Ingredients

• 80 g popping cornplain, not pre-flavoured microwave popcorn
• 40 g butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Method

1. 01

   Pop the corn

   Heat a large heavy pan with a lid over medium-high heat with a little oil and 3 kernels. When those pop, add the popping corn in one layer, cover, and shake the pan every 20 seconds. It will take 3-4 minutes; pull it off the heat when the pops slow to one every few seconds, or the bottom layer will scorch. Tip into your largest bowl.

   80 g popping corn

   Listen, do not watch the clockWhen the pops slow to one every few seconds it is done. Push on and the bottom burns.

2. 02

   Mix the cinnamon sugar

   Stir the caster sugar, cinnamon and the fine salt together in a small bowl and set it beside the hob. Have it mixed and within reach before you start: the popcorn has to be tossed while the brown butter is still hot and wet, and there is no time to be measuring cinnamon at that point.

   1 tbsp caster sugar · 1/2 tsp cinnamon · 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

3. 03

   Brown the butter all the way

   Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat and keep swirling for 4-6 minutes, past foaming, until the solids on the base are deep hazelnut brown and it smells nutty. Go further than feels safe. This is where all the flavour is.

   40 g butter

   Deep brown, not goldenButter stops at golden and keeps going to hazelnut. Pale butter tastes of nothing here.

4. 04

   Add the maple off the heat

   Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the maple syrup. It will hiss and bubble up, so stand back. Adding it while the pan is on the heat stops the butter browning and thins the coating.

   1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

5. 05

   Toss quickly

   Pour over the hot popcorn in a thin stream while tossing continuously, then dust with the cinnamon sugar while everything is still glossy so it sticks.

6. 06

   Spread out to set

   Spread the popcorn in a single layer on a tray for 5 minutes before piling it into a bowl. Left heaped, it steams in its own heat and the coating goes soft; spread out, it sets lightly crisp.

   Spread it outPiled in a bowl it traps its own steam and goes sticky within minutes. Five minutes flat on a tray.