Tropical Jello Candied Popcorn

There used to be a little shop where I lived that sold candied popcorn. I LOVE candied popcorn! Whenever we were close to the shop, we would always stop there and get the cherry chocolate mix. That one is my favorite and I am going to try to make it another day, but today we are making a tropical version by using the Tropical Fusion flavored Jello. This makes the most delightful CORAL color that is so popular right now.

I always felt like it was probably too messy or too hard to make, so I never tried. Then my sister introduced me to using Jello, butter and corn syrup. Still a little sticky because of the corn syrup and the measuring cup.

Then I came across this recipe on the Eagle Brand company web site using jello and sweetened condensed milk, and it changed everything! This is SO easy! AND if you soak the pan right after you boil it, clean up is a cinch!

So on with the recipe!
P.S. I changed a few things to make it work better for me, this is my version…

JELLO CANDIED POPCORN:

-10 Cups popped popcorn (I used an air popper, but you could use microwaveable popcorn, it will just be more salty)
-1 can 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
-1 box any flavor (depends on your mood) 3 oz. Jello mix

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Add aluminum foil to a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan), spread the popcorn onto the pan in an even layer. Place the popcorn in the oven to keep warm.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk with the jello mix. Cook on medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken (more than it was already). Mine never started to bubble, and when I noticed that it was starting to get clumpy, I stopped cooking it.

Remove the popcorn from the oven and slowly pour the jello mixture over the popcorn. Using 2 wooden spoons, carefully toss the popcorn until it is coated evenly with the sauce. BE SURE to immediately add water to the pan you cooked the sauce in so it doesn’t become hard. When you are done using the spoons, put them in the water too!