This recipe hast two surprising twists to a traditional treat: healthy and sweet nutty hemp seed and spicy cayenne pepper! It is crunchy when entering mouth, then immediately melts and leaves no residue in mouth. I have tried pumpkin seed, sunflower seed and hemp seed with shell, none of them beat the sweet and nutty flavor boost the hemp seed (no shell) adds to it. Try this recipe and enjoy the flavor, taste and texture sensations.

The star ingredient in this recipe is hemp seed(shelled, no shell, shell removed) which in 30g has 11g protein and 14g (only 1g saturated fat) fat. It has a good omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acid ratio; is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Zinc, iron and a very good source of Magnesium.

Another good thing about this snack is it's easy and quick to make, your stove top (or air popper) and oven do the job for you. With no further delay, followed are ingredients and directions to make this amazing snack.

INGREDIENTS
For 10 cups popped popcorn you'll need:
1/3 cups and 1 tbsp. organic popcorn kernels
Hot air popcorn popper
or
3 tbsp. safflower oil (sunflower oil, coconut oil, corn oil, butter or any high smoke point oil)
1 3-quart covered saucepan (I don't have air popper so I used stove top oil popping)

For the remaining recipe you'll need:
2 cups hemp seeds(no shell)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter
1⁄3 cup honey
3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

Makes 10 servings
Nutrition facts label for this recipe (calculated by edamam.com):
377calories / serving 19% daily value
Fat 23g 35%
Carbs 39g 13%
Protein 8g 16%

Step 1: Pop the Corn

If you have a hot air popcorn popper, pop your popcorn with it.
If not, follow this lady's Perfect Popcorn method which claims that the method not only pops almost every kernel, it also prevents the kernels from burning. I'm happy with the method. So let's get popping:

1. Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.
2. Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.
3. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cups and 1 tbsp of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it's fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.
4. Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.
There you got it!

Step 2: Toast the Hemp Seeds

Preheat a nonstick skillet to low-medium hot
Place hemp seeds in one single layer
Constantly stir to achieve even result and prevent burning
Toast until the color turns light golden
Remove the seeds from heat and set it aside

Step 3: Prepare the Oven, Baking Dish, and Caramel Mixture

Heat oven to 275 degrees F.
Coat a large, deep roasting pan with cooking spray or butter.
Place popped popcorn in the pan, top it with the toasted hemp seeds, don't toss or disturb. Place it in the oven to keep warm.
Combine brown sugar, butter, honey, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper in medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and boil gently 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda. (Mixture will bubble up considerably.) Once bubbles have subsided, remove roasting pan from oven.
Pour sugar mixture over popcorn mixture, toss until evenly coated.

Step 4: Bake

Return pan to oven; bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes until mixture darkens to a medium caramel brown color. Mixture will eventually stir easily and no longer seem wet.
At 45 minutes, test for doneness by removing a few pieces of popcorn and allowing them to cool. Cluster should have a crunchy texture. If gummy, continue baking several minutes.
Once desired consistency is achieved, remove pan from oven; stir caramel corn cluster every few minutes until it cools to room temperature. (If not stirred often it will stick to pan).

Step 5: Enjoy!

Enjoy! Better with families and several friends. If alone, be warned this hemp seed caramel corn is so delicious that you are in danger of eating too much before you know, it does contain good amount of fat and sugar, even greater danger if you already consume good amount of fat and sugar from other foods.
Stored the remaining servings at room temperature in an airtight container.
Keep it out of reach of children. Strictly monitor how much your children eat. Without higher power from adults, children are in the greatest danger of this hemp seed caramel corn coma or hyper, probably hyper.

Anyway, please by all means try this recipe so you don't miss out A LOT!
Please vote it for the Snack Food Contest. Thanks.