Sure, you can eat popcorn with just butter, but why?
Popcorn with fun add-ins
Jill Santa-Lucia and her daughter, Ella Kucera, created the first flavor for Ella’s Popcorn in Raleigh, North Carolina, when Kucera was turning 7 and they wanted a fun snack for her birthday party. They made candied popcorn with crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies, which they dubbed zebra pop. Launched during the pandemic, the company now makes more than two dozen sweet and savory flavors. Their latest, bourbon praline, uses a pecan-flavored liqueur. Many of the sweet flavors include fun add-ins, including one we loved that has bits of graham crackers and tiny marshmallows. Now, there’s no need for a campfire in order to enjoy this favorite combination of flavors.
$7.99 per four-cup package of bourbon praline, $9.99 per four-cup package of zebra and campfire. Order at ellaspopcorn.com.
Credit: Tracey Richardson
Credit: Tracey Richardson
Popcorn with Low Country flavors
Tracey Richardson and her sister, Kellye Wicker, named their company Lillie’s of Charleston for their great aunt. Now, their Gullah Pop comes in three Low Country flavors: Lemon Peppa, Haut Pimento Cheese and Ho-Lotta Hissy Fit. The popcorn is popped in coconut oil and then tossed with Gullah-inspired seasonings. You can buy the seasoning mixes, too. We put all three out for guests and the kids loved Lemon Peppa while the adults busily scooped up the other two. When you come to the end of the bag, notice the sweetgrass basket design on the bottom of the package — one more tie to the sisters’ heritage.
$14.25 per 1.1-ounce to 1.35-ounce package of each flavor. Order from Amazon or lilliesofcharleston.com.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Popcorn with savory flavors
In 2014, Ginger Murphy Frank started Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn in Asheville, North Carolina, with one flavor, salted caramel. Now, her popcorn now comes in a dizzying array of flavors, including the three newest: Caribbean jerk, Mediterranean herb and Mexican street corn. Caribbean jerk has crisp plantain chips mixed in with the popcorn, and brown sugar provides a touch of sweetness alongside traditional jerk seasonings, including allspice, thyme and cayenne. Mediterranean herb combines cheddar cheese with lots of garlic and other seasonings; we thought it made a great crouton substitute in a salad. But Mexican street corn is our favorite, with seasoning that includes lime, ancho chili powder, cumin, garlic and cilantro.
$6.95 per 3-ounce bag. Order at poppyhandcraftedpopcorn.com.
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