Curry Caramel Popcorn with Cashews and Coconut

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I’m slightly obsessed with popcorn, and while I’m definitely a fan of regular buttered popcorn, don’t you just love a good sweet + salty popcorn? This recipe includes ALL of those flavors and textures we all love in a popcorn snack and the flavor combo is slightly addictive! Sweet buttery caramel, a little salty, slightly spicy, and satisfyingly crunchy. The warm curry spices of Indian cooking lend themselves so well to the sweet caramel! If you haven’t hopped on the curry flavor train, there is no better time than the present!

Need more convincing? Here is some insurance if you’re unsure about this recipe. My husband and kids are not the biggest fans of spicy things, and they will absolutely devour an entire batch of this within two days (and it makes quite a bit)!

Still not convinced? I sometimes question whether or not it’s just my family that likes my cooking (impostor syndrome?), but a good friend of mine loved it so much while it was still in the testing stages, she texted me and said something to the effect of “ok so I need more of that caramel corn stuff!” I ended up making more and sharing with at least 4 other friends who all loved it just as much!

This recipe is fantastic all year round, but caramel corn just says cooler weather to me and the curry spice with it’s sweet and savory flavors make it all the more warming in sweater weather!

Curry Caramel Popcorn with Cashews and Coconut

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 Cup whole or halved cashews
• 3/4 Cup popcorn kernals (or 2 bags of regular microwave popcorn)
• 1/2 Cup butter (1 stick – I use salted by default but unsalted is fine too)
• 1 Cup brown sugar
• 1/4 Cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (omit if you are using salted, bagged popcorn)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions:

1. Make sure to read the entire recipe before you start 😉
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking mat and set aside.
4. Pour 1 Cup coconut and 1 Cup cashews on a baking sheet. Toast in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. (when toasting coconut and nuts, they tend to go from toasted to burned in a matter of seconds, so watch carefully, tossing every couple of minutes if there is a spot that seems to get browned more quickly than the others). Set aside.
5. Pop the popcorn. Use your favorite method or see mine below.*
6. Put your popcorn in to a large stockpot or extra large bowl for mixing in the hot caramel later.
7. Measure out 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 Tablespoon of curry powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla and set aside.
8. In a large, glass, microwave safe bowl, place 1 Cup brown sugar, 1 Cup (1 stick) butter, 1/4 Cup corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. **Note: make sure your vessel is large enough for the mixture to bubble in the microwave and after you mix in the baking soda later.
9. Microwave for 1 minute. STIR.
10. Microwave 1 minute 45 seconds. STIR.
11. Microwave 2 minutes.
12. Working quickly, whisk in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon curry powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. The mixture will bubble. Just stir until it stops bubbling (a couple seconds).
13. Pour half of the caramel over the popcorn, then pour on the toasted coconut and cashews, mix quickly, then pour on the other half of the caramel and mix until popcorn is coated (just keep mixing for a minute and it’ll get there).
14. Pour your popcorn mixture onto your parchment or silicon lined baking tray and spread out. Allow to cool for 10 minutes (or not, I won’t tell ;)).

*Super Simple Air Popped Popcorn:

Preheat a large stockpot (make sure it has a lid) on high heat. Pour 3/4 Cup popcorn kernels into the bottom of the dry pan and put the lid on. Using the handles (and potholders if necessary), shake the pan back and forth every minute until the kernels start to pop. When they start popping, shake the pan back and forth continually until there are one or two seconds in between pops (just like microwave popcorn). Immediately and carefully remove the lid (there is a lot of steam), and pour the kernals out on to your parchment or silicon lined baking sheet. After the popcorn and the pan cool off for a minute, you can put the popcorn back into the stockpot for mixing in the caramel later.

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L&L,

<3 – Liz

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