Savory Cracker Jacks?
Savory Cracker Jacks?
A salty, caramely, popcorn-studded snack mix
My sister-in-law and I were talking recently about how holiday popcorn tins were such a fixture of the season when we were growing up. You know, the big metal ones with three flavors inside — caramel corn, cheese, and either plain buttered popcorn or a colored kettle corn one — divided by cardboard partitions? We can’t remember where they came from in our respective homes (a gift? a fundraiser?) or how they became a tradition. But the association is locked in place: fun popcorn means Christmas. And here’s a popcorn snack that continues the legacy.
But rather than a straightforward caramel corn (which I do love) this is more of a popcorn-adjacent snack that’s difficult to name. Popcorn helps to stretch a medley of nuts and seeds, and add some variety to the texture, too. The entire mix is enveloped in a crunchy glaze that forms irresistible clomps. And it straddles the sweet-savory divide, thanks to a big dose of miso paste and a bit of soy sauce or tamari. Even coconut sugar, with its savory undertones, nudges it that way, too. So it goes just as well with an appetizer spread as it does as a sweet kick after dinner.
Is it caramel corn? Is it Cracker Jacks? Or is it just a snack mix? You’ll have to give it a try and help me figure that out.
Update 12/18/22: I got some feedback that for some the mix is overcooking and burning in the oven, so I’ve edited the recipe with a wider cooking range and to start checking sooner. Snack mixes or granolas like this can be tricky, because you want to cook them long enough that they harden when they cool, but obviously not burn them. My favorite method for testing is to remove a spoonful from the sheet pan, here after 30 minutes, and see if it firms up after 4 or 5 minutes. If it does, it’s ready to come out of the oven.
Miso-Honey Popcorn Snack Mix
This is an almost savory, more nut- and seed-heavy take on Cracker Jacks.
Customize it with your favorite nuts, but try to use raw ones, as they will roast in the oven.
Coconut sugar brings some additional savoriness to this, which I love, but if you don’t have it use brown sugar.
To fully veganize, use coconut oil and replace the honey with maple syrup, and cook the caramel in step 2 for an extra minute or two to boil off the extra water.
The more strongly flavored your miso, the better! A light, shiro miso contributes only subtle miso flavor.
One recipe yields enough for a party as part of a snack spread (yes I like this with dips and a cheese plate and all that), but it’s easy to double. Use a dutch oven or larger pot to make the caramel and combine everything together, then divide between two sheet pans.
Don’t be alarmed by hardened sugar on your sheet pan — just give it a soak in hot water and it’ll loosen.
Yield About 6 cups | Prep time 15 minutes | Cook time 40 minutes
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, plus additional for greasing
3 cups salted, popped popcorn
1 ½ cups unsalted roasted peanuts
1 cup whole or coarsely chopped raw pecans, almonds, or walnuts
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
¼ c honey (84g)
¼ c coconut sugar (38g)
3 tablespoons miso (the stronger the better)
1 tablespoon soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Grease a sheet pan with butter or cooking spray, or line it with a silicone pan liner if you have one (parchment makes stirring the mix as it bakes a little frustrating here, but you can use it if you like). Combine the popcorn, peanuts, nuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds in a mixing bowl.
2. Melt the butter or coconut oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the honey and coconut sugar, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes, swirling often, until it darkens a shade (no need to bring out the candy thermometer since we’ll finish cooking this in the oven), then stir in the miso paste and soy sauce. Continue cooking for another minute or two, stirring constantly, until it smooths out slightly (there will still be some foaming). Remove from the heat and add the bowl of popcorn, nuts, and seeds all at once. Stir to coat evenly, using a heat-safe spatula, then scrape the mixture onto the sheet pan and pat it out into an even layer.
3. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring twice halfway through. It should darken a shade (and can darken too much very quickly, so watch closely towards the end) and will harden as it cools; if it doesn’t harden, return the pan to the oven and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Right out of the oven, sprinkle with several pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, stir one final time to loosen from the pan, then let cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container. It will keep for about a week or more.
I love the story behind the recipe. I used to make caramel popcorn when I was growing up, but during the summer to bring to friends’ houses. This updated grown-up version is going on my to-be-cooked list!
Oh man, I've been wanting to make something cracker-jack-like but nothing I'd been looking at was super inspiring so I'd been dragging my feet. No more! This was absolutely perfect.