Maple Spiced Kettle Corn Recipes

SPICED KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Have a hot pad or kitchen towel and a paper grocery bag or large baking sheet handy. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium heat. Place a couple of kernels of popcorn in the pan. When the kernels pop, proceed to the next step.
• Once the oil is hot enough, add the butter and stir quickly into the oil to prevent burning. Immediately add the popcorn and stir (the butter may not be completely melted). Add the sugar right away and stir again. Cover the pan, and start shaking it gently back and forth on the burner, using a hot pad or kitchen towel to protect your hands. Keep shaking as the popcorn pops.
• Once you start hearing 1 or 2 seconds of quiet between the pops, turn the heat off immediately. This means the popcorn is mostly popped. (Be careful not to overcook, as the popcorn can easily burn.) Pour the popcorn into the paper bag or onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Allow to cool a few minutes before placing in a bowl. (Careful, the hot sugar makes the popcorn extremely hot!)

MAPLE-SPICED KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add oil and 3 popcorn kernels; cover. Once they pop, add remaining popcorn kernels; cover, and shake pot. Cook until a few more kernels start to pop.
• Add confectioners' sugar, and cook, covered, shaking pot, until kernels stop popping, about 2 minutes. Add maple sugar, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 seconds, then stir to coat. Transfer to a bowl. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat.

GRILLED KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. (If using a charcoal grill, make sure that the coals are several inches below the grate.)
• Combine the popcorn, vegetable oil, sugar and fine salt in an 8- to 9-inch round disposable aluminum cake pan and stir to coat. Tear off two 18-inch-long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Crimp the end of one sheet around the rim of the pan on one side, then crimp the other end of the foil on the opposite side of the pan, leaving 5 to 6 inches of room above the kernels so they have room to pop. Rotate the pan 90 degrees and repeat to crimp the second sheet of foil onto the pan, perpendicular to the first, making sure that the entire edge is well sealed. The foil should create a dome over the top of the pan.
• Once the grill registers 350˚ F to 375˚ F, put the pan on the grill. Wait until you hear sizzling, about 2 minutes, then, using tongs, start shaking the pan frequently until the popcorn starts to pop, 3 to 5 minutes (it's important to keep the pan moving so the sugar doesn't burn before the kernels start to pop). Continue to cook, shaking almost constantly, until the popping subsides, 3 to 5 more minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let stand a few minutes. Carefully cut an X into the top of the foil and peel back the layers to expose the popcorn. Sprinkle with smoked sea salt. The popcorn will feel slightly sticky at first but will become crisp as it cools.

KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Mix the salt and sugar, set aside: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and salt, and stir with your finger to combine. Set aside.
• Heat oil, pop test kernels: Place a medium to large stockpot (at least 5 quarts) with a tight-fitting lid over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and 3 to 4 kernels of popcorn. Secure the lid.
• Add popcorn and seasonings, stir to coat: Once the test kernels begin to pop, add the rest of the popcorn, along with the sugar and salt mixture. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon to combine (skip this step and you risk the sugar burning).
• Shake the pot: Quickly replace the lid and continue cooking, constantly shaking the pot. At first there won't be any popping, but in less than a minute, the popcorn will begin to pop. Remove from heat when you smell a whiff of caramel, or the popping slows to 1 second between pops.
• Empty kettle corn into bowl, let cool briefly: Moving swiftly, turn the popcorn into a serving bowl and let it cool a few minutes. If there's some melted or burned sugar residue in the pot, add a few cups of water, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar; dump the hot water down the sink, and your pot should be in much better shape.
• Pick out unpopped kernels, then enjoy: Before you dig in, sort through the kettle corn and pick out as many unpopped kernels as you can. A few stragglers often stick to clusters of the popped kernels. Serve warm, or, for maximum crunch and flavor, at room temperature. The kettle corn will keep three to four days in a tightly covered container.