By Week 500. An arbitrary milestone. I have been writing this blog for almost 10 years. Sarah noted it in an email Monday. "Brenda. 500 posts. Extraordinary consistency." I had not counted. I am 48 years old. I have been blogging since 38. A third of my adult life I have been writing in the sunroom at 5 a.m.
Drove Tuesday-Wednesday.
Gayle stable.
Halloween next week.
With Halloween just around the corner and 500 posts somehow behind me, it felt right to mark the moment with something bright and a little playful — not a cake, not a champagne toast, just a bowl of something orange and crunchy to eat in the sunroom while the dark comes earlier each morning. Goblin’s Orange Popcorn is exactly that: easy enough to make on a weeknight when you’re still processing a long drive and a quiet week, festive enough to feel like a small celebration. Ten years, one handful at a time.
Goblin’s Orange Popcorn
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 10 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped kernels)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Orange food coloring (gel preferred), to desired color
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Halloween sprinkles or candy corn, optional for topping
Instructions
- Prepare popcorn. Pop popcorn using your preferred method and spread it in a single layer on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Remove any unpopped kernels. Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Make the syrup. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vinegar. Stir until butter melts, then bring to a boil without stirring. Cook until mixture reaches 250°F on a candy thermometer (hard ball stage), about 5–7 minutes.
- Add color and flavoring. Remove pan from heat. Carefully stir in baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, and enough orange food coloring to reach a vibrant Halloween orange. The mixture will foam slightly — stir quickly.
- Coat the popcorn. Immediately pour the hot syrup over the popcorn in a thin stream, tossing gently with a heat-safe spatula to coat as evenly as possible.
- Bake. Place the coated popcorn in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, to set the coating and ensure even crispness.
- Cool and finish. Remove from oven and spread popcorn out on fresh parchment to cool completely, about 10 minutes. Scatter Halloween sprinkles or candy corn over the top if desired. Break into clusters before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 39g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 180mg