Sriracha Caramel Popcorn

Tags

appetizer, caramel, gluten free, popcorn, salty, snacks, sriracha, sweet, vegetarian

I apologize for being so scarce as of late. I have been working a lot and have been extra tired. I think it must be this gloomy weather. I have been cooking but at odd times not very conducive to good photography. I have several recipes I can’t wait to bring you. This recipe is one of the best new recipes I have tried in a while. It is addictive! I made a batch for work. I think everyone asked for a copy of the recipe! You can tailor the heat level to your own preference. Next time I think I will make mine spicier! Love me some sriracha!

• Servings: 6
• Time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 tsp oil, such as canola or coconut
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp Sriracha
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan with a lid over high heat. After the oil has heated to shimmering hot, add in the popcorn. Cover with the lid and move the pot around occasionally to prevent the kernels from burning. Once the popcorn starts to pop vigorously, keep vigorously shaking until the popping stops.

At the same time you are popping the corn, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, and salt until combined. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to boil for 4 minutes, without stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the sriracha, cumin, and baking soda.

Pour the sugar mixture over the popcorn, then toss together until evenly coated. Use a silicone spatula to do this as the caramel will be really hot.  Spread the popcorn evenly on the baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring the caramel corn every 10 minutes.

Let cool completely before storing, breaking up any large clusters that may have formed. Store any leftovers in an airtight container or resealable plastic bags in a cool dry place. The popcorn will stay crunchy and good for a week but I know it won’t last that long. Serves 6. From Noms for the Poor. 

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tags

caramel, chip, chocolate, cookies, dessert, food, salted, winter weather

Since I got iced into Kentucky and out of Alabama (and the FoodBlogSouth conference), I am in some serious need of comfort food. I need some sweet goodness to distract my mind from all the wonderful things I am not experiencing. I had been anticipating this weekend for months! Instead of the warm Birmingham(compared to our frigid temps), I spent the afternoon being thankful I wasn’t involved in any of this:

http://www.lex18.com/videos/lex-18-on-the-scene-accidents-on-i-75-in-laurel-county/

I did sit in traffic for about 2 hours before I realized it was better to be safe than sorry. I figured if I can’t walk safety on it, I doubt my car will fare much better. Maybe next year I will be there. But until then, these cookies will just have to soothe my soul.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Zesty Cook)

• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 16 wrapped caramels, cut into 4 or 5 pieces each
• Sea salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix well. Gradually add in the flour until just combined and a dough ball is formed. Fold in chocolate chips (I prefer the minis). Chill dough for about 30 minutes; this could be a “make ahead” recipe because the dough will keep in the fridge for several days. On an ungreased baking sheet, drop tablespoonfuls of the dough. Press pieces of caramels into the cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are starting to brown. Sprinkle each cookie with sea salt while they are warm. Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Tags

bourbon, bread, caramel, dessert, food, pudding, pumpkin, sauce, Southern

One of my favorite people in the world – Ms. Claire – is my buddy in exploring the local restaurants of Richmond. So far we have tried Babylon Gyros, Purdy’s Coffee Company, and  The Big Easy (Cajun themed!). At The Big Easy, we shared a serving of their bread pudding with caramel sauce. I had never been interested in trying bread pudding before this lunch. Boy was I wrong!! It was delicious! Since then I have been wanting to make my own at home. I added bourbon to this caramel sauce to make it even more delectable and smack of Southern charm.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce (inspired by this recipe)

Bread Pudding:

• 5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old crusty bread
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cups canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cloves

Bourbon Caramel Sauce:

• 10 to 15 caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss bread cubes with butter in a bowl and set aside. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients in another bowl and pour over the bread. Coat the bread well with the mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the liquids. Transfer into a greased glass 8 inch baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

While the pudding is baking, place the caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each time. When all the caramels are melted smooth, stir in the bourbon. Spoon the caramel sauce over the baked bread pudding. Serve warm.

Bacon Week Part 5: Bourbon, Caramel, Marshmallow, Bacon Bark

Tags

bacon, bark, bourbon, candy, caramel, celebration, marshmallow, new years, Southern

I want to end this most successful blogging year with a bang. What better way to ring in the New Year that with a candy full of unique flavor? And it is yet another recipe in our Bacon Week! The previous posts include:

Bacon Week Part 1: Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!

Bacon Week Part 2: Bacon Salt

Bacon Week Part 3: Beer and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Bacon Week Part 4: Bacon Wrapped Smokies

Bourbon, Caramel, Marshmallow, Bacon Bark (from Endless Simmer)

• 16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
• 4 cups of mini marshmallows
• ¼ cup bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve)
• 1 cup caramel (recipe follows)
• 1 cup of spiced bacon crumble (recipe follows)

Line an 8×8 inch glass pan with parchment of wax paper with 1 inch overhang on each side. Melt semi-sweet chips. Pour half into lined pan, spreading the chocolate until smooth and evenly distributed. Chill until chocolate becomes solid.

In a saucepan, heat marshmallows until the become stringy and sticky. Remove from heat and add in bourbon; stir to combine. Spread marshmallow mixture over solid chocolate.

At this point, make the caramel (look below for instructions). Pour finished caramel over marshmallow layer. Spread until smooth. Chill for about 5 minutes or until caramel becomes slightly hardened. Pour remaining half of melted semi-sweet chocolate over caramel layer and spread until smooth. Gently press the bacon crumble (recipe below) into the chocolate. Chill until solid. Use a sharp knife to cute the bark into pieces. Refrigerate bark to extend it’s shelf life.

Bacon Crumble

• 16 oz bacon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoon water
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Cook bacon and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, coarsely crumble bacon with hand; set aside and heat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine sugar and water in a pot and heat until sugar is dissolved. Toss crumbled bacon in sugar syrup to coat. Drain coated bacon with a strainer to remove excess syrup. Whisk an egg white until fluffy and foamy. Sprinkle in black pepper and cayenne. Add in bacon and toss to coat. Spread bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, then crumble bacon one last time.

Caramel Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 7 tablespoon heavy cream

Combine sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Once sugar has dissolved increase heat to high. Periodically, using the handle, give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. Do not stir the mixture directly. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute. As the mixture darkens to a medium amber color, approximately 5-7 minutes, add the butter and heavy cream to saucepan. The mixture will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine (bubbles will subside upon cooling). Set aside to cool completely.