It’s another Quirky Calendar Day…. actually it’s a super duper double whammy two in one day!!  National Popcorn Day is the 19th and Buttercrunch Day is the 20th.   In celebration of these two exceptionally delightful days, I whipped up a batch of Popcorn Brittle from Cooking Light magazine.  It was a cinch to make and tasted much better than I anticipated when I was looking for something to go along with buttercrunch day.   The corn syrup and sugar provide the sweetness and the popcorn provides the crunch.  An added bonus to the simplicity of this recipe is that without the nuts you typically find in brittle,  you are saving calories.  A small piece goes a long way toward satisfying any sweet tooth you might have. 

POPCORN BRITTLE from Cooking Light Magazine

5 1/2 cups popcorn, popped without salt or fat

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tbsp. light  corn syrup

1/4 cup water

3 tbsp. molasses

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Place popcorn in a large zip top bag and crush it with a meat mallet.  I crushed the majority of it and then said forget about it.  This is actually the hardest part of the recipe and I don’t have a long attention span!

Combine sugar, syrup and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves.  Cook, without stirring until a candy thermometer registers 270 (about 5 minutes).  Stir in molasses and butter and cook until temperature reaches 290 (about 3 minutes).  Stir in baking soda, vanilla and salt.  Stir popcorn into boiling syrup.  Working quickly, pour popcorn mixture onto prepared pan and spread to 1/4 inch thickness using a wooden spoon coated with cooking spray.  Allow to cool and then just snap off into bite sized pieces.