I planted a seed in my husband’s head that we needed an air popper. We had one growing up that we loved and I remember it being super easy to make popcorn with one of those guys. Sure, I make it on the stove but in the past year I’ve burned more popcorn than I care to remember. The combination of our pans with our gas stove and my easily distracted kitchen brain produces burnt popcorn. That’s not a smell you want lingering in your house.
After a few hours of research, Casey found the highly rated Whirley Pop Popcorn Popper on Amazon. He excels at researching. This is what he picked out for us. It wasn’t an air popper. I wanted an air popper; I was skeptical. And on the night it arrived at our door, he quickly made our first batch of popcorn and that’s when I fell head over heels for something I didn’t think I wanted/needed. Whirley-Pop! You’re so much better than an air popper.
To say that we’re smitten with popcorn is an understatement. We are straight up obsessed. I am actually a little embarrassed to divulge how many nights we’ve had popcorn for dinner in the past few weeks…It’s a lot. And if it’s not for dinner, we make it for dessert! Which is awesome because Cooper is now on the popcorn for dessert bandwagon. What I love about the popper is that it takes no time to produce a great batch of popcorn. You constantly stir the popper with the handle so there’s no chance of kernels burning. You place the oil & kernels in the Whirley Pop, keep it whirling, stop when you hear the pops dissipate and you’re golden.
We’ve been really into making it with coconut oil and experimenting with different kernels. White, red, yellow, blue- YOU NAME IT. So far we consider the blue popcorn from The Popcorn Professor to be our favorite. Casey picked some up when he was at the county fair a few weeks back. One night last week, I threw in some extra coconut oil and topped the popcorn with toasted coconut flakes and OMG IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. It tastes like movie popcorn! But MUCH MUCH MUCH healthier. It’s buttery thanks to the coconut oil and the toasted coconut. You’ll love that extra crunch. We’re obsessed/Get obsessed!
And we’re off! This is all you need.
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First we toast the coconut. 350F in the oven for a few minutes. Set aside.
Put the coconut oil & the popcorn into the Whirley Pop. Put the lid on and get to popping.
Another thing I love is that right after the batch is done, you can throw in some butter or coconut oil, put the lid on and continue to whirl it around. That way your popcorn is easily coated with your topping.
In it goes. Out it comes.
LAYER! That’s what I do to help distribute the flavor. Popcorn/toasted coconut/salt and MIX. Repeat once.
EXTREME CLOSEUP.
Popcorn for days.
And days and days cuz we’re hooked. Don’t forget to try my Mexican Popcorn recipe.
It’s ADDICTIVE.
Toasted Coconut Popcorn
makes about 16 cups
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 cup yellow popcorn kernels
- a few pinches sea salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Spread coconut flakes on a baking sheet. Bake for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
Place a 3 quart saucepan (or Whirley Pop) over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons coconut oil and popcorn kernels to the pan. Close the lid and move pot back and forth (or whirl around!) on the stove and pop the popcorn until you start to hear the popping slow down. Remove from the stove. When popping stops, stir remaining tablespoon coconut oil until well combined. Put half the popcorn in a large bowl. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and sea salt, mix well and top off with the remaining popcorn and coconut. Serve immediately.
Note: If you’re looking to cut down fat, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil when you’re popping the popcorn.
