One of the best things about going to the movies is the buttered popcorn. I have not been able to recreate the flavor of movie popcorn at home although I have tried. The smell of theater popcorn is intoxicating. But, the smell of microwave popcorn is another story for me. I do not like the smell of microwave popcorn. My hubby is a fan of all types of popcorn especially microwave popcorn so I keep it as a staple in the pantry.
The other day when I was searching through the pantry for some pasta I ran across a few boxes of microwave popcorn. I started wondering what I could do to the microwave popcorn to make it more appealing. The first thing that came to mind was the big bin of caramels I saw at the grocery store the last time I was there. Usually, I would just use caramels to make caramel apples or apple crisp. However, the thought of mixing the caramels with popcorn and sliced almonds seemed like a pretty good idea. Instead of making caramel corn (which is a little too sweet for me), I decided to make Caramel Popcorn Balls which had only a hint of caramel and nuts.
The result was a nice little treat. I can even say I did not even mind the smell of the microwave popcorn while it was popping because I was so excited to try out the recipe. Light, slightly crunchy, savory and sweet. The caramel was just sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and savory enough to make me want more.
Caramel Popcorn Balls
Ingredients:
2 bags microwave popcorn popped
1 11 oz caramels unwrapped
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp water
½ cup sliced or whole almonds
cooking spray
Place popped popcorn in a 200 degree oven while melting caramels. Be sure to remove all unpopped kernels.
Melt caramels, corn syrup and water in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place popcorn and nuts in bowl and drizzle warm caramel over popcorn and nuts. Quickly mix until popcorn is well coated. Form popcorn balls by hand. Spray hands with a little cooking spray prior to forming balls so that they do not stick to your hands. Wrap balls in plastic wrap and place in an air tight container. Popcorn will keep fresh for a few days.
dmarie-dining 