Hot Honey Butter Popcorn (Printable Version)

Crispy popcorn tossed with honey, butter, and spices for a sweet and spicy snack.

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

→ Popcorn

01 - 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
02 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola or sunflower)

→ Hot Honey Butter

03 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 3 tablespoons honey
05 - 1 to 1.5 teaspoons hot sauce (e.g., Sriracha, Frank's RedHot), to taste
06 - 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
07 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add a few popcorn kernels and cover.
02 - Once the test kernels pop, add remaining kernels in an even layer. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar to release steam. Shake pot occasionally.
03 - When popping slows to 2 to 3 seconds between pops, remove pot from heat and transfer popcorn to a large bowl.
04 - Melt unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in honey, hot sauce, and chili flakes until fully combined and warm.
05 - Pour the hot honey butter evenly over the popcorn. Toss thoroughly to coat all pieces.
06 - Sprinkle sea salt over the coated popcorn, toss again, and serve immediately. Adjust seasoning or heat as preferred.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's the kind of snack that tastes like you spent hours making it, but you're done in fifteen minutes flat.
  • The honey-butter-hot sauce combo hits all your taste buds at once—sweet, savory, and a little dangerous.
  • One batch disappears faster than you'd expect, making it perfect for when you need to impress people without actually trying.
02 -
  • Don't skip the test kernels—they're your thermometer and the difference between popcorn that pops and kernels that sit there pretending nothing happened.
  • The moment the popping slows is your window; wait even thirty seconds too long and that burnt flavor ruins an entire batch.
03 -
  • Keep the lid only slightly ajar while popping so steam escapes but oil doesn't splatter everywhere—this took me three messy attempts to figure out.
  • Invest in a heavy-bottomed pot; thin pots create hot spots that burn kernels while others don't pop at all.
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