Aside from pumpkin spice everything, October also means something else. Pink. October, as so many of you know, is breast cancer awareness. I love the awareness and support that comes about during this month. Like many people, breast cancer has touched my family and taken someone so very special to me. I hate it. I hate cancer of any kind and I love that there are so many people dedicated to finding a cure!
This week our town, along with many others, is gearing up for the annual Race for the Cure. So, in honor of that amazing event, my blog will be turning pink this week too! All the recipes making appearances this week will have that beautiful pink hue.
First up, popcorn. But not just any popcorn, a favorite that spans back I don’t know how many years, old-fashioned pink popcorn.
This has to be one of the simplest, yet incredibly addicting recipes ever. And the end result, a perfectly pink, sweet, candy-coated popcorn. This popcorn has it all; sweet, salty, and crunchy! Oh, and it’s PINK!
If you have never had this popcorn, folks, you are missing out. It’s like caramel corn, but oh-so-different. You’ve got the crunchy corn coated in sticky candy perfect and followed up with a slight hint of salt for balance.
This is the perfect snack for movie night, ideal for bagging up and handing out as treat bags, and it’s just uber fun to stare at in all it’s pink glory. So go ahead, do yourself a favor and make this popcorn immediately. Oh, and try, just try not to eat it by the handfuls while spreading it out to dry. Impossible, I tell you!
Old Fashioned Pink Popcorn
Ingredients:
6 Quarts (24 cups) popped popcorn (1 cup kernels)
2 Cups sugar
2/3 Cup cream, whole milk or half and half
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 Tsp salt
1 Tsp vanilla
Couple drops of red food coloring
Directions:
Place popcorn in a large bowl, roasting pan or large dish. Set aside. Line a work surface with wax or parchment paper.
Combine sugar, cream, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir the mixture and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved allow to come to a boil and continue cooking until it reaches 230 degree F, soft ball stage. Add the vanilla and food coloring* and stir to combine. Allow to cool for 2 minutes.
Pour over the popcorn, stir to coat and pour over the prepared work surface* and allow to dry and cool completely.
* Start with 1 to 2 drops of liquid food coloring and adjust from there. 3 was plenty for me.
* I sprinkled the corn with a touch more salt after spreading it on the parchment paper to dry. Totally personal preference here though.
* It’s normal for this to be sticky since it is candy. However, if it’s too sticky or the candy wasn’t cooked correctly, place the popcorn on a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven (that is off) and allow to dry out for another hour or so.
Recipe source: Nan’s Recipes
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