Calabrian Hot Honey Sticky Popcorn Bunches

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 60 Minutes

Tools: 1 stock pot, 1 large pot with lid, 2 sheet pans, wooden spoon, parchment paper or aluminum foil

When we say Calabrian Hot Honey works with almost any recipe, we mean it! Here at the Wholesale Italian Food test kitchen, we wanted to give you a new recipe that was easy to follow and also delicious! We wanted to incorporate our Hot Honey into a great snack, our chef came up with her favorite recipe from her childhood. Taking a new spin on sticky popcorn clusters, we added that sweet heat that makes this dish shine. With only seven ingredients our Calabrian Hot Honey Sticky Popcorn Bunches are a great treat for parties, events and to eat on your couch on a Friday night. We don't judge. 

Ingredients: 

• •   1 cup Calabrian Hot Honey
• •   1 cup Coconut Oil (divided into 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup)
• •   1/2 cup Popcorn kernels 
• •   1 tsp Salt
• •   1/4 tsp Baking soda
• •   1 tsp vanilla extract
• •   1 cup of your favorite nuts (like almonds or peanuts! We used almonds for this recipe)

Instructions: 

• •   Preheat the oven to 250 and line 2 sheet pans with parchment or foil
• •   Using a large pot, heat 1/4 cup of coconut oil until it melts. Add the popcorn kernels and cook over medium heat. We recommend putting a lid on the pot to prevent any pieces from popping out! 
• •   Heat until all the kernels have popped then move off the burner. 
• •   Add your nut of choice and set aside.
• •   In your saucepan, add the 3/4 cup of coconut oil and honey. Let coconut oil melt and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until bubbling and combined. This should take about 4 minutes. 
• •   Once combined, remove from heat and add salt, vanilla, and baking soda (and more honey if you'd like!) Stir rapidly as the mixture begins to foam. 
• •   After combining and mixing fully, quickly add the mixture to the popcorn and nuts and toss to coat.
• •   Divide your popcorn between the sheet pans and bake for 60 minutes. About every 20-30 minutes, stir the mixture and rotate the sheet pans to make sure it cooks evenly.
• •   When finished, your popcorn will be a darker color from the honey and also crispy. At this point, you can clump the popcorn together by pressing it together or let it stay separated.
• •   Cool completely and serve to snack on. You can store the popcorn in an airtight container for about a week.

Tips:

• •   Short on time? You can skip popping your popcorn over the stove by using a bag of microwavable popcorn. We recommend plain popcorn as butter or salted popcorn can get soggy.