Almond Cranberry Popcorn Bars with Almond Butter Drizzle

Almond Popcorn Bars with Almond Butter Drizzle

Did you ever make popcorn bars as a kid?

For our family, popcorn bars were akin to the joy experienced by Christmas stockings and dibs on the front seat of the station wagon. In fact, my best memories with them bring me back to my mom. I remember cool Friday afternoons, when the weather smelled like roast leaves and I couldn’t help but be beckoned inside. A quick sprint from the school bus drop-off landed me exactly where I wanted to be- with my momma in the kitchen.

The original pop corn ball recipe we made came from my grandmother- she loved to make these- but her version was more of a hybrid kettle corn variety. Laden with butter and sugar, they were delicious, but probably also left my mom with kids hopped up on marshmallows (this effect, however, I don’t quite remember). An incredibly hard-working nurse, my mom was a trooper to say the least for letting us imbibe.

Almond Popcorn Bars with Almond Butter Drizzle

This barred version is my spin; a take on the traditionally sweet treat, but lightened a tad with honey and coconut oil instead of butter. The real star, though, is the ever delicious combo of salted almonds with popcorn. Almonds, I discovered, are naturally awesome- high in vitamins B and E, calcium, iron, and fatty acids. They can even balance your digestive system, aid the nervous system, and provide extra energy to boot! For someone like me, a long devoted peanut butter addict, this introduction to a nut butter topping  that I dig (and can substitute for peanut in recipes if I choose) and provides a nutritional boost- my kind of bar.

Plus, these bars’ roasty, salty-sweet taste is dynamite delicious, easy to make, and an excellent road trip snack, as my husband and I tested out a few weeks ago. Just doing what we can for the recipes.

So pop some corn, buy some great quality almonds, come inside from the cold, and get ready for some fun memories in the kitchen.

Almond Popcorn Bars with Almond Butter Drizzle

Almond Cranberry Popcorn Bars with Almond Butter Drizzle

What You Will Need:

  • 10 cups popped popcorn (I like the canola oil variety)
  • 1/2 cup good quality honey
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted almonds
  • 1/3 to 2/3 cup dried cranberries (or dried fruit of your choice)
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter
  • 1.75 ounces chocolate of your choice (I used hazelnut milk chocolate for this recipe)

What You Will Do:

1. Grease an 8 by 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine popcorn, coarsely chopped almonds, and dried cranberries in a large bowl.

3. Bring honey and coconut oil to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the edges are boiling, continue to boil for three minutes (it will foam up pretty well, and that’s ok!), stirring occasionally.

4. Once ready, take the honey syrup off of the heat and pour directly over the popcorn mixture (if you let it sit in the pan, it might burn). Use a large spatutal to evenly coat the popcorn, nuts and cranberries with the syrup, making sure to watch your hands (this mixture is hot), and scrape all of the syrup and nuts/cranberries that might have floated to the bottom of the bowl up and through the mixture.

5. Once combined, pour mixture into greased pan and press down with hands. It will look like a lot of popcorn, but just keep pressing until it is flat and even.

6. Heat chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave on high for 45 seconds. Add two tablespoons almond butter, then heat in 15 second intervals, stirring after each interval with a fork, until chocolate is melted and evenly combined.

7. Use a spoon to lightly pour mixture in a criss cross pattern over the bars. Put in the refrigerator to cool for at least 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

Celebrating Well and Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

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For readers of The LovingKind, you are, I am sure, well aware of how amazing Mattye is. She is a creative, a dreamer, a designer, a card-making extroidinare, and the BEST baker of gingerbread cookies I have ever met.
She’s also incredible at love. You know, the kind of care that decorates said gingerbread cookies for a certain friends’ post wedding party with a royal icing dress and accompanying bow-tie clad gingerbread man. The kind of hutzpah that feels so strongly about leadership that she is willing to step out of her comfort zone and give her talents on behalf of countless people through creative ministry. The kind of joy that squeals in delight over a candle and/or tray that she knows will make a friend’s new home just perfect for her. That kind of love.
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And this week, the week of the day of love, I am so excited for y’all to hear from Mattye on how we can best celebrate those special moments with the ones we love- marshmallows and all. Take it away Mattye!
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I love to celebrate. From big life moments to everyday ones, I believe celebrating is one of our greatest opportunities to enjoy life and make it meaningful.

I looked up the word “celebrate,” and Merriam-Webster had a couple definitions such as, “to do something special or enjoyable for an important event, occasion, holiday, etc.” and “to praise (someone or something): to say that (someone or something) is great or important.”

But, perhaps my favorite definition was this one: “to mark by festivities or other deviation from routine.”

Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

It’s the “deviation from routine” that makes celebrations so enjoyable and special. When we take a moment to change our routine and say “you are special,” “this moment is important,” or “I’m grateful,” our environment changes and people are happy. As a believer in celebration, and I want to keep finding ways to be a better celebrator! In fact, one of my 2015 goals is to celebrate well (#33).

This got me wondering, what keeps us from celebrating well? I think the answer is that we often overlook chances to celebrate because we are intimidated, assuming we have to create an over-the-top expression for it to be a celebration. Additionally, as is so easy to do, we simply get so caught in our everyday flow, that we just don’t take the time to think about celebrating, much less to actually do it.

Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

So, as Valentine’s Day, my favorite holiday, approaches, I wanted to share some thoughts with you to help make celebrating feel doable. And of course, Callie and I collaborated to share a fun, Valentine treat with you to inspire you in your own celebration of love this year! I hope the ideas I’m going to share will help you view celebrating in a new way, and make you realize that YOU can be a great celebrator!

There are so many ways to make moments, days, and people extra-special, and here are some that I practice, and want to continue doing more and more!

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1. Mark your calendar

The first step to celebrating well is to know what you want to celebrate. Marking your calendar for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions, is a great way to say “this is important,” which lays the foundation for making a heartfelt celebration happen. In the midst of your planning, don’t forget to leave room for spontaneous and everyday celebrations along the way! This could be anything from sending a note to a friend to say “I’m celebrating our friendship,” to baking cookies to celebrate that it’s Friday!

2. Dress for the occasion

As you can see in the photos in this post, I embrace this idea wholeheartedly in my Valentine-heart sweater and love-red pants! Whether you’re putting on your favorite dress for a date with your husband, wearing your favorite team’s colors, or covering yourself in hearts for Valentine’s Day, a great way to celebrate is to dress for the moment! Show people that you are excited and grateful through a celebratory ensemble.

Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

3. Give a card

If you spend a few moments in the TLK Shop, you’ll see how much I adore greeting cards! Whether creating them or giving them, cards are one of my absolute favorite ways to celebrate what matters. A card is a simple, yet extremely thoughtful way to celebrate the moments and people you love! Whether it be a note to say, “I’m thinking of you,” a “Happy Birthday” card, or a “Congratulations” for a special milestone or accomplishment, handwritten cards are like mini celebrations in an envelope!

The Loving Kind treats

4. Make treats to enjoy and give

Just like the strawberry marshmallows we’re sharing with you today, a special treat is a tasty way to celebrate life! I love our strawberry marshmallows because they reflect the color of the holiday, and by dipping them in chocolate and sprinkles they feel whimsical, special and handmade. If you’re unsure about giving the homemade marshmallows a go, you can buy marshmallows and just do the chocolate and sprinkle dipping by hand! Last year for the launch of The LovingKind,which was on Valentine’s Day, I created goody bags to give out to friends with a tag introducing The LovingKind and with a handwritten note. This treat not only celebrated the holiday, but also an exciting launch! I had so much fun giving them and seeing people “deviate from routine” and enjoy a moment of celebration with their treat!

The Loving Kind cards

5. Gather people

There is nothing like the energy of people gathered together for a celebration. From my wedding reception, the biggest celebration of my life, to our low-key Christmas cookie swap we hosted this year, when gathered with others, there is a special feeling in the air of “this matters.” If you want to gather with others and plan an elaborate menu, gorgeous decorations, and a guest list two miles long, go for it—it sounds amazing! But just remember, it’s the heart behind the celebration that matters most. So, be confident that with the right heart, you can have just as meaningful moments with people around a pot of your favorite homemade soup as at an event trimmed, decked, and covered with all the fixin’s you can dream up!

6. Decorate

This is the area I am working on and hope to keep getting better at because I love when I enter people’s homes and can feel the spirit of celebration. If your entire home feels like too much, just pick one room or just go for the front door! One of my friends, Blaine Taylor, always has something on her front door celebrating the current season, and it makes me so happy every time I pass her home! Putting festive items around you and others just makes the space feel special and it’s a reminder to celebrate.

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Friends, I hope today you’ve found new ideas, and the heart of your inner celebrator has been encouraged or rekindled. In 2015, I hope you find yourself celebrating more and enjoying this precious life you’ve been given. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

 

Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

What you will need for the marshmallows:
  • 1/2 to 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 cup cold filtered water, divided
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the strawberry swirl:
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries, halved and tops removed
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
What You Will Do:

1. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan well with cooking spray. Scoop about ¼ to ½ cup confectioners’ sugar into the pan and toss the sugar around to coat the top and sides of the pan, discarding extra sugar.

2. In a large bowl, pour ½ cup cold water over the gelatin. Let it sit for a few minutes to soften.

3. Put halved strawberries and sugar into a blender to sit while you prepare the marshmallows.

4. In a heavy saucepan, cook the granulated sugar, corn syrup, remaining ½ cup water, and salt over low heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until all of the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook without stirring the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat, and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture (don’t worry if you now have a gelatin dome- just keep blending), stirring until dissolved.

5. Beat mixture with a mixer on high speed until fluffy and tripled in size, about seven to ten minutes. Once it gets so sticky that your beaters aren’t really working anymore- stop there!

6. In the bowl of a separate stand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and almond extract.

7. Add egg white mixture gently into the sugar mixture with your wooden spoon until combined and still fluffy.

8. Pour the mixture into prepared pan, using an oiled spatula (or spoon) to spread the mixture evenly.

9. Make the strawberry puree: Blend the strawberries in blender until smooth.

10. Use a wooden spoon to dallop 3/4 cup strawberry puree in center, then corners of pan. Using a toothpick, make a pretty swirl pattern, gently combining the strawberry puree with the marshmallows.

11. Chill in the fridge for a few hours and up to a day. I found it helpful to spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray, then stretch it over the top of the marshmallows.

12. To remove the marshmallows, run a knife around the edges of the pan. Cut marshmallows in to a grid of your desired size. Use a spatula or knife to remove. Enjoy!*

Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

 *As you can see, Mattye and I fully embraced the celebratory nature of Valentine’s Day treats with a fun white and dark chocolate dipping station! All you need is some melted chocolate and festive sprinkles. We melted a Divine ginger chocolate bar and white baking chocolate. Once dipped, sprinkle the mallows to your heart’s content! This is the one case where double-dipping is officially allowed! :)Let the taste-testing begin!

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Cheers to homemade treats!
Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows
The true focus of our laughter…
Strawberry Swirl Marshmallows

As you can see, these mallows are officially endorsed by Mattye and I:)Happy Valentine’s Day luvs!