Gingerbread White Chocolate Popcorn

This Gingerbread White Chocolate Popcorn recipe has been a few days in the making.  I really wanted to take the flavor of gingerbread and apply it to something unique and unexpected.  Last weekend I tried Gingerbread Macarons.  Yeah, that didn’t work (baking a perfect macaron is one of my New Year’s resolutions).  Then I thought of doing a gingerbread cupcake.  However, I’ve really been trying to avoid gluten lately and it would have been pure torture having those beautiful cupcakes sitting in my kitchen (2^nd New Year’s resolution is learning to make gluten free coconut flour cupcakes).

Popcorn!  It’s gluten free and you can make it decadently yummy with caramel, chocolate, butter, etc..  My first attempt was to make popcorn drizzled with gingerbread white chocolate.  Great idea right?  Not really.  First of all I had two melting disasters.  First, I was melting my white chocolate chips in my make shift double boiler when some water splashed into the bowl of chocolate.  Have you ever seen water hit melting chocolate?  It seizes up and clumps into one oddly shaped ball; back to the grocery store for another bag of white chocolate chips. 

I run home and start the melting process again.  I decide to use the microwave this time (not taking any chances).  As the melting process was finishing I added a little butter and my spices.  Again, a seized up ball!  Why me?

I really wanted to salvage this chocolate. It was such a waste.  I decided to melt a little Crisco in a stainless steel pan and slowly add the chocolate back in until it melted.  It worked pretty well, resulting in a caramel colored gingery white chocolate.

I dribbled it on my popped corn and let the white chocolate set.  However when I tasted my white chocolate gingerbread popcorn, I was less than pleased.  The white chocolate and gingerbread spices were delish together, but I missed the crunch of candycoated popcorn.

I agonized over this all night.  Should I post it or make it again.  My daughter convinced me to make it again.  She felt the popcorn was too chewy and the white chocolate was an unappealing color.

So today was a new day and I created the ultimate gingerbread white chocolate popcorn.  The popcorn has a spicy caramel coating, drizzled with sweet white chocolate and topped with pretty sugar crystals.  It was worth all the work and turned out so delicious, festive and perfect!  It's crunchy, sweet, creamy and spicy all in one bite.  And it's gluten free, so I can indulge!

Gingerbread White Chocolate Popcorn

Recipe by Liz Hughes - Virtually Homemade

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Yield: 12 cups of popcorn
Ingredients

• 1 cup unpopped corn (about 12 cups popped)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of cloves
• 1 cup (stick) salted butter
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 package white chocolate chips
• white sparkling sugar (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. In a large pot (about 8 quart) heat oil on medium high and add popcorn kernels. Shake the pot constantly so that none of the popcorn burns. When the popping decreases take off the heat and set aside.
2. In a small bowl mix brown sugar with the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
3. In a medium stainless steel pan melt butter. Add brown sugar mixture and corn syrup. Bring to boil on medium heat and let it boil continually for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add baking soda.
4. Put your popped corn in a very large bowl or two smaller ones. Drizzle popcorn with caramel syrup and toss until well coated. Spread the popcorn out on parchment lined baking sheets and cook at 200 degrees F for 1 hour. Let cool.
5. Melt chocolate according to package directions (I prefer using a double boiler). Take a whisk and dip it into the chocolate. Drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn while moving whisk back and forth. Repeat.
6. Top with white sparkling sugar, before the chocolate has set.
7. If you are in a hurry or, impatient like me, you can put the popcorn in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help the setting process.