Chef Jill Makes A Holiday Snack

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - This morning, Chef Jill showed us how to make a delicious Grinch Punch. Now, she’s going to show us how to make Grinch popcorn. These two delicious items will be perfect to serve to your family as you cuddle up, watch your favorite Christmas movie, and wait for Santa to slide down the chimney!

Grinch Popcorn

By Chef Jill Aker-Ray

Chef Jill’s advice: No movie watching is complete without popcorn or a candy treat, so why not make this delight to nibble on while watching your favorite holiday movie!  (Serve with Grinch Punch to quench your thirst)

Serves: 4 regular people or 1 Grinch

Prep time: 10 minutes

• 1/2 cup Popcorn kernels
• 1/2-1 tsp Salt
• 3 TBSP canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup butter (sweet cream salted)
• 3 cups mini marshmallows
• Plus 1/2 cup mini marshmallows-optional)
• Blue food coloring
• Yellow food coloring
• Red and Green M&Ms

Instructions:

• Pour 3 tablespoons of oil and the salt in the bottom of a medium/large pan. Heat the pan over medium heat.
• Put 3 test Popcorn kernels in and let them pop.
• After the test kernels pop, add 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels to the pan. Take the pan off the heat when the sound of kernels popping slows down.

Marshmallow Mixture:

• Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a medium saucepan. Once the butter is melted,  add 3 cups of mini marshmallows.
• Stir until the marshmallows are melted. Turn off the heat.
• Add a couple of drops of yellow food coloring and mix until the marshmallow mixture is a bright yellow. When you have a good yellow color, add in one very small drop of blue food coloring and stir. This should get you the perfect “Grinch Green” color.
• Slowly pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn.
• Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold the marshmallow mixture in with the popcorn until the popcorn is mostly covered. The more you add, the stickier the popcorn will be so we suggest that you add it a bit at a time, stir the popcorn and give it a taste before you add more.
• Pour popcorn onto a cookie sheet covered with sprayed waxed paper or a Silpat liner. Drizzle a little bit of the remaining marshmallow mixture over the popcorn but do not mix it up. You will need the mixture at the top so the candy will have something to stick to.
• Don’t wait too long to add the M&Ms. You want the marshmallow mixture to still be warm and sticky. Sprinkle the candy and mini marshmallows onto the popcorn, concentrating on the areas with the drizzled marshmallow mixture. Allow the popcorn to cool. Break apart into pieces and serve.

OR

• Press the entire mixture into a 9 x 13 buttered pan and cool. Then cut like marshmallow crispy treats.

Cook’s Notes:

This popcorn is best eaten fresh so I suggest that you make it as close to the time you’re going to serve it as possible.

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