I used to do this microwave popcorn in a brown paper bag thing all the time about 5 years ago and then for some reason I just forgot about it. I was checking out the healthier snacks section of the grocery store the other day and I saw a big bag of organic popcorn kernels and suddenly I had a little eureka moment of remembrance! The paper bag thing! That used to be so fun! So I grabbed some plain paper lunch bags and the big bag of popcorn kernels. That was about a week ago and we’ve been making this popcorn non-stop ever since. Well, at least a few bags a day. The kids both think it’s really fun and they seem to like it even more than the regular old microwave popcorn that we usually have.
This is a much healthier option, not just because of the organic popcorn kernels, but because we get to stay away from all of the funky chemicals that they often put in those traditional bags of microwave popcorn, and we can use whatever toppings we want and know exactly what’s in them.
So here’s how you make your own microwave popcorn in a brown paper bag!
You’ll need:
- 1 plain brown paper bag
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- 1/2 teaspoon of some kind of oil (vegetable or olive oil are what I usually use)
- 1/4-ish teaspoon of salt
Open up your paper bag, put all the ingredients in and shake it. The oil will probably soak through the bag in a few places. That’s fine.
Fold the top of the bag over twice. If it starts to come unfolded, that’s OK, the folding just helps keep the popping kernels contained and helps keep the steam locked in the bag a little better, but it doesn’t need to be a tight seal.
Pop the bag in the microwave and cook it on high for about 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Actually, I find about 2 minutes, 35 seconds works best on my microwave. If you end up making this as often as we do, you’ll find the perfect amount of time for your particular microwave. 🙂
Once your popcorn is popped, you can enjoy it as is, with a little extra salt, or go all-out with the toppings. Whatever suits you. 🙂 We usually just add a little extra sea salt to this, even though we used to be big popcorn butterers. Making popcorn this way just makes it taste so fresh and fluffy that we really don’t need anything extra.
Definitely give this method a try for your next movie night or the next time that you want a healthier snack!
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.