There are few treats I like more than the simplicity of old-fashioned kettle corn. And making it at home is easier than you might think–with just a few ingredients and five minutes of cooking, movie night just got so much better!  I’m in love with kettle corn. It was a happy day when I realized that Costco sells giant bags of Boom Chicka Pop. I’ve been buying it pretty regularly for the past year, and my life has been happier for it. It’s the perfect snack when you want something sweet but you’re not prepared to commit to a full on fudgy chocolate cake (although there is absolutely nothing wrong with decadent desserts…they certainly have their place in my heart). Kettle corn is almost healthy…just a little sugar and a whole lotta whole grain. Mmm.

Still, as much as I love having a bag of kettle corn in the pantry whenever I need it, I got to thinking…this can’t be that hard to make. Surely I could do it myself. So off I went to the all-powerful Internet. Lo and behold, I found TONS of recipes for this tasty little snack.

As I began to read, I was amazed to find out that kettle corn only takes FOUR ingredients and about five minutes to make. WHAT?!?! And I’ve been buying it all this time?

So, when Little Man came home from Kindergarten last Monday, I told the boys we were going to make a special afternoon snack. I had a great time pulling out the ingredients one by one and letting them guess what we were going to make. Finally, I pulled out the popcorn kernels and they guessed, “KETTLE CORN!”

Now, this is NOT a recipe kids can make on their own. They can’t really even do a lot to help because you’re shaking a heavy, hot pot of oiled corn over a burning hot stove…not exactly kid-friendly cooking. Still, they LOVED standing nearby, helping me listen for the first “POP” of a kernel, and watching the popcorn bubble up inside the pot.

Little Brother kept telling me, “Mom, this looks kinda dicey!” (where does he get these phrases?) as he watched me continuously shake the pot…and you do need to keep shaking consistently or the sugar will burn on the bottom of the pot.

For that first batch, we ended up with a little toasty bit (totally normal), but it was delicious nonetheless. We’ve made it many more times since then, and as long as you JUST KEEP SHAKING…it turns out great every time.

The only downside to making homemade kettle corn is that I have absolutely no self-control and we always eat the whole batch in one sitting. Oh well. I could think of worse problems though, so I guess we’ll just have to live with that particular challenge.

Ready to make your own batch? Here we go!  

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Easy Homemade Kettle Corn

Yield: about 15 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

There are few treats I like more than the simplicity of old-fashioned kettle corn. And making it at home is easier than you might think–with just a few ingredients and five minutes of cooking, movie night just got so much better!  

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil (I used coconut oil because I like the subtle taste, but vegetable or canola oil work well, too)
• 1/4 cup sugar (*see note)
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• a pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat until you can start to see little wisps of steam. They're almost invisible, so watch closely. It takes just a few minutes.
2. Add sugar and popcorn quickly to the pot and stir for a few seconds until everything the kernels are coated evenly.
3. Cover the pot. When you hear the first pops, start shaking the pot to keep the sugar from burning on the bottom. Keep shaking every few seconds until the popping slows.
4. When there are 2-3 seconds between pops, remove pot from the heat and pour popcorn on a large cookie sheet or into a bowl (this minimizes scorching on the bottom). Don't wait for every kernel to pop or you'll end up burning the popcorn.
5. Sprinkle kosher salt over your popcorn (to taste), let it cool for a few minutes (if you can stand to wait), and enjoy! Popcorn can be stored for several days in an air-tight container.

Notes

Notes: If you use white sugar, your kettle corn will taste more like a popcorn ball. If you use brown sugar, it will have more of a caramely flavor. Either way, it's delicious!

Also, you can try adding other flavors, like cinnamon to make "cinnamon roll" kettle corn. Other options include: Red Hots candies, vanilla, gingerbread (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg), peanut butter, etc. Use your imagination! Just mix your extra flavors with the sugar and dump them together into the pot.

Source: Adapted from All Recipes. Added kosher salt, used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.

Want more quick-and-easy desserts? Try these…

• Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cake
• Brownie Pudding
• State Fair Funnel Cakes
• Five-minute Fudge