honey nut popcorn

while i have professed my new found love of coconut many, many, many times in the last few months, i have yet to profess my love of popcorn. see, before i discovered coconut, i was making popcorn four or five nights a week. i air popped a few cups, tossed it in butter and salt, and that became my evening snack. and as much as i love classic popcorn - when i was a kid, we ate popcorn for dinner a lot on sundays, after our roast earlier in the afternoon - after a couple weeks i was getting ever so slightly bored with it. i love caramel corn, but after many failed attempts and only a few true successes, i wasn't in the mood to mess around with it. besides, i didn't want anything that took more concentration than tossing some popcorn with butter and salt.

until i stumbled upon this honey nut popcorn. it's slightly sweet from the corn syrup and perfectly peanut buttery. and while it does require dirtying one pan on the stove, there are no thermometers involved, so i was able to watch an old grey's anatomy while mixing this up. and since i made such a large batch, i was able to snack on it all week!

honey nut popcorn
adapted from healthy food for living
45 minutes, makes 3-4 quarts

3-4 quarts popped popcorn
1/2 cup salted peanuts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. preheat your oven to 250F. line a deep baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. combine the popcorn and peanuts in a large, heat proof bowl and set aside.
2. in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil, honey, corn syrup, and peanut butter. stirring constantly, cook until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. remove from heat and mix in the vanilla and salt.
4. pour the peanut butter mixture over the popcorn and peanuts. using a silicone spatula, stir to evenly coat.
5. spread the popcorn on an even layer on the baking sheet.
6. bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. cool completely before eating and store in an airtight container. 

2013.10.06 this was baking & boys' pick for the secret recipe club!