One of my favorite snacks is fresh popcorn with lots of melted butter drizzled all over it.  I love the smell of popcorn popping, even in the theaters, but I don’t want to eat their popcorn.  Theaters use unhealthy oils to heat the popcorn, and they almost never use real butter to pour over it, plus the salt they use is refined and highly processed.

You don’t need any special equipment to make delicious, melt-in-your-mouth popcorn that isn’t junk food.  This method is so easy and quick–it only takes 5 to 10 minutes from start to snacking time, and the only equipment required is a good heavy skillet with a lid.  I usually use my 10″ stainless steel skillet.  To make a larger batch of popcorn, you could use a 12″ skillet.

Although I’ve heard that no popcorn is GMO, I would still recommend using only organic popcorn to avoid any residue of the poisons sprayed on conventional crops.

Ingredients

Popcorn, organic (I used Arrowhead Mills organic popcorn)
Butter, melted, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup (I used Kerrygold)
Coconut oil, enough to cover the bottom of the skillet (I used Tropical Traditions Gold Label)
Sea salt (I used Celtic Sea Salt)

Preparation

Coat the bottom of your skillet with a thin layer of coconut oil.  Since my coconut oil is mostly solid at room temperature, I turned the burner on very low–just enough to melt the oil so that it could cover the bottom of the skillet.  When the oil is melted, add enough popcorn to the skillet to make a single layer.  I use my fingers (you could use the back of a spoon) to press the kernels down to be sure that they all touch the bottom of the skillet.

Cover the skillet and turn the heat to medium.  As soon as you hear the kernels start to pop, open the skillet lid just enough to allow steam to escape but not open enough for the kernels to pop out (and they will if given a chance).

Stay close to the burner and listen for the popping to slow down.  When about three seconds have passed since the last pop, move the skillet off the heat and let sit for a few seconds.  The skillet will be very full so pour the popped corn carefully into a large bowl.  Drizzle with melted butter and toss with a big spoon.  When the popcorn is evenly coated with butter, sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

Enjoy!  We eat this popcorn up fast, but, if there’s any left, it will keep for a day or two stored at room temperature in a plastic bag.

This post is shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.