About a year ago, a friend of mine posted a picture on Instagram of her sweet golden retriever with an empty jar of peanut butter clenched between his front paws, his long tongue stretching down to fish out the last few morsels at the bottom. I stared at the screen for a full minute, the reality sinking in.
People actually give their dogs empty peanut butter jars to finish off?? (It must be a common thing to do because another friend on the other side of the country posted an almost identical photo of her rescue dog licking a jar clean a week later…) I had no idea! I usually grab the nearest spatula and scrape off every last streak to eat myself. Oops.
So when I (mostly) polished off my jar two weeks ago, I tried the same thing with our little Chihuahua pup. I brought the plastic container to where she sat next to my desk, laid it down in front of her, and…
Nothing. She sniffed it twice out of curiosity before laying down on the floor with her nose pointed away from the jar. Shocked, I swept my finger around the inside of the rim to swipe up a little of the PB, offered her my hand, and she licked it clean. But when I set the jar back in front of her, she turned up her nose again and looked at me with disapproving eyes.
I think she’s afraid of getting her head stuck inside of the jar.
So you can imagine my surprise—and the laughter that ensued—when I dropped a stray piece of this Skinny Peanut Butter Kettle Corn on the floor near her bed, and she snatched it up in her tiny mouth and stealthily slunk out of the kitchen, acting as if it were her most prized and coveted Nylabone, to polish it off in her bed.
Yes, this peanut butter-flavored popcorn is her new favorite treat—but I promise it’s just as delicious to humans too!
Let’s talk briefly about how to make kettle corn. You can actually pop your own at home on the stove—no need to wait for the Farmer’s Market or baseball games! (Well, those were the only two places I was allowed to eat it growing up…) You just need two main ingredients: popcorn kernels and sugar.
{See my traditional kettle corn recipe to learn why granulated sugar is best!}
After adding the kernels and sugar to your hot pot on the stove, it is very important that you keep the heat low and shake the pot every 2-3 seconds. It’s really easy to burn the sugar if the heat is turned up too high or you let more time elapse in between shakes. When in doubt, turn the heat all the way to low and just keep shakin’!
It takes a little patience, but eventually the sugar will start to melt. That’s your cue! It means the temperature is just right for those popcorn kernels, so soon after this happens, they’ll start to pop. Pop, pop, pop! Remember to keep shaking, and hold the lid on tight. As amusing as it looks in cartoons, cleaning up random pieces of popcorn that fly every which way in the kitchen isn’t all that fun!
Once you count 5 seconds in between pops, immediately pour the popcorn into a big bowl, and toss it with PB2. PB2 is powdered peanut butter with a lot less calories and fat compared to traditional versions but the same iconic taste. And its powdered texture is perfect for sticking to those pieces of kettle corn!
Now all that’s left to do is hoard it all to yourself eat—and maybe share with your favorite pup too!
| Skinny Peanut Butter Kettle Corn | | Print |
- ½ cup (70g) popcorn kernels
- 3 tbsp (36g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil
- 3 tbsp (18g) PB2 powdered peanut butter
- Set aside 3 popcorn kernels. Combine the remaining popcorn kernels and sugar in a small bowl.
- Add the butter to a medium pot, and melt over low heat. Once melted, add 3 popcorn kernels and cover. While holding the lid, shake the pot back and forth every 2-3 seconds until the kernels have popped. Take the pot off of the heat, and carefully remove the popped kernels.
- Add the remaining popcorn kernels and sugar, and stir with a spatula until they’re evenly coated with the sugar. Return the pot to the heat, cover, and continue shaking it every 2-3 seconds until you can count 5 full seconds between pops. Immediately pour the popcorn into a large bowl, and sprinkle the PB2 on top. Toss the popcorn until it’s completely coated.
If using butter, it’s especially important to shake the pan while waiting for the first 3 kernels to pop to avoiding burning or overly browning the butter.
{vegan, gluten-free, low fat, low calorie}
More peanut butter popcorn recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Peanut Butter Caramel Corn by Sally’s Baking Addiction
♥ Peanut Butter Drizzled Popcorn by The Lemon Bowl
♥ Reese’s Krispies Popcorn by Oh Sweet Basil
♥ Peanut Butter Cashew Popcorn by Julie’s Eats & Treats
Ummm YES YES YES! Seriously. Dying over this recipe!
I have plenty to share Julie! 🙂
As soon as I saw this recipe, I thought “PB2!” as well! I love peanut butter so much as well as kettlecorn so this is amazing!
Great minds must think alike Eve! 🙂
A dog that doesn’t go for the PB jar!!? Unheard of. I would be afraid of getting stuck too, but that wouldn’t stop me. HAHA. Glad both you and the pup got to enjoy some on the popcorn.
To be fair… It was one of those jumbo-sized jars (go big or go home when it comes to PB, right?? 😉 ), so she really could’ve gotten her tiny head stuck inside. Poor thing. But I’m right there with ya — getting my head stuck inside a PB jar wouldn’t be so bad. Especially if I remembered to drop in a few chocolate chips first!
Oh my gosh, peanut flavor in kettle corn?! YES!
I’ve seen commercials where dogs are licking peanut butter, and I’ve always wondered whether they really enjoy it. I suppose they do! (And maybe your dog will with a bigger jar!)
I haven’t seen those commercials yet Lisa, but they sound really cute. I must be watching the wrong TV channels!
Dear Amy, I love the idea of peanut butter popcorn. I have a peanut butter and chocolate powdered mix in the pantry that I have been meaning to try. Perfect for movie night! xo, Catherine
Thanks Catherine! I love your idea of using a chocolate + PB mix. That must make it taste like a Reese’s — my fave!
I love peanut flour and PB2. This popcorn looks so good!
Thanks Shannon!
Honestly, I don’t understand how people are able to make kettlecorn at home on the stove. It has NEVER worked for me. Somehow the kernels don’t pop, they just burn (new bag of popcorn too–low to medium heat) This one didn’t work either, unfortunately, and I’m heart broken. I just can’t make it woooooorrrkkkkk UGH. The recipe looks good though 😥😥
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Ashley! That sounds really frustrating. I’d love to help try to solve that mystery with you! 🙂
What brand of popcorn kernels are you using? Do they come in those microwave-friendly bags and contain other added ingredients, or are they loose and in a container where the only ingredient is “popcorn” (like this jar or this bag)?
Are you using an electric or gas stovetop?
Does your pot’s lid make a really tight seal when placed on top of your pot?
Did your 3 test kernels pop correctly in Step 2 of my recipe, or did they burn?
I’ll have a much better idea of the potential culprit(s) once I know your answers to ALL of those questions!