Kettle Corn Popcorn

One thing I love about going to the zoo down here is the heavy smell of Kettle corn in the air. It makes me salivate so much every time we go, but who wants to pay $8 for a bag of it when you know it costs less then $1 to make. Not me. So our new tradition when we visit is for me to whip up a batch and bring it in bags. I'll tell you what I don't know if it really does taste better or not but saving that much money sure does make it taste better to me :)

I never knew how simple making kettle corn was. The hardest part is making sure it doesn't burn. Which if you keep an eye and an ear on it you won't have any problems at all.

I've seen a billion different ratios out there for what people use but this is how we personally do it. 

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 cup sugar

*1 tsp. salt (give or take however much you like)

1. Put oil in a large pot and turn to medium high heat.

2. Add 1 kernel of popcorn (YES 1 KERNEL). Cover pot.

3. When kernel pops into popcorn you know the oil is hot enough, add the rest of the kernels and sugar.

4. QUICKLY shake the pot to distribute the sugar all over the kernels. Continue to shake the pot every 5-10 seconds so that the sugar doesn't burn. 

5. When you stop hearing pops, the popcorn is done. Hurry and pour it into a massive bowl to prevent burning.

6. Sprinkle with salt (I usually do a little salt at a time) and stir to evenly coat.

7. Let it cool a minute or two before eating (if you can resist) so that the popcorn can get that nice hard outer layer. 

**Randi's Side Notes**

~ I would not recommend trying to double this recipe mainly because you will get a lot of unpopped kernels and risk burning the rest trying to get it all popped.

~ This stores great in a ziplock bag for at least 3 days.