Homemade kettle corn tossed with spiced white chocolate makes for an ultra-tasty holiday treat! Present the popcorn in cello bags tied with colorful ribbon or in a wide-mouth quart canning jar.
Ingredients
- ½ cup popcorn kernels, plus 3 to 5 kernels
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 8 ounces white chocolate
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Directions
Line an 18×13-inch baking sheet with parchment. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup popcorn kernels, sugar and salt. Set aside.
Put the oil into an 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot. Add the 3 to 5 popcorn kernels to the pot. Cover with the lid. Heat over medium-high. When one or two kernels pops, remove the lid, and add the ½ cup kernels, sugar and salt. Carefully stir to coat with the hot oil. Cover the pot with the lid.
Shake the pan continuously. It takes about a minute or so for the popcorn to start popping. Remove from heat when popping slows to 1 to 2 seconds between each pop. Don’t wait for the popping to fully stop or the popcorn might burn.
Immediately spread the popcorn onto the baking sheet in one layer. Fill the pot halfway with warm water and allow to soak for an hour or so. This makes it easy to clean any burnt-on sugar from the bottom of the pot.
Allow the popcorn to cool for 15 minutes or until it’s cool to the touch. Transfer popcorn to a large bowl. Keep the baking sheet out. You’ll need it again.
Now it’s time to melt the white chocolate. Place the white chocolate in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove. Stir. Repeat until melted. Add the pie spice. Stir to combine.
Pour melted white chocolate over the cooled popcorn. Stir to evenly coat. Return the popcorn to the baking sheet. Spread with a wooden spoon into a single layer. Allow chocolate to set, about 20 minutes. Gently break popcorn apart. Store in an airtight container or place in small bags and tie. Popcorn keeps for up to 2 weeks.
