I thought these bowls would be perfect for giving caramel popcorn to my children’s friends and teachers. Then I discovered I was out of corn syrup–and the desire to go out once more into the snow storm. So I did a google search for popcorn recipes and found this on cdkitchen.com. I even had all the ingredients on hand. My girls and I got to work and whipped this up before bedtime. It’s not as sugary as caramel popcorn, and the apples give it a nice tart flavor mixed with the cinnamon sweetness.

Here’s what you’ll need:

I dried a gazillion apples this fall so I had plenty for this recipe. We like them for lunch instead of potato chips.

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place 2 cups unsweetened dried apple rings, chopped in a single layer in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan and bake 20 minutes. Instead of chopping the apples, we broke them into small pieces.

Remove from oven and stir in 10 cups air-popped popcorn and
1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Set aside.

Whisk together 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

In a small bowl,  Drizzle evenly over popcorn mixture and toss well to coat.

Bake for 30 minutes (250°F), quickly opening the oven door and stirring every 10 minutes. Watch carefully during the last 10 minutes and remove from the oven if apples begin to turn dark brown. (Apples should be crisp, but not overcooked).

Pour onto waxed paper to cool for 30 minutes. I lined a cookie sheet with wax paper to better contain the popcorn mixture. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Apple-Cinnamon Popcorn Crunch
(Click to print recipe from cdkitchen.com)

2 cups unsweetened dried apple rings, chopped
10 cups air-popped popcorn
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place chopped apples in a single layer in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan and bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in popcorn and nuts. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together melted margarine, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle evenly over popcorn mixture and toss well to coat.

Bake for 30 minutes (250°F), quickly opening the oven door and stirring every 10 minutes. Watch carefully during the last 10 minutes and remove from the oven if apples begin to turn dark brown. (Apples should be crisp, but not overcooked).

Pour onto waxed paper to cool for 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container.