Recipe: Grinch Popcorn

No movie watching is complete without popcorn or a candy treat, so why not make this delight to nibble on while watching your favorite holiday movie! Serve with Grinch Punch to quench your thirst. Give Chef Jill’s recipe video a watch on WBTV’s QC @ 3.

GRINCH POPCORN

By Chef Jill Aker-Ray

Serves: 4 regular people or 1 Grinch

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Popcorn kernels

• 1/2-1 tsp Salt

•         3 TBSP canola or vegetable oil 

• 1/4 cup butter (sweet cream salted)

• 3 cups mini marshmallows

•         Plus 1/2 cup mini marshmallows-optional)

• Blue food coloring

• Yellow food coloring

• Red and Green M&Ms

Directions:

Pour 3 tablespoons of oil and the salt  in the bottom of a medium/large pan. Heat the pan over Medium heat. 

Put 3 test Popcorn kernels in and let them pop.

After the test kernels pop, add 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels to the pan. Take the pan off the heat when the sound of kernels popping slows down.

MARSHMALLOW MIXTURE:

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a medium sauce pan. Once the butter is melted,  add 3 cups of mini marshmallows.

Stir until the marshmallows are melted. Turn off the heat. 

Add a couple of drops of yellow food coloring and mix until the marshmallow mixture is a bright yellow. When you have a good yellow color, add in one very small drop of blue food coloring and stir. This should get you the perfect “Grinch Green” color.

Slowly pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn. 

Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold the marshmallow mixture in with the popcorn until the popcorn is mostly covered. The more you add, the stickier the popcorn will be so we suggest that you add it a bit at a time, stir the popcorn and give it a taste before you add more.

Pour popcorn onto a cookie sheet covered with sprayed waxed paper  or a silpat liner. Drizzle a little bit of the remaining marshmallow mixture over the popcorn but do not mix it up. You will need the mixture at the top so the candy will have something to stick to.

Don’t wait too long to add the M&Ms. You want the marshmallow mixture to still be warm and sticky. Sprinkle the candy and mini marshmallows onto the popcorn, concentrating on the areas with the drizzled marshmallow mixture. Allow the popcorn to cool. Break apart into pieces and serve.

OR

Press entire mixture into a 9 x 13 buttered pan and cool. Then cut like marshmallow crispy treats.

Cook's Notes:

This popcorn is best eaten fresh so I suggest that you make it as close to the time you’re going to serve it as possible.