Popcorn palooza: Elevate your snacking game with 10 DIY gourmet flavors

This Friday, Jan. 19, marks National Popcorn Day, a celebration of America’s favorite frugal and fabulous snack!

Popcorn isn’t just a guilt-free treat; it’s a canvas for culinary creativity. Forget the store-bought microwave versions. I’ve got the scoop on making your popcorn gourmet.

Popcorn is so easy to make. A healthier alternative to packaged processed microwave popcorn is to use an air popper or make popcorn on the stove, with a clever twist from my mom’s playbook.

To kick off the festivities, here are 10 DIY gourmet flavored popcorns that turn this humble snack into a symphony of flavors. All these recipes use 16 cups of freshly popped popcorn.

Ranch: Melt half a stick of butter with 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 2 teaspoons dried dill weed, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon lemon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Mediterranean: Toss popcorn with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.

Green Goddess: Melt 6 tablespoons of butter with 1 teaspoon minced dried onion, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic and 1 tablespoon mixed dried green herbs such as parsley, chives, basil, green onion and tarragon, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.

Honey Mustard Pretzel: Blend 4 tablespoons melted butter with 2 tablespoons brown deli or Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Drizzle over popcorn and toss with 4 cups mini pretzels.

Chesapeake Bay: Melt 4 tablespoons butter with 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning. Drizzle over popcorn and mix with 4 cups oyster crackers.

Sriracha with Lime: Blend 4 tablespoons melted butter with 1/4 cup Sriracha, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Drizzle over popcorn and toss.

Buffalo Blue: Melt 6 tablespoons butter with 1/3 cup Buffalo hot sauce. Toss with popcorn, sprinkle with 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese and 1/2 teaspoon celery salt.

Tropical: Melt 4 tablespoons butter with 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. Toss with hot popcorn and add a 10-ounce package of dried tropical fruit mix. Season with salt.

Cinnamon Toast: Melt 6 tablespoons butter, drizzle over popcorn. Mix together 1/3 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss with popcorn and add 4 cups of your favorite cinnamon cereal.

S’mores Popcorn: Toss popcorn with 4 tablespoons melted butter. Place popcorn on a large parchment-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle 2 cups mini marshmallows, 2 cups crumbled graham crackers and 2 cups chocolate chips over popcorn, and bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes. Toss to coat.

At mere pennies per serving, if there ever was a frugal and fabulous snack, this would be it.

Whether it’s movie night, game night, after-school snack or you just want some crunch with your lunch, celebrate Popcorn Day with a pop! Let the popping begin!

Mom’s Perfect Popcorn

Rule of thumb: Each third of a cup of kernels yields approximately 8 cups of popped corn.

Yield: 16 cups

Ingredients

4 tablespoons oil — vegetable oil, olive oil, peanut oil, ghee or coconut oil

2/3 cup popcorn kernels

Procedure

In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, warm 4 tablespoons of oil. My current favorite oil to use is coconut oil for the subtle sweetness it brings. Add four popcorn kernels. When they pop, the oil is hot. Add 2/3 cup kernels to the pan and cover.

Here’s where my mom got clever; remove the pan from the heat for 1 minute to let all the kernels warm up evenly. Then place the pan back on the heat and let the popcorn cook until it’s all popped — hardly any old maids!