Sparkle Kitchen: Martin & Sylvia's Nutty Popcorn
In the Sparkle Car story "Trains, Trains, Trains!" the children go with their Daddy for a day of riding on trains. It’s a darling little story about new adventures and the good love of trains.
In the story, Daddy serves the children something called "Nutty Popcorn."
“Hmmmm, what’s Nutty Popcorn?” I wondered when I read the first draft of the story.
I asked David, and he said, “Well...think healthy Cracker Jacks!” He listed the ingredients: honey, almonds, butter...
“Uh, YUM!” I thought. “All of the Sparkle Families must have this too!” So I set straight to work figuring out a recipe to share.
And here it is:
Martin & Sylvia’s Nutty Popcorn
Ingredients
¼ cup un-popped popcorn
2 tablespoons coconut oil or other oil for popping
¾ cup chopped nuts (I used almonds — the more finely they are chopped, the better they will stick)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons liquid sweetener (I used raw honey and rice syrup)
⅛ tsp sea salt or to taste
Directions
Begin to heat the coconut oil in a large, heavy pot. Add popcorn, distributing evenly across the bottom of the pan and allowing it to be covered in oil. Put a lid on the pot. Turn the heat to medium high and listen for the first kernel to begin popping. From there forward, give the pan a good shake — every 15 seconds or so — to make sure the un-popped corn gets a chance to pop! Once the popping slows and it gets quiet, you’ll know you’re pretty much done.
Pour the popped popcorn into a large bowl. Return the pot to the stove, and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the butter and the sweetener and allow to melt. Stir frequently to combine and cook for a minute or two so that the sweeteners caramelize just a bit.
Now, pour ½; of the melted butter-sweetener mix over the popcorn. Stir to combine. Add the other ½; and again stir. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top, along with a pinch of salt. With clean hands, gently mix the now-sticky popcorn and the nuts until they are thoroughly combined. Add another pinch of salt, give it one more toss, and serve!
Be ready for sticky fingers (and happy eaters). Enjoy!
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About the Author
Lisabeth Sewell
Lisabeth Sewell has worn many hats at Sparkle over the years, from Sparkle Kitchen Blogger to Editorial Director to Doer of All Odd Jobs. Her primary role is as CEO.
