Maple & Spice Popcorn

When I was young, probably somewhere around 9 or 10, I nearly burned down my parents' house making popcorn on the stove.  I put the oil on to heat, got distracted and set the kitchen on fire.  No one was hurt and the damage wasn't extreme, but I resolved never to make popcorn on the stove again. 

And for over 20 years, I didn't.  When our microwave went to that big junkyard in the sky we decided not to buy another one.  We'd used it for things like melting cheese over chips, warming leftovers and, of course, popcorn.  And with the price of microwave popcorn, we weren't using it all that much.

After a year or so of being without a microwave, I really wanted popcorn again.  So I decided to try doing it on the stovetop, but only if Bryant supervised the first time or two.  He  laughed at me for being so nervous, but he did it - he's cool like that.

That first bite of hot, salty, buttery popcorn was enough to convert me.  I went to Sam's Club the following week and bought a huge bag (50 pounds) of popcorn kernels and a large tub to hold it in.  In the year or so since then, we've used about 1/4 of that popcorn and have tried many different seasonings from parmesan and garlic to caramel corn. 

I was cruising the blogosphere a few days ago when I caught the idea of using maple syrup on popcorn.  WHOA!  I'd never thought of such a thing! I cracked out the popcorn right then.  Scooter mixed up a tasty little spice blend while I popped the corn.  When the corn was popped, I drizzled it with a mix of melted butter and syrup, then tossed in some of the spices and mixed it all up. 

It was amazing!  It was a revelation!  It was autumn-flavored popcorn!  I recommend you try this as soon as possible.

Maple and Spice Popcorn
Makes enough for two adults or several snack-size nibbles

1/2 C popcorn kernels
1/4 C canola oil (or oil of choice for popping)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg from a jar)
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp maple syrup
Optional: 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) if you're into the sweet and salty combination.

Mix up the seasonings in a small bowl - feel free to adjust the amounts and spices to suit your taste.  I would think some premade pumpkin pie spice would be good instead, if that's what you have on hand.

Pop corn using your preferred method.  I'm sure you could use plain microwave popcorn instead of kernels in oil on the stovetop, you just might have to adjust the amount of butter/syrup and spices because microwave popcorn tends to make less.

While the popcorn is popping, melt the butter, then whisk in the syrup.  Dump the popped corn out into a very large bowl, then slowly drizzle the syrup/butter mix overtop, stirring to evenly coat the popcorn.  Sprinkle on about half of the spice mix and stir very well to combine.  Taste a few pieces and if you don't nearly faint with bliss, adjust the seasonings until you do.