Homemade Light & Easy Kettle Corn

Trying to find light snacks is not always an easy task with my ravenous brood. We love popcorn, but after reading about all the unhealthy preservatives in microwave popcorn, we eliminated all popcorn for a while. We found an air popper, but to be honest, the amount of butter we had to add to make it taste appealing was just too much. It felt very heavy instead of the light ‘family movie night’ snack we were looking for. I researched some of the recipes for kettle corn on Pinterest and the ‘net and tweaked them to find a tasty, ‘light’ version.  Since then, this has almost become a staple around our house, and a really fast, cheap, and delicious snack to share with friends!

Homemade Kettle Corn

*Be sure to set out a large bowl BEFORE beginning.*

Using a stock pot with a lid (mine is 12 quart and there is plenty of room)

Set stove to medium

Add 1/3 cup oil (I use peanut, but any will do) and several kernels of popcorn (3-5)

Wait until the oil is heated and a kernel pops letting you know it is the right temperature

Add:

2/3 cup popcorn kernels

1/3 cup sugar

2-3 teaspoons cinnamon

Give it a good stir using a wooden spoon and place the lid on.

Now comes the very important part, because it is VERY easy to burn, so it will need your full attention.

Every 3 seconds you want to give it a good shake while keeping it on the burner. As it starts popping, I shake almost constantly. It is important not to lift the lid or to stop shaking.

I stop every few seconds to listen for popping. Just like microwave popcorn, you need to listen for when the popping stops for 2-3 seconds.

AS SOON as you hear this delay, take it off the heat and, quickly holding onto the lid, tip the pot so the popcorn is off the bottom to keep it from burning. Carefully take off the lid as steam will be hot and open/pour into bowl away from your face in case a kernel pops out. This can be tricky, so the first few times I was sure to have my husband ready with the wooden spoon in case I needed him. The last steps must be done quickly to ensure it won’t burn as well as safely since the popcorn and kernels will be VERY hot.

Sprinkle 1 tsp salt over the warm popcorn while tossing it with the wooden spoon.

Be sure it cools a few minutes.

My family comes running when they hear it popping, and it doesn’t last long in the Morefield house! This recipe is more than enough for all of us and some to spare, and it really tastes great stored. I have made it ahead and sent it for snacks with my children.

*Note: I do not have a glass cook top stove. If you do, be sure it’s shatterproof before making this type of popcorn!