Peppermint Candied Popcorn – Happy Holidays!

Popcorn is one of those neutral flavored foods that takes to anything you want to throw at it, sweet OR savory (or both). Most recipes out there for peppermint popcorn has you crushing candy canes and throwing it in with the popcorn and then drizzling it with white chocolate. Usually that means clumps of sticky candy pieces at the bottom of the tin and chunky heavy white chocolate covered popcorn. This recipe is made with just sugar, a touch of corn syrup to keep the sugar from crystallizing and some peppermint oil. Red food coloring is optional. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if it’s too much popcorn for you (but I make large batches because it’s pretty addictive). If you want, you can also substitute in pre-packaged microwave popcorn instead of the stovetop popcorn. Just use two bags of natural flavored popcorn, with minimal amounts of buttery flavoring on it. Be sure there’s some salt on it though, as it’s a nice foil to the sweet peppermint candied coating.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup unpopped popcorn
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
5 to 6 drops of red food coloring (optional – see note below)

1. Place the oil and salt in a large stockpot. Add three or four kernels of popcorn to it and turn the heat on high, covering the pot partially and shaking occasionally, until all the kernels have popped. Remove from heat and add the rest of the popcorn kernels. Shake to coat with salt and oil. Wait 30 seconds.

2. Turn the heat back on to medium high and cover the stockpot with a lid partially (you need to keep it open to let the steam escape. Or cover the stockpot with a splatter guard mesh screen if you have it. Shake the pot while the kernels pop, to make sure the unpopped kernels stay on the bottom, and the popped kernels rotate up and don’t burn. Once you hear the popping slow down to about 2 seconds between pops, turn the heat off and pour the popcorn into a large heatproof bowl with a silicon trivet underneath (or a damp towel, to keep the bowl from sliding around).

3. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with silpats, wax paper or parchment paper. Place a medium sized bowl of water and ice (big enough for your hands) next to the stove, in case you get any of the hot sugar syrup on your skin

4. Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium size pot. Heat the sugar on high until the sugar dissolves. Reduce to medium high and cook until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage (310˚F on a candy thermometer, or when a drop of the sugar syrup in a glass of cold water hardens and is brittle when you try to bend it). Remove from heat and carefully add the peppermint extract (it will boil and steam, so be careful) and stir to incorporate. Quickly drizzle the sugar syrup over the popcorn, while stirring the popcorn with a large heatproof spatula, to evenly coat the popcorn. Again, be careful as the syrup is hot.

5. Quickly and carefully spread the coated popcorn on the lined baking sheets, trying to break up and clumps. Let cool, then break apart any popcorn clumps and serve for the holidays, or anytime you want!

Note. If you are using the red food coloring, divide the popped popcorn into two bowls, 2/3 into one bowl, and 1/3 of the popcorn in the other. Make the syrup in two batches. Use 1 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract in the first batch, and pour it over the larger amount of popcorn, then spread it out on one of the baking sheets. Then use 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon of corn syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract in the second batch of syrup. Add the red food color at the same time as the peppermint extract (again being careful, as it will splatter). Pour the red colored sugar syrup on the smaller amount of uncoated popcorn and spread it on the second baking sheet. Once they both have cooled, mixed together.

Makes about 20 cups of popcorn