omit the ground red pepper. Store in an airtight container for up to two days.
For a more kid-friendly version, omit the ground red pepper. Store in an airtight container for up to two days.
Love this. Have made repeatedly. Do not add as much red pepper as suggested, just enough for everyone to love and then say, oh there was a kick in that. It is sticky to eat, but so tasty. I always make a double batch. Thanks for the recipe.
It's a great start to fabulous popcorn. I cheat and just pop a bag of popcorn. I use some nuts if I have them, if not it's not a big deal. When I make the sauce, I cut the sugar to 1/4c. Finally, to get that yummy, crunchy caramel corn texture, I toss the gooy mess in the oven on parchment paper for 5 min at 375. Let cool and yummmm...I'm scraping the crispy sugar off the paper :) Enjoy!
I made this recipe for a holiday party and everyone loved it! The only drawback was that the popcorn was very gooey / sticky so it made it hard to serve. I snacked on it all week and the sweet / spicy combo is awesome. One of the best snacks I've ever made from C.L. recipes. I definitely plan on making this recipe again around Halloween, and turning them into popcorn balls; can't wait!
Admittedly, I made a number of adjustments, but this turned out to be DELICIOUS. I wanted to cut back on the sugar a bit and so reduced both the white and maple to 1/4 cup. Also, I wanted to make more popcorn so the "calories would go farther" (if you know what I mean), so I doubled the amount of kernels to a little over a 1/2c (I made the popcorn in 2 batches). I like spicy things quite a bit, especially spicy/sweet, but I'd say you could cut back the cayenne to 1/8tsp and still have plenty of kick. Also, I left out the nuts. This will definitely be a keeper recipe--great for entertaining.
I made this for a holiday party this weekend. I doubled the recipe. I had seen a similar recipe elsewhere that included bacon, so I cooked 6 slices of center-cut bacon and crumbled them on top of the popcorn after I'd poured on the syrup, then tossed everything together. I think the popcorn would be delicious with or without the bacon, though. The flavors are definitely complex and unique. I found the popcorn was sticky for quite a while, but I served it on a tray, and after an hour or so it wasn't sticky at all. I will definitely try this interesting recipe again.
I was worried about the "spicy" in this recipe, but made it exactly as directed. I'm glad I did! The spicy-tickle in my throat perfectly compliments the sweet popcorn. I'll be making this to give as gifts next year. I agree with the previous comment about the slight stickiness and will try her tip.
I don't know if it's fair for me to rate this since I didn't make this exact recipe, but I made it into maple bacon by frying and crumbling six slices of bacon, popping the popcorn in a tablespoon of the bacon fat, and omitting the red pepper. Delicious, but needed a few minutes in the oven to crisp it up.
Very easy to make and a great snack. The portion size is quite small though which I always think is a dirty trick.
I just made this popcorn, and it is outstanding. Instead of sugar I used Truvia ( an all natural sugar substitute) it worked amazingly. And Truvia has no calories so I threw in a couple more cashews. I do agree with Sarah that it was a little gooey. But yummy - gooey.
This is a really yummy snack to serve to guests! I made it without the cayenne since I was serving it to children too. The only problem is that my popcorn was still gooey after tossing it with the maple-caramel. I solved this by popping it in the oven at 325 for 12 minutes, stirring three times during the baking time. Better than Kettle Corn!