Maple Bacon Popcorn

Pop up some fun on Oscar night with Maple Bacon Popcorn! A little maple syrup and a lot of bacon turns fresh popcorn into an enchanting and scrumptious snack.

                                                                      Maple Bacon Popcorn
                                                                              adapted from
                                                                             Food & Wine 

Ingredients

6 strips cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/2 cup canola oil or grapeseed oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium heat and then add bacon pieces. Cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon from the pot, and then drain on paper towels (make sure to keep the rendered bacon fat in the pot).

Return the pot with the bacon to the stove over medium heat. Add the popcorn kernels and shake the pot gently toss the kernels until they are all coated. Cover with a splatter screen or a lid that is placed slightly ajar to let the steam to escape.

Cook until the popcorn popping frequency slows down to several seconds between pops. Remove from heat, allow a minute or two for the final pops, and then pour into a large bowl.

In a small saucepan combine the butter and maple syrup. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked bacon pieces.

Drizzle over the popcorn and season with salt and pepper, tossing occasionally while seasoning the popcorn.

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