A.) It’s rainy.
B.) It’s chilly.
C.) My husband was on a business trip this week, which meant I parented our five boys solo.
D.) He didn’t get home from that trip until 1:30 a.m. this morning.
E.) I’ve been canning like a madwoman for weeks.
F.) I have a hole in my heart from not having time to watch my favorite movies lately.
G.) I spent all of yesterday at the Angelica Farmer’s Market with the kids, who were selling their Mortar Men and Room & Linen Sprays, on what the market coordinator called “the slowest day we’ve ever actually had at the Farmer’s Market.”
H.) I wanted to prove I could still write a post that didn’t involve putting food in jars. (Though, you could actually put this in jars—just a thought.)
There. Consider that my upfront explanation of why this post exists. Now for the good stuff: Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Kettle Corn. I never cared much for kettle corn originally. An unfortunate popcorn incident while I was an exchange student in France left me biased toward the salted and buttered popcorn of my youth. Kettle corn seemed like a pale imitation of caramel corn—food of the gods. And I was put off by seeing it written as “kettle korn.”
I had been in France for about three months when I experienced an intense craving for crunchy popcorn. I rushed into the nearest supermarché, found a bag of fluffy white popcorn, bought it, tore it open, popped a handful into my mouth—and promptly spat it into a trash can. I was not prepared for popcorn to be sweet. White Cheddar or salted? Yes. Sickly sweet? No. That’s how my prejudice against sweet popcorn that wasn’t caramel corn began.
“Korn” with a K? No thanks. That just rubbed my CDO the wrong way.
But inspiration strikes at odd moments. While my husband and the kids watched the Little League World Series, our eldest sighed, “I sure could go for something sweet to munch.” My husband whispered “kettle corn” with that charming, world-domination smile, and suddenly everyone started ululating.*
*The boys had seen a Saudi mother ululating when her son hit a home run and have been mimicking it ever since. It lasted two hours. Send help.
Fearing the ululation would continue until the neighbors called in reinforcements, I headed to the kitchen. I planned to make one batch of kettle corn and one of my favorite—salted with nutritional yeast (don’t gag; it’s surprisingly delicious). I made the kettle corn, poured it into a bowl, and on impulse sprinkled a generous amount of ground chipotle powder over the top. Whoops? Not at all.
Divine. Sweet, smoky, spicy, salty and crisp—the combination knocked my socks off. Consider me converted to Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Kettle Corn. Keep your plain versions; this is the one I want.
I made several more batches because it disappeared almost as fast as I could make it. The kids loved it. My husband loved it. I loved it. Score.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to grab my bowl and catch up on movies. Middle-earth, here I come!
Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Kettle Corn
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels (small kernels like ladyfinger are lovely) + 3 extra kernels
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- Salt to taste (start with about 1/4 teaspoon and adjust)
- Ground chipotle powder to taste (start with about 1/4 teaspoon and adjust)
Stovetop Instructions:
In a large, heavy-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil and the three extra kernels over medium-high heat with the lid on. Shake the pan every 10 seconds. When the three kernels pop, act quickly (use oven mitts). Dump in the 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels and the sugar, replace the lid, and start shaking the pan in a circular motion. The popping will speed up until you can no longer distinguish individual pops. Continue shaking as the popping slows. When you hear a two- to three-second pause between pops, remove the pan from the heat and quickly empty the popcorn into a large bowl.
Whirly Pop Instructions:
In a Whirly Pop, heat the oil and the three extra kernels over medium-high heat with the lid in place. Turn the handle continuously. When the three kernels pop, open one side of the Whirly Pop and add the 1/4 cup of kernels and the sugar, then close the lid and resume turning the handle. Listen for the popping to intensify and later taper. When you hear a two- to three-second pause between pops, remove the pan from the heat and promptly empty the popcorn into a large bowl.
No matter the method, once the popcorn is in the bowl, sprinkle with salt and chipotle powder to taste and toss with a long wooden spoon—don’t stir by hand, as the melted sugar can burn. Let cool for a few minutes, then dig in. Kettle corn stores well in a paper bag with the top folded down for a day or two at room temperature.
For a printable, photo-free version of this recipe, click here.