Popcorn is one of my favorite snack foods. It’s perfect for road trips, homework, Netflixing, etc. However, sometimes, it’s nice to dress it up a little bit. Sunflower butter popcorn is a wonderful way of adding a perfect sweetness to this snack. Though be warned: this stuff is addictive.
Sunflower Butter Popcorn
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
- oil
- salt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup maple sugar
- 1/2 cup sunflower butter should be free of added sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Have a clean paper shopping bag or oversize mixing bowl ready.
- Heat a 4-quart heavy pan over medium heat and film the bottom with oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the popcorn, shake to distribute, then put a lid on the pan, leaving a small crack for steam to escape. When the first kernel pops, put the lid on all the way. As the popcorn starts popping, shake vigorously to make sure the kernels are distributed evenly. When the popping slows to a few seconds between pops, take the pan off the heat.
- Pour the popcorn into the paper bag or bowl to cool, and attempt to leave any unpopped kernels behind in the pan as they can be dangerous to your teeth.
- Mix the honey and maple sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the sunflower butter. Stir vigorously until all the sunflower butter is melted, then mix in the vanilla.
- Immediately pour the sunflower butter caramel over the popcorn and stir with a wooden spoon until it's all coated. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Feel free to use peanut butter instead! This recipe will also cover one standard bag of microwave popcorn, so you can substitute that for the stovetop popcorn if you wish. This keeps well overnight. If you want to serve it slightly warm, microwave a bowl of leftover popcorn in 15-second bursts in the microwave until soft.
That sounds amazing! ?
Hi, I just wanted to let you know that we are adapting this recipe to use in a community program with kids this summer in an effort to incorporate some information about our Indigenous cultures and their crops. Because we want families to be able to make it at home in the microwave here is what we did: 1 tbsp of popping corn, popped in a paper bag in the microwave for three minutes. 2 tbsp of honey and 2 tsp of sugar microwaved in a bowl for 30 sec. Add sunbutter and salt and microwave 30 sec. more. Stir in your popcorn to coat. You are right – this snack is addictive!
I made this popcorn with heirloom kernels- Dakota black popcorn, that I bought from my farmers market and have had in my pantry for too long…
This recipe inspired me to use them, and I popped my own popcorn in a pot for the first time ever!
It is definitely delicious and I’m thrilled to have heard about this recipe! Excited to try more of your creations soon!
Thank you so much for trying it! I’m glad you find a way to use the popcorn 🙂
This is delicious! Tiny note on the recipe: it lists salt in the ingredients but doesn’t say in the instructions whether to add it directly to the popcorn, to dissolve it in the sunflower butter mixture, or a bit of both. I don’t think you can really go wrong, as long as you remember to add it ??
Whoops! I will edit the recipe. I generally sprinkle it on the popcorn as the caramel is cooling so it sticks.
I can’t stop eating this! Salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy, funky! I dropped the amount of sweetener by about half after making it according to directions the first couple times, but that’s just my taste, and subbed maple syrup for maple sugar because that’s what I had. I also mix another bag of plain salted popcorn with it after it cools to help balance the richness. Amazing.