This honey-sprinkle kettle corn is a sweet treat for your next movie night or party — or just make it for a special dessert or afternoon snack!
This week is back to school prep week for us. I’ve finalized the curriculum, cleaned and organized the homeschool room, sold stuff we no longer use on facebook marketplace, and collected all the necessary items for fall activities (shin guards, tap shoes, the works). While I’ve been kicking butt on the preparation front, I’ve put actual parenting and meal prep farrrr on the back burner. The girls and I are battling summer colds, so I’ve used it as an excuse to allow the TV to act as a babysitter. Most of the time, it’s been the girls watching Nature Cat, Earth to Luna, and Thumbelina while I scurry around knocking things off my to-do list, but when I started sniffling right along with them, I decided I was due for a little TV time too.
So we all showered and got into pajamas before 2:30 PM. Then, since no movie afternoon is complete without a snack, we all headed for the kitchen. We are popcorn and movie people through and through, and usually a sprinkle of salt suits us fine, but for our sad, sneezing state of affairs, I decided we needed to kick things up a notch.
We went the sweet route and made honey-sprinkle kettle corn because everything in life is better with sprinkles, amiright?!
While this new concoction looked fancy and was an immediate hit, it actually came together in the same amount of time it would take to make regular salted popcorn. It also came with a honey and sprinkle covered spoon, perfect for licking (we had to find two spoons of course). Our snack was ready in 15 minutes, then I covered the couch with a blanket like always and the girls and I cuddled up to watch a much anticipated classic, Annie! I hadn’t seen it in years and I’m pleased to announce we seem to be raising little musical lovers (just like their mama… and dare I admit, their dad, too?!).
We all shoveled popcorn into our mouths while entranced with the songs and dances of that adorable little orphan girl, which made for a pretty splendid cloudy summer afternoon .
It’s amazing to me how kids light up at the smallest detours from their normal routine. The sweet touch of honey and sprinkles took our afternoon up a notch and made our stuffy noses and coughs a bit more manageable. I hope you take this simple recipe and make your own sweet memory… after all, summer isn’t over yet! 🙂
Honey-Sprinkle Kettle Corn
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 9-10 cups 1x
Description
This kettle corn is a sweet treat for your next movie night or party — or just make it for a special dessert or afternoon snack!
Ingredients
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup unpopped (organic) popcorn
1/3 cup naturally-colored sprinkles (I used India Tree Nature’s Colors My Party Decoratifs)
Instructions
Combine honey, butter, salt, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Heat until butter is melted and mixture is thoroughly combined.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven with a lid. Add a couple kernels of popcorn while heating. When those pieces of popcorn pop, add remaining popcorn kernels and cover with lid. Heat popping popcorn in Dutch oven with lid, shaking pan back and forth gently, until popping kernels can no longer be heard.
Remove pan from heat and remove lid. Pour warm honey-butter mixture evenly over popcorn and stir well with a wooden spoon. Add sprinkles and mix with a wooden spoon.
Store at room temperature in a sealed container.
Notes
I like to use organic popcorn kernels and naturally-colored sprinkles. But this would work with regular kernels and the sprinkles of your choice!
Jess says
Thanks for the recipe! My kids will love it.
I know you’ve done a lot of reading into plant-based diets, and we’re trying to do the same in our house, but just wondering – why canola oil over something like olive oil? Wondering if I’m missing something! Thanks!
Laura says
Jess- my two cents would be that olive oil burns at way too low a temp for popcorn on the stove.
sherry says
Agree with Jess about the olive oil burning.
Brittany Dixon says
Laura is right! Olive oil has too low of a smoke point. You may be able to use avocado oil as an alternative if you don’t want canola. I use canola oil in moderation, when I want a tasteless/neutral oil, but I make sure to look for organic, expeller-pressed brands. Right now I have Spectrum’s High Heat Canola Oil in my pantry. Hope that helps! 🙂
Jess says
Thanks ladies!
Nina says
I use olive oil to make on the stove popcorn with no issue. Just as an FYI!
Karlee says
I’ve been using coconut oil and it works great!
sherry says
I seem to remember the cutest little girl dancing in the musical Annie. Would love to find that for the kids to watch.
Vince says
I love the way that you approach food. It’s so easy to go overboard with the healthiest options possible that we forget to have fun along the way. Many of your posts strike such a great balance between the two areas.