Recipe: Carob Maple Popcorn

One of the most overpriced snacks has got to be popcorn that’s because the corn kernel itself is actually rather cheap. In cinemas, a box of popcorn can easily cost up to $6 or $7.  Next time when you watch a movie, why not make your very own popcorn with a healthier sugar alternative instead? They tasted even better than cinema popcorns for sure!

Plain popcorn is a healthy snack and doesn’t contain as many calories as potato chips. What makes it seemed so unhealthy is due to the added processed sugar, salt, butter, oil and other seasonings. And if you are able to make popcorn at home by yourself, you are able to determine what does into your bag of popcorn. Isn’t that great?

To make your own organic popcorn, you simply need some oil, popcorn kernels and your favorite seasonings like salt or sugar. For this recipe, I decided to use pure carob syrup by The Australian Carob Co. instead of usual white or brown sugar. You can always use honey too but I wanted to make the popcorn vegan-friendly. But if you want those Garrett-style of popcorn, you can make your own caramel sauce and drizzle it over the popcorn before putting it into the oven.

I make small batches of popcorn just for myself but if you want to make bigger batches of popcorn, you can adjust the portions accordingly. To pop the kernel, you don’t really need much oil. You just need to see if the size of your pot can contain all the expanded kernels.

Organic Popcorn ( 8 – 10 tablespoons)

Coconut Oil ( 2 tablespoons)

Carob Syrup (1 tablespoon)

Maple Syrup (optional) (1 tablespoon)

Salt (optional) (A pinch)

Tools required: Large pan/pot with a lid and oven

Serving size: 2

Time taken: 30 minutes

Here, I am using organic coconut oil by Ayam Brand, a well-known household name of a canned food company in Singapore. I am glad that they are offering organic products like organic coconut milk.

As for the popcorn kernels, I chose non-GMO popcorn from Now Real Food which I bought from iHerb.

Add about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to the heated pan and turn the fire on medium heat. You will know that the oil is hot enough when you toss in one corn kernel in and it pops. Once the oil sizzles, slowly scoop out the popcorn kernels into the pan and quickly cover the pan or pot with a lid. Then, lower down the fire slightly.

Next, sit back and watch it pop. It didn’t take very long for all the kernels to expand. You will know it is ready when the popping sounds died down and come to a stop. That’s when you turn off the heat and let the popcorn cool for a bit.

I let it cool for about 5 minutes or so before drizzling about 1 tablespoon of carob syrup over it and mix it well with a spoon. The carob syrup gives the popcorn a little sweet and caramelized taste. If you prefer the softer texture of popcorn, you can let the popcorn cool down further before popping some into your mouth. But if you want it to have that crispy texture, you can bake it in the oven at 120 degrees for about 5 to 10 minutes. I would recommend adding some maple syrup or honey to create crispy popcorn clusters that would make anyone reach out for more popcorns.

Some recipes would include baking soda to make the popcorn looks bigger and taste crunchier but I felt that there isn’t really a need to add those because baking these popcorns would have already make it much tastier.

Also, you don’t have to leave it in the oven to bake for too long. You just need the heat to remove the moisture from the popcorn and to slightly caramelized the maple syrup coating.

After about 10 minutes or so, leave the popcorn to cool down further and it starts to taste even crunchier! You can add a pinch of salt to taste.

You can be creative with this simple recipe and add your favorite seasonings too. It’s one of the most versatile snacks you can make at home. You can pack it into bottles and give out as Christmas gifts too!

Enjoy!