For Gourmet Popcorn, Drizzle On Some Hot Honey

Popcorn is one of the best and tastiest go-to snacks. You can serve it on game day while watching your favorite sports teams, on game night when it's time to break out your favorite board games, or any time of day when you're cozied up watching one of your favorite movies. Of course, regular unsalted popcorn can always benefit from a little seasoning to add some layers of flavor. There are so many ways to make plain popcorn more interesting, but have you tried turning it into hot honey popcorn?

Plain popcorn can be a little bland, but once you sprinkle those kernels with some salt, it literally pops with some flavor. Now, mix up some hot honey, which typically consists of honey infused with chili peppers or flakes, and drizzle it on top of your freshly salted warm popcorn. You will have some piping hot spicy popcorn with harmonious creamy, syrupy, and sour flavors. Once you've got your hot honey popcorn ready, it's time to season it and top it off for some extra layers of delicious flavor. 

The hot honey popcorn recipe is great, but adding seasonings and toppings to it is a fun and yummy way to create your own flavored popcorn. Cinnamon and honey are a classic tandem that's used in tons of foods due to their spicy-sweet mouthfeel, and garlic and hot honey are known to work just as well. If you want to go the opposite route and complement the strong spiciness of your hot honey popcorn with a fruity layer of flavor, mix in some vanilla or fruit-infused syrup. 

If you want to elevate the texture of your hot honey popcorn, throw in toasted pecans, granola, or pretzels to give your hot honey popcorn some extra crunch. Or, perhaps you'd prefer to add a smoother texture to your crispy hot honey popcorn. In that case, drizzle some chocolate — or even strawberry — syrup.

If you'd like to have some tasty honey on your popcorn but not "hot honey," you're in luck. There is a variety of honey to choose from that will sweeten up your salty popcorn and give it all kinds of delicious layers of flavor.

With upwards of 300 different types of honey you can select, the honey seasoning options for your popcorn are plentiful. If you'd like to douse your popcorn with a really sweet honey with a flowery and fruity taste, opt for Tupelo honey. This honey can be a little pricey and hard to get, so drizzling it on your popcorn will definitely elevate it to a gourmet snack. For a mild, candied honey drizzle, heat up some clover honey and let it melt all over your popcorn. It'll also give your popcorn a flowery scent.

Perhaps you're looking for a nice butter substitute for your popcorn that will give you a similar seasoning taste. Then drench your popcorn with fireweed honey. Or, maybe you want to give your popcorn a subtle kick of lemon, lime, and orange flavors with a fruity scent. Orange blossom honey will do the trick here. Pick the honey that best suits your tastes, but don't forget that you can add chili peppers to any honey for a flavorful, spicy twist.