The aroma of popcorn being popped seldom fails to draw customers to purchase a box at the movie theatre, hockey arena or food aisle at the carnival.
A Popcorn and Peanuts Cookbook, published in 1977, features the many ways popcorn may be enjoyed. This week’s recipes from that cookbook offer three suggestions.
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Popcorn Cookies
3 cups popped popcorn
2 tbsps. butter, softened
2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Place popped popcorn, one cup at a time, in the container of an electric blender. Cover and blend until finely ground. Turn out into a quart measuring cup. Continue blending with other popped popcorn until you have 1 1/2 cups ground popcorn.
Stir ground popcorn and butter together. Beat eggs whites on high speed of an electric mixer until stiff. Gradually add sugar, beating on low after each addition, until mixture is stiff and glossy. Beat in salt and vanilla. Fold in popcorn and butter mixture.
Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, about 3 inches apart.
Bake in a 325 degrees F oven for 12-15 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Remove at once from baking sheets. Cool on racks. Makes about 30 cookies.
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Chocolate Popcorn Pie
2 qts. popped popcorn
1-6 oz. pkg. chocolate pudding and pie filling
whipped cream
Syrup:
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tbsps. white corn syrup
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. vinegar
To make syrup, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, about 3 minutes until steam washes down the side of the saucepan. Uncover and cook, without stirring, nearly to the hard-cracked stage, about 290 degrees F on the candy thermometer.
Keep popcorn warm in a low 200 degrees F oven while making the syrup.
Put popcorn in a large, buttered bowl. Drizzle syrup over popcorn and stir until well coated. Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate, building edges higher than the plate edge. Allow crust to cool.
Prepare pudding according to package directions. Cover with plastic wrap pressed firmly against the surface to prevent skin from forming. Chill thoroughly.
When ready to serve, spoon pudding into the popcorn shell. Garnish with whipped cream. Makes 6-8 servings.
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Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
3 qts. unsalted popped popcorn
Combine sugar and cinnamon. Place popcorn in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over popcorn, tossing as you pour. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture and toss until well mixed.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
