Day 1: Mom’s Traditional Popcorn Wreaths
December 12th, 2011
In kicking off our Boutique Cafe Festival of Traditions and Tutorials, I asked my Mom Sharon to share her recipe for popcorn wreaths. This is something we have made my whole life, and each year I know Mom will be making these. It’s always so heartwarming to see and smell the delightful traditions in my Mom’s kitchen each year. I love having a list of favourite things that she makes, and knowing that when I come home they are waiting for us to snack on. Thanks so much Mom for sharing your recipe and for all the beautiful Christmas’s you have given me over the years. Love, Daria
Hi this is Daria’s Mom. One of our family’s favourite Christmas traditions is making popcorn wreaths to give away to friends and neighbors (and teachers). It is an easy treat to make and tastes yummy!
I use an angel food cake pan to get the shape of a wreath, and then I also form my own candy cane shapes, which are also fun. If you want to be creative you could do star shapes or whatever else you can think of to make this fun and interesting. Our children still look forward to this tradition and now we are passing along to our grandchildren. Hope you enjoy as much as we do.
Here’s the recipe (I do up several batches)
Pop 1 ½ cups of popcorn (remove all unpopped kernels).
Syrup:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
½ cup marjarine
1 pinch salt
Bring to a boil while constantly stirring. (Burns easily, watch closely)
Cook to almost soft ball stage in cold water. Remove from stove and add 1 tsp. Vanilla.
Pour over popcorn. Mix well.
Pour syrupy popcorn into well sprayed angel food or bundt pan. Press and leave about a minute to take form.
Remove from pan and decorate with jube jubes, and/or Christmas candies of all sorts.
Note: Prior to preparing the recipe I cut out cardboard squares big enough to hold the popcorn wreath, or rectangular ones to hold the candy cane shapes. Cover the cardboard with tinfoil and you are ready to go. Makes it easy to deliver your decorated treat!
Looks yummy! Do you have an upclose pic of these cakes?
The mistletoe design is really cute!
Ok here is my “secret” to great popcorn:
Flavor it with butter BUT clarify the butter! This makes it so the popcorn has the great butter taste BUT doesn’t get soggy or loose its crispness!
Here is how to clarify buter:
1) Melt two sticks butter in a clear microwave proof bowl or measuring cup.
2) Skim off the froth on the top.
3) The next section, the clearer section is what you want to keep for flavoring the popcorn. Carefully pour that off and set aside.
3) discard the cloudy rest of the butter.
Now use the clarified butter you set aside on the popcorn! It will have the great butter taste without making the popcorn soggy!
Cool trick huh?
Mark