An afternoon of popcorn – a family afternoon

An afternoon of popcorn and a movie is the infallible plan to spend a special afternoon with the children. Depending on the ages and tastes of our children, it is clear that we must choose the film well, but we can take the opportunity to choose a film that instills positive values.

In this particular post, we are going to dedicate it to popcorn and see how to make some special popcorn at home together with the little ones in the house.

Without a doubt, the popcorn will be an important addition to that special afternoon, because it will be popcorn prepared at home in a different way and it will be fun for the children. We already know that they are sold ready to be made in the microwave in a few minutes, but so that you understand how they are made, let’s see the homemade way of making them.

Homemade popcorn

We are going to suggest preparing them in the pan. For this we will need 150 grams of popcorn, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and optional: salt to taste.

The pan that we will use will be large and wide, and if possible, it will have a lid with a hole so that the steam can escape. If the lid does not have a hole, we will have to leave the lid open a little so that the steam comes out.

Put the oil in the pan and let it heat over medium-high heat. When it is very hot, and without smoking, we add the corn, distributing it well throughout the pan in a single layer and cover. If we are going to make a lot of popcorn, it is preferable to make several batches. When we hear that the popcorn begins to explode, we lower the heat to medium level and wait for the explosions to stop, moving the pan so that they mix and do not burn. We put out the fire and uncover.

If we decide to prepare them in the microwave, it has the advantage that they do not need oil, so they will be lighter. To do this, we can use a microwave-safe container with a lid that has a valve on the lid. In the market we can find special containers to prepare popcorn in the microwave.

Sweet popcorn

If what we want is to make sweet popcorn, it will suffice to add sugar and butter during cooking. The ingredients would be: 1 cup of popcorn, 2 tablespoons of butter, 10 tablespoons of sugar and we can put 2 tablespoons of colored food coloring.

In this case, we will start by putting the butter, the coloring and the sugar in a pot stirring over low heat for 4 minutes. Later we will add the corn and continue stirring. When they start to explode, we will cover the pot. Once they stop exploding, they are ready to eat them.

With chocolate

Let’s finally see how to make chocolate popcorn. For this we will use the indications that we have previously described, on how to prepare them in the pan or microwave. When they are done, they are separated and we begin to make the chocolate.

For this we will use 350 grams of chocolate, 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and milk (measured for 1 cup of corn kernels), sea salt to taste.

Mix the butter, the chopped chocolate and a splash of milk. We heat it in a water bath. Stir until melted. Later we will pour the popcorn into a bowl and add the melted chocolate. With a wooden spoon, stir gently until they are covered in chocolate. Then we will expand the popcorn on a baking tray and sprinkle with sea salt.

We will have to let them rest for 3 or 4 hours, until they dry and then put them in an airtight container until we are going to consume them. If the children are small, we can avoid putting the salt completely. They’ll still be delicious and it’s healthier for everyone.