Popcorn made it’s claim to fame way back during the Great Depression. It was an inexpensive, yummy snack that everyone loved and it became a source of income for many struggling farmers. While candy production was at an all time low during World War II, Americans compensated by eating three times the amount of popcorn as they did before!
Now, everywhere you go, you are bound to see popcorn stands! Now popcorn is a staple at movie theatres, carnivals and even local art and music festivals! It’s safe to say that popcorn is one of America’s favorite snacks. In honor of January 19th being National Popcorn Day, we created some easy and yummy popcorn recipes.the whole family will enjoy together. Try all three flavors!
Cool Ranch Popcorn
Ingredients:
· 6 cups popcorn (popped)
· 4-5 tablespoons melted butter
· 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix
· 1 small bag of Cool Ranch Doritos (nom, nom, nom)
· 1 or 2 large zip lock bags (gallon size)
Put the popped popcorn into the zip lock bags. If you need to use two bags, evenly divide the popcorn into both bags.
Take the small bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, tear a small whole at the top of the bag to let the air out, but make sure none of the chips can fall out. Then crush those Doritos until they are almost at a powder consistency. Open the Dorito bag and add the packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix to it and shake till blended.
Take the melted butter and drizzle it over the popcorn in the bag(s). Then take your Dorito Ranch mix and sprinkle a generous amount over the popcorn as well. Close the zip lock bags and shake your popcorn to allow the butter and yummy ranch flavoring to get on all the pieces.
Pour the popcorn from the bags into a giant bowl and enjoy!
Birthday Cake Popcorn Bark
Ingredients:
· 6 cups popcorn (popped)
· 1.5 cups white chocolate morsels
· 1/4 cup vegetable shortening or coconut oil
· 1.5 cups white or yellow cake mix (I used Funfetti)
· 1 bottle of rainbow nonpareils sprinkles
Take a cookie sheet and cover it with wax or parchment paper, then spread the popcorn on the cookie sheet.
Place the 1.5 cups of white chocolate in a large, microwave safe bowl. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each 30 seconds. Once the chocolate in melted, add the vegetable shortening or coconut oil and stir. *Important: The vegetable shortening or coconut oil will thin out the melted chocolate consistency and make it easier to pour in the last step. But it won’t change the taste of the melted chocolate!
Add the 1.5 cups of cake mix to the melted white chocolate and mix! Then using a spoon, drizzle (or pour!) the mixture evenly over the popcorn. Immediately shake the bottle of rainbow nonpareils sprinkles over the white chocolate drizzle. Allow the chocolate to harden over the popcorn before eating. I placed my cookie sheet in the refrigerator for a few minutes to speed up the process.
Once the chocolate has hardened over the popcorn, break into pieces and serve in a bowl!
Popcorn S’mores
Ingredients:
· 6 cups popcorn (popped)
· 5 tablespoons melted butter
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· Pinch of salt
· 1 cup crushed graham crackers
· 1 bag of mini marshmallows
· 1 bag of chocolate chips
· Parchment paper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over the cookie sheet. It’s important to use parchment paper and NOT wax paper, because wax paper cannot go in the oven. Evenly pour the popcorn over the parchment paper.
In a small cup, mix the melted butter with the vanilla extract and pinch of salt and drizzle it over the popcorn. Next, sprinkle a layer of chocolate chips over the popcorn. Then sprinkle the crushed up graham crackers over the chocolate chips, followed by another layer of chocolate chips over the graham cracker. And finally top it off with marshmallows. As much marshmallow as you want.
Put in the oven and bake until the marshmallows and chocolate and slightly melted, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a bit before pulling pieces apart. Serve in a bowl and enjoy!
Happy National Popcorn Day!
-Laura