Maple Caramel Popcorn, Traditions, and a Thanks From Sterling Valley Maple

If you are anything like us, this holiday season has been a season like no other. We’ve “hunkered down” to keep us, our family, and our neighbors healthy. Normally, we would be looking forward to large family gatherings, holiday events, and our usual traditions, but not this year. Our hope for you as we end 2020 is that you find simple joy this December.

Without the typical craziness of the season, we have  been enjoying more family time--evening board games, sitting wrapped up outside watching meteor showers, holiday TV shows, and baking. Who could forget the baking? A new favorite of ours for the munchy times is Maple Caramel Popcorn. It’s very good. Seriously good. If you want to try it, here’s our recipe:

Maple Caramel Popcorn Recipe from Sterling Valley Maple

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Sterling Valley Maple Amber or Robust Syrup (Robust will get you a more intense maple flavor)
• 3 T. nut butter (I use creamy almond because that’s what I have on hand, but anything would work, even crunchy or peanut butter)
• 6 cups popped popcorn (we use an air popper, and it takes ⅓ cup unpopped kernels)

• Dash of vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt

• You can also add toasted chopped nuts to this recipe if you’d like.

Directions:

1. Pop popcorn. Put it in a large bowl. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Heat syrup in a pot on the stove on low heat until boiling. Boil for about 2 minutes. Make sure you watch the syrup carefully so that it doesn’t boil over or burn.

  

4. Remove syrup from heat and whisk in nut butter and vanilla.
   
5. Gently drizzle the syrup mixture over the popcorn and stir with a large spoon or spatula. When the popcorn and syrup mixture are completely combined, pour onto the baking sheet and spread out. Sprinkle on sea salt and cinnamon to taste. Be generous with the cinnamon.
   

6. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the baking sheet, and bake for 2 more minutes.
   
7. Remove from the oven and let cool. 
   

We hope you enjoy this recipe during the holiday season (and throughout the whole year, because, why not?). From all of us at Sterling Valley Maple, thank you for supporting our small business throughout this crazy year. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy holiday season and new year!