.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Cinnamon Popcorn

Cinnamon Popcorn — Gifts From the Kitchen

The elves have been busy making Christmas popcorn . . . or maybe it was a few of the nutcrackers that seem to invade our house each holiday season. Nevertheless, sacks of cinnamon popcorn are now ready for delivery. And, the little helpers even attached recipes to the sacks! Just wished that they had washed the dishes when they were through!

The recipe comes from Betty Krenger. It, along with lots of her other wonderful recipes, are included in the 3^rd edition (2003-04) of the Heritage Society’s Home Cooking, Dickinson County Style.

I just can't help it! Every time I make candy I am reminded of the food science class I used to teach. For example . . . the corn syrup and baking soda act as interfering agents in this recipe. Corn syrup is high in glucose which helps form small crystals in the final candy solution. Cream of tartar is an acid which can cause the hydrolysis of sucrose creating glucose and fructose (the resulting simple sugars also help form small crystals that create a better mouthfeel). Also the combination of the cream of tartar (acid) and baking soda (base) create the chemical foaming action that changes the cinnamon syrup right before it is poured over the popcorn. End of lesson . . . for now!

Cinnamon Popcorn Yield: 4 quarts

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/2 to 3/4 cup red hot candies (such as Cinnamon Imperials®) (I use 3/4 cup)

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup white corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

4 quarts popped corn (I often use 5 quarts)

1. Put the brown sugar, red hots, butter and corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl; cook for 4 minutes, stirring after each minute. Cook an additional 2 minutes more without stirring. Stir in the salt, soda and cream of tartar.

This is what the mixture looks like after the first 2 minutes in the microwave.

This is what it looks like at the end of the first 4 minutes.

And, this is what it looks like after the last 2 minutes in the microwave.

After the salt, baking soda and cream of tartar go in, the mixture lightens and becomes slightly foamy.

2. Put popcorn in a double brown grocery-type bag. Pour hot mixture over corn, stir and then shake well. Put bag in microwave and cook 1 to 1-1/2 minutes; remove and shake well. Microwave another 1 to 1-1/2 minutes and shake. (A total of 2 minutes in my microwave is enough.)