Clean Caramel / Kettle Corn

For some reason, the best recipes end up working out when I’m not even trying for them to. Whenever I have an awesome idea for a recipe and try to put it into motion, I regularly end up failing hahah. All of my best creations have come to life entirely randomly.

The other night, I wanted something to snack on while I was doing homework, so I decided to make popcorn. Ever since I convinced my mom to buy a Whirley Pop  (link for where to get one below the recipe) about a year ago, making popcorn is SO easy. All you do is put the pot on the stove, spray the bottom with a little oil to keep the popcorn from sticking, and pour in some popcorn kernels. Within minutes, you have fresh popped popcorn.

Regularly, I’ll just throw a ton of spices, a little salt, and a teeny bit of oil on my popcorn and call it a day. Savory popcorn is really good, trust me. This time though, I wanted something sweet. Being a big fan of kettle / caramel corn, I decided to make my own. The result? A ridiculously delicious batch of perfectly sweet popcorn. Seriously, I’m warning you, this stuff is sickeningly addicting. I accidentally ate about 6 cups myself (accidentally).

In no way, shape, or form does this stuff taste healthy. It is pure HEAVEN. I guarantee that you could swap it out for carnival carmel corn and nobody would be able to tell the difference. It was literally gone from my kitchen 3 hours after I made it. Oops? My family is good at eating. Now that you are convinced you will love it, get to cooking!

Clean Carmel Corn
Yields: 12 servings

• 12 cups air popped popcorn
• 1/2 cup agave (or honey)
• 1/4th cup coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
• Sprinkle of salt

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Take your agave, coconut sugar, and salt, and heat it in a pot on low until it combines into a thick sauce. It should only take a couple of minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the agave. Once it’s evenly mixed, pour the caramel sauce onto your popcorn and mix it around with a spoon. Once the popcorn is coated evenly with the caramel sauce, pour the popcorn onto a pan and bake it for 40 minutes on 250. Because there was 12 cups, I used two different pans because it did not all fit on one. Around 20 minutes, I tossed the popcorn a bit so that it did not all stick together. Once the 40 minutes is up, take the popcorn out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then, it is ready to eat! This will keep fresh for at least a week if it is sealed in a bag or plastic container.

Calories (per cup of popcorn): 70
Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 19 g
Protein: 1 g

*If you want to purchase your own Whirley Pop, go to http://goo.gl/KFzJsA . I bought mine from Bed,  Bath, and Beyond. With a 20% off coupon, it was extremely inexpensive. I personally think it was a really good investment, i’ve had it for about a year and have never had an issue using it.