Fun to make and fun to eat. I made a few changes. I took the advice of other reviews and cut the butter in half. Instead of using a thermometer I just brought the mixture to a boil and boiled it for 4 minutes. Then I added 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and baked it at 250 degrees for 1/2 hour, stirring once while baking. This made the popcorn drier and crispier which is the way we like it.
So yummy! my neighbor and I made like 10 batches of all different flavors of jello. Then we mixed it all in a big tub and put them in snack size baggies to give out at Halloween. With all the different colors they looked great! Did learn a lot after so many batches: use half the butter and only 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 3/4 cup. Let the mixture come to a boil and then boil for 4 minutes STIRRING OFTEN! This was easier than dealing with the candy thermometer for me. This will be a family tradition and I can't wait until my girls are old enough to help make this with me!
I was totally new to the idea of making flavored popcorn so I tried a few different recipes. I tried this one the Kraft Gelatin-based Recipe (on their website) and a traditional crunchy candy coated popcorn recipe available searching the web. This one was the least to our liking. This project is messy so in my opinion I would opt for the one that produces the best result for the work involved. To me that is a crunchy popcorn kernel with wonderful custom flavor. Gelatin-based recipes tasted well gelatinous. THey were gooey gummy and stick-in your teeth tacky. The traditional candymaking version which included making a candy coating (sugar butter corn syrup flavored oil) removing the mixture from the heat to add baking soda coating the popcorn baking for an hour and stirring periodically produced exactly what I expected. The result was crispy crunchy sweet flavored kernels that could be easily broken up before storing. It was just like opening a box of crunchy cracker jacks or Poppycock except the recipe yielded loads and loads for very little money. To sum up there are much better recipes out there. This gets two stars for initially peaking my interest in the item and helping to educate me on the process of making my own addictive popcorn snacks but I won't be using it again.
Very good. I changed the butter & sugar also. I also baked at 250 for 30 min stirring once. Do not use sugar-free jello - it doesn't work.
I reduced the butter as suggested by other reviewers. This was really good I ended up doing three batches of green apple watermelon and berry blue. Mixed all together and yum. I think it was easier to mix in a big bowl first though the popcorn was coated better.
This was very good. I only used about 9 cups of popcorn and like others said, cut the butter in half. I used cherry Jello and you could taste the cherry. I also followed the advice of another reviewer and added baking soda. The result was a crispy dry popcorn that you usually find on boardwalks and at fairs. I also baked it for about 40 minutes and that dried it out even more and made the taste pop. I am anxious to try try other flavors. This will be a good recipe to use at Halloween. I plan on using berry, pineapple, peach, orange and pina colada. I will also make grape but add a few drops of purple food coloring so it does not turn grey. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Wow! This stuff is great. I too cut down the butter though not QUITE by half. (Instead of 1 cup I used 1/2 cup 2 Tbsp.) So far I've done watermelon cran-raspberry apple berry blue and cherry. I have a question for all you more experienced candy makers out there though. How the heck do I get it to hardball stage without scorching the sugar on the bottom?
I'm giving this 5 stars because it's super yummy and relatively easy once you get the hang of it. I've made 10 batches now for 4th of July....cherry and berry blue. (The blue looked more like teal on the popcorn though...just in case you plan on using blue). I did find that margarine worked just as well as butter (used 1/2 cup as suggested by others) and I didn't need all the sugar..it's sweet enough with just 1/2 cup. Didn't use the thermometer. I just boiled it for 3 minutes & baked it at 250. Very fun and yummy treat!
I have been looking for this recipe forever...Thank you..I used to buy this stuff for 6.99 it was a little bag and I always wanted more. Great recipe for kids great snack for a kids party. Try making a few batches and mixing the Jello colors. My family just loved it.....
