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It all started when I was working on those fun little “non-cookie” holiday gift ideas last week. I thought glazed pecans or nuts would be a very tasty gift, but then I took the idea a step further and added popcorn to the mix. Bag up some of this stuff, tie on a bow, and you now have the perfect gift for neighbors, teachers, and even the mailman. Don’t forget to attach a recipe card so the recipient not only enjoys every last bite, but also knows it doesn’t contain a bunch of junk and additives (like those highly processed tubs of caramel popcorn). Just be sure you make some extra so you can enjoy it yourself…yum!
Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn Mix
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a small pot over low heat melt the butter and honey together. Mix in the cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- Put the cashews in an extra large mixing bowl. Coat them with about a tablespoon of the butter/honey mixture.
- Spread the coated nuts onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in the same large bowl evenly coat the plain popcorn - minus any unpopped kernels - with the remaining butter/honey mixture.
- After the cashews have been in the oven for 6 minutes, take out the tray, add the popcorn to it, and mix it all up together. Stick the tray back in the oven and set the timer for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes open the oven and stir or shake the mixture around on the baking sheet. Set the timer for 2 more minutes.
- Once again open the oven and stir/shake the mixture so there are no hot spots that could get burnt. Set the timer for 1 more minute at which point the mixture will once again need to be checked/stirred.
- Repeat the process of checking/stirring the popcorn mixture every minute then take it out of the oven once it turns a dark brown (it can burn easily toward the end!). My total bake time was 6 minutes for the nuts then an additional 7 or 8 minutes once I added the popcorn.
- The popcorn and nuts will be slightly wet right out of the oven, but will harden as they cool.
Stephanie says
Just made this for a Super Bowl party. It is so good. I did not add nuts because kids at the party are allergic, but will in the future. Thank you!
Eleni says
Just made this and it is DELISH! I used mixed nuts instead of just cashews because I hand it on hand but it is still wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
Angimw says
Used this today with mini shredded wheat cereal that my kids would not eat for breakfast anymore...hopefully it renews it for them! YUMMY!
Julie says
Made this and it tasted great and was a hit! Thanks for sharing! Little time consuming and a lot of steps to get the quantity I wanted, but I'm also a pretty simple, basic cook. Thanks!
Brenda says
Well, I made this as I was making my regular carmel corn. I goofed up the recipe and put 16 cups of popcorn in a 9x13 pan. I also put the cashews on top of the popcorn. Oops! I didn't follow the directions. I quadrupled all the ingredients and put it in the oven, checking/stirring every 5 mins., until I thought it looked done. Personally, sometimes doing 2 things at once turns out to be pretty tasty!! Can't wait to share on Christmas day! (If it lasts until then...) :)
Erika Richmond says
Just made this again tonight, except I used organic Olivio coconut spread in place of the butter. I'm new to using coconut oils/butter. Popcorn was awesome, and did not have a coconut flavor.
Erika Richmond says
Made a trial batch last night using smart balance light butter (it's dairy free and I cant do dairy). This popcorn is amazing. It was gone within an hour. Making more tonight for gifts to give neighbors. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe! It was super simple!
Tanya says
This was good but not sweet like I thought it would be. May have to make slight adjustments to the second batch.
Jill Susanne says
This recipe is amazing - was looking for a fun appetizer to bring to a Christmas party in a few days and decided to try this out. Did a "test run" tonight and can't believe how easy and yummy it is! Thanks for another great recipe and Merry Christmas :)
Christan says
How long will this last if kept in an air tight container? It's on my list of goodies to make, but I don't want to make it too soon. Most of my recipients won't be receiving it until after Christmas.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Christan. I usually seal mine in a bag and it's fine for a few days before I give it as a gift. Jill
Jeannette says
This looks delicious! I would like to make this nut free. Should I add more popcorn or just cut back on the butter and honey?
Tanya says
I made mine without nuts and didn't adjust anything. It worked just fine. Side note: this is not a sweet treat whatsoever. Good, yes, but not sweet.
Jeannette says
Thanks Tanya. I'll give it a try.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Jeannette. I think I would add more popcorn. Jill
Jeannette says
I will try this tomorrow. Thanks.
Ceri says
If I were gonna give this to my kids' teachers at school (complete with a movie ticket on top, of course), what should I use to keep it from becoming stale? Plastic bag? I have the plastic popcorn cups that you get from the Dollar Tree/Target Dollar Spot and was going to either fill them with microwave popcorn and movie candy, but homemade and healthier sounds wayyyyy better. Now to just keep it fresh for a day. Any ideas?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Ceri. I found some really cute plastic bags at the Container Store that I put mine in. They worked out great. Jill
Melanie says
Just made this for the first time and LOVED it. My parents loved it too. My mom said it was the best popcorn she's ever eaten and my dad said it was better than the original! We ate it all in like 10 minutes. =)
Alana says
Thought about trying a kettle corn, w/o the cinnamon and ginger and adding a little more salt. Have you tried that? Love the cinnamon though!!! Great snack and my 3year old loves it too!! Love findong wholesome snacks that I feel good about giving her and that she will eat and like!
we also used Almonds because I didn't have any cashews on had - they worked fine.
Kristin T says
I made this last weekend for my daughter's birthday party as one of the snacks. It was a carnival theme so this went perfectly. It was a HIT! So yummy! I heard lots of 'Mmmmm's' and 'yummmm's' and 'did you make this??'. Success, yet again!
Nicky says
I have had this recipe in my "to try" pile since you posted it, and I just made it with the kids today as a snack while we're on spring break....deeee-lish!!! Why did I wait so long? So nice to have a homemade treat...so much better than any "cracker jack" junk! Thanks for all of your tips and recipes...you've opened my eyes SO much!
ps. We put the cashews in a ziploc and just pounded them into big pieces (just a little pounding) so kids were more inclined to try them!
Catherine says
This recipe is so good. thank you for sharing. It makes an excellent and satisfying snack. I also added about a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper to mine because I love the sweet and spicy Congo.
Trisha says
This is so good. Only problem is I can't stop eating it. Love your site. :-) Thanks.
Isabel says
I just made this for our family tonight and it is delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe!
jennifer says
This was a delicious recipe we made lots for friends and family and will be snacking on this Christmas day with family. Always on the look for treats without sugar and a lot of processed stuff this was great!
Annette says
We're starting our real food journey with the new year, so I've been scouring your site for ideas. I made this tonight for our tree trimming snack. The kids loved it and my husband said-- and I quote-- "If this is how we're going to be eating I think you should start now!"
Michelle says
I couldn't find raw cashews in the store. Do you know how I would substitute for that? I'd like to use cashews if possible.
100 Days of Real Food says
Regular roasted cashews will probably work if you cook them for less time...try putting them in the oven at the same time as the popcorn.
Amanda says
Can you use ground cinnamon or is dried cinnamon something different?
100 Days of Real Food says
I use dried ground cinnamon (it's a powder).
Sonia says
I just finished making this recipe and it is awesome! Thanks for sharing! I made it with regular nuts because I didn't have cashews, and it came out good!
Heather says
For years I have given my dad popcorn for Christmas but last year I decided to start making his popcorn instead of buy in it from the store. I made this recipe tonight to try it out and my husband ate it all! My dad is difinitely never getting store bought popcorn again! Thanks for sharing!
Deborah Carrier says
I made this popcorn minus the nuts for myself and girls to try out. It is gone already! I had to make it and try it before I made some as gifts!!! We do not have a microwave and cook our popcorn on the stove in coconut oil. I made the sauce just like the recipe and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.
rachel h. says
I made a triple batch, minus the cashews, and it was great. I am going to make a double batch tonight and try to sub raw almonds for cashews and pass out for teacher gifts tomorrow.
rachel h. says
I think almond slivers would have worked better than whole almonds. Very Yummy regardless. :)
Sherry says
Hi, did you use the same cooking times for a triple batch? Did you cook them all at the same time? Thanks!
Stacie says
I cannot get the printing link to work. Is anyone else having this problem? Maybe it is because I am on a Mac? When I click the print this recipe at the top left corner, I do get the new page with just the recipe and then when I hit print nothing happens. Any ideas? Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
Stacie - I have a mac and it seems to be working okay for me. Can you just hit file/print at that point or copy and paste to word? Sorry for the trouble!
hattie says
I made some today and it is all gone already!!!!! Thanks for a great treat!!!!!
Louise says
Do you have to have plain popcorn? Will it work if you pop the popcorn in oil?
100 Days of Real Food says
If your popcorn already has oil on it then I'd use less butter. I haven't tried it like that myself so let me know how it works out for you!
rachel h. says
I pop my popcorn in coconut oil, and it worked great in this recipe.
Annette says
I make something similar to this but I am loving the addition of cashews. Thanks for the inspiration.
Athina says
I usually have enough trouble resisting just butter and honey cooked until it's a gooey caramel, then tossing the popcorn through it. This would be my undoing for sure!
Kayla says
I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out what to bring to a Christmas party tonight. This will be perfect!
Chris says
Can you use peanuts instead of cashews or not put any nuts in it? If it's best with nuts, would lightly salted nuts work or does it have to be unsalted? Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
This would definitely work w/o the nuts (or with different nuts)...just put a little extra popcorn instead of nuts if you want and skip the extra cooking time. Also if you use lightly salted nuts just put a little less salt into the recipe to make up for it.
Joe Leach says
Would you know the nutritional value for this since I have to watch what I eat? Thanks
P.S.
I mean the total carbs for a serving. Thanks
100 Days of Real Food says
I don't know (we don't track those things on purpose)...sorry!
Pam @ Ramblings of a Happy Homemaker says
Mmmm....this looks really delicious!
Anna says
I can't wait to make this! It looks so so yummy! :)
Stacie says
This sounds yummy! And perfect timing, too. My family is planning some goodies to give for Christmas, and this recipe sounds just right!
Lyn @ Life Lyn Style says
how do you store it? how long do you think it would last?
100 Days of Real Food says
In an airtight container at room temp...I think it would last at least 5 days and maybe even longer (although we keep eating it too fast for me to see!)
jenny says
This looks awesome. We have lots of food allergies. Most of the year coping is not a big deal, but when there are forbidden cookies everywhere you look, I need to be prepared with attractive alternatives. This seems like a simple recipe to add to my bag of tricks :)