Every now and again my son drags out my air popcorn popper and asks if we can make some. Every time I say "yes" and every time I vow never to do it again. It never gets all eaten before it gets boring and goes stale which then leaves me feeling guilty for throwing it out. Plus, the microwaved stuff leaves a lingering smell of fake butter in your kitchen.
To the rescue, here's
Jolly Time! This site has inventive, tasty ways to use leftover popcorn. From salty to sweet, easy to fanciful. I have a feeling I will be popping lots more corn now so I can try these recipes. Next I would especially like to try the
Popcorn Cookies,
Rocky Road PB Popcorn Bars and the
Nutty Popcorn Fudge.
Cheesy Popcorn Cornbread
8" square | Jolly Time Popcorn Company
4 cups popped popcorn
1 cup yellow corn meal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shredded jack cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Process the popcorn in a blender or food processor until finely ground. Pour ground popcorn into a large bowl and stir in corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt until blended.
2. Beat egg, milk and vegetable oil together in a small bowl and stir into popcorn mixture just until blended. Scatter cheese over batter and stir just until evenly distributed. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned at edges and tester comes out clean. Cut into squares.
This tender cottage cheese pastry is similar to cream cheese pastries but with less fat. It is a very easy dough to work with. The final product is not as flaky as your classic pie dough but it is a nice change. There is no sugar in the pastry which means these little purses rely on the jam for their sweetness. It pairs well with extra-sweet fillings like pecan pie or buttertarts. The pastry is versatile and could easily be used in savory applications as well. Try mixing in some herbs and cheese and making breadsticks or for your next batch of mini-quiches.
Cottage Cheese Pastry
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup cottage cheese, well drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 cup jam (optional, for filling)
In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, cottage cheese, flour, and salt until dough is smooth. Chill at least 6 hours.To make Jam Purses:On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling in the center of each square. Moisten edges of each square with a little water. Fold edges together to form a purse shape and place in a well-greased or lined mini-muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove immediately to wire rack to cool, running a knife around the tin to loosen any stuck-on jam. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
Herbed bread chips make a delicious snack either by themselves or with a cheese spread or dip. They are like pita chips - baked, not fried. You can flavor them as elaborately or as simply as you like. Anything from plain olive oil with a sprinkling of sea salt to the medley of spices I used below. Pile 'em up high on a platter with your favorite dip or instead of crackers along with your soup. Mmmm... crunchy and addictive. They also keep for several days when stored airtight after they are fully cooled. I dare say they even improve in flavor the next day, if they last that long.
I used whole wheat bread and they tasted delicious. This recipe is also a great way to use up day old bread. However, they're so good that I would even go and buy bread with the sole purpose being to make these chips. Pile 'em up high and serve them with soup.
Herbed Bread Chipsadapted from McCormick's
1 loaf (16 ounces) French bread
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1 teaspoon Rosemary Leaves
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Using a serrated or electric knife, slice bread into very thin (1/8-inch thick) slices. Place bread slices in a large mixing bowl.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over bread slices; toss well to coat. Spread on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown and crisp. Store in airtight container up to two weeks.
Here is a delicious use for cookie crumbs. I like using Nilla wafers or gingersnaps but you can use any kind you like - storebought or homemade. Once I made this with low-fat lemon cranberry cookies and used lemon extract instead of vanilla. It turned out fantastic! Just pulverize the cookies in a food processor or crush them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. (This can be quite therapeutic, lol).I have made this with and without nuts and it's good either way. Slivered almonds work really well, as do walnuts.
Vanilla Cookie Crumb Cake1 loaf | adapted from Kellogg's Kitchens1 1/2 cups finely crushed cookie crumbs1/2 cup flour1/3 cup brown sugar 2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup toasted, chopped nuts
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together cookie crumbs, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and nuts.
2. In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingreedients then add to dry ingredients all at once.
3. Pour batter into an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Drizzle a simple glaze on top if desired or serve plain.
This recipe is adapted from an award winning recipe from Country Living's website, originally from the Iowa State Fair Cookbook. I love the sweet and savory combination and these potato chip cookies fit the bill. Kinda like a chewy oatmeal cookie with a little something extra - a little bit more depth you might say.They're also a wonderfully creative way to use up the crushed chips at the bottom of the bag. I put the crumbs into a ziplock bag and stick them in the freezer until I have enough to make these cookies.
Potato Chip Cookies
