I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day yesterday! With Valentine’s Day behind us, I’m moving on to the next exciting event – the Oscars! There are so many Oscar nominated movies that I want to see and just haven’t had a chance to yet. And what pairs with movies better than popcorn? And even better than movie popcorn? Whiskey caramel popcorn.
Last week when I posted the recipe for chocolate cake with whiskey caramel buttercream and chocolate ganache frosting I mentioned that you should save the extra whiskey caramel. This is why. We are taking that whiskey caramel and pouring it over popcorn. On the flip side, if you haven’t gotten around to making the full cake, you can make this caramel as a fun addition to your snack today and use the rest for a delicious cake in the future. So many options!
Will inherited a Whirley Pop popcorn maker from a former roommate in college and we just recently dug it out of the cabinet. Since then it has been such a fun snack to make in the evenings. It is amazing how such a small amount of tiny kernels can puff up and fill an entire pot, and so quickly! It never gets old hearing the kernels pop and feeling the pot get more and more dense as we stir.
Drizzling popcorn with whiskey caramel elevates it from a simple afternoon or movie snack to a level of movie awards, fun and fancy enough to chow down on as you watch the fancy dresses and movie teasers. :)
So which movies do you want to win the awards? I resolve to see at least one of the nominated movies before the awards next weekend! Now to find the time to do it…
Whiskey Caramel
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
7 tablespoons cold butter, cut into tablespoons
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 -4 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon (depending on how strong of a flavor you want), optional
In a small bowl, heat the cream in the microwave until warm (30 seconds worked for me, but this will depend on the strength of your microwave).
In a small saucepan, heat the sugar on medium high until it starts to melt around the edges. Gently swirl the sugar with a spatula until it has completely melted.
Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, constantly stirring until it is fully melted. Carefully and slowly add the warm cream little by little to the sugar-butter mixture. The mixture will bubble violently when the cream comes in contact with it – just keep stirring.
Pour the caramel into a jar and let it cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in the salt and whiskey until they are fully incorporated into the caramel. Add more of either to taste. Allow the caramel to cool for at least 15 more minutes before adding it to the frosting.
Store leftover caramel in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks (or use it for whiskey caramel buttercream for this cake ;)).
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