Hooray for Hollywood! Whether it’s the cavalcade of movie award shows or family night at the movies, snacks are always a winner! The year starts off with the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes in January, the Academy Awards – Hello Oscar! in February and the MTV Awards in April with the “Golden Popcorn Award”. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general public. Now you need to do your homework and watch all of these movies first! What better way to have the full movie experience than a big bowl of popcorn and sweet treats?
I have a tried and true method for making homemade popcorn the old fashioned way, on the stove top! It’s great on it’s own but for extra fun you can dress up your popcorn with all kinds of seasonings! I am also more of a savory eater but a little sweetness is the perfect counterpoint to the saltiness of potato chips. Yeppers, we’re going to dip them in chocolate!
Quite on the set. Lights, Camera, Action! We’re going to the movies! And the winner is…..YOU!
Movie Star Popcorn
Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart saucepan or pot with a lid set over medium-high heat. Pour in popcorn kernels and sprinkle enough salt to lightly cover the layer of kernels. Remember, you can always add more salt later. Add the butter to the pot and cover with the lid.
As soon as the kernels start to pop, shake the pan back and forth across the burner constantly until the popping slows down. As soon as the pops are about 2 seconds apart, remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl. Taste, and season with additional salt if desired.
Tip: Don’t buy cheap popcorn. It’s more expensive in the long run because so much of it doesn’t pop. Orville Redenbacher popcorn is a good choice.
Put some costumes on those characters! Dress up the popcorn to fit your mood. Looking for some Drama, use the herb and cheese recipes. Want an action packed Thriller, try the Hot and Spicy Recipes. For a little Romance, make up a batch of Sweet Treat Popcorn Recipe.
Here’s how you roll. For each seasoning, start with…
12-16 cups of popped popcorn (1/2 cup un-popped popcorn, either air-popped or popped in 1/4 cup corn or peanut oil)
1/3 cup melted butter
Salt
Add one of the following seasoning combos to the butter and warm thoroughly so the flavors meld. Then drizzle the butter/seasonings over the popcorn, salt to taste, and toss.
Herb and Cheese Popcorn Recipes:
Herbed Popcorn: 1 teaspoon each dried sage, fennel, marjoram, thyme, basil, summer savory, and rosemary, and 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Three-Cheese: 1 cup shredded aged Gouda, 1 cup grated Parmesan and 1/2 cup grated Pecorino
Lemon-Dill Popcorn: 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 1 teaspoon dill weed
Tex-Mex Popcorn: 1 tablespoon each cumin and chili powder. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Saffron Popcorn: 1/4 heaping teaspoon minced saffron
Pizza Popcorn: 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Hot and Spicy Popcorn Recipes:
Pepper Popcorn: 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika
Hot Mustard Popcorn: 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme
Sriracha-Lime: 3 tablespoons Sriracha, 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest and 1 tablespoon lime juice; season with salt.
Sweet Treat Popcorn Recipe:
Mexican Chocolate: 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
I LOVE Ruffles Potato Chips! And I LOVE dark chocolate! This is a marriage made in heaven if you love sweet and salty combos. These chips are savory with a devilish taste of dark chocolate!
Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips
Line two baking sheets with wax or parchment paper; set aside.
The easiest way to chop a bar of chocolate is with a serrated knife. The smaller the pieces, the faster it will melt and the sooner you will have chocolate potato chips!
In a medium heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water, combine the chocolate and coconut oil, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
Pick out the best, well rounded chips and dip half of the potato chip in the melted chocolate. Shake off excess chocolate.
Place on wax or parchment paper lined baking sheets. Repeat until all chips are covered in chocolate. Chill for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to set the chocolate. Store chips in a cool place in an airtight container for up to 1 week, if there are any left.
Note: You can increase this to make as many chocolate dipped chips as you want.
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart saucepan or pot with a lid set over medium-high heat.
- Pour in popcorn kernels and sprinkle enough salt to lightly cover the layer of kernels. Remember, you can always add more salt later. Add the butter to the pot and cover with the lid.
- As soon as the kernels start to pop, shake the pan back and forth across the burner constantly until the popping slows down.
- As soon as the pops are about 2 seconds apart, remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl. Taste, and season with additional salt if desired.
- Tip: Don't buy cheap popcorn. It's more expensive in the long run because so much of it doesn't pop. Orville Redenbacher popcorn is a good choice.
- 5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Small bag of potato chips, ridges are preferred
- Line two baking sheets with wax or parchment paper; set aside.
- The easiest way to chop a bar of chocolate is with a serrated knife. The smaller the pieces, the faster it will melt and the sooner you will have chocolate potato chips!
- In a medium heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water, combine the chocolate and coconut oil, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Pick out the best, well rounded chips and dip half of the potato chip in the melted chocolate. Shake off excess chocolate.
- Place on wax or parchment paper lined baking sheets. Repeat until all chips are covered in chocolate. Chill for just a bit in the refrigerator to set the chocolate. Store chips in a cool place in an airtight container for up to 1 week, if there are any left.
- Note: You can increase this to make as many chocolate dipped chips as you want.
