Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters

Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters, are these bundles of joy and flavor. Be prepared to see them vanish before your very eyes as we did!

Song of the day: "1999" by Prince.

Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters, are a "slightly" light, but highly addictive snack. Utilizing some party favorites such as Doritos, peanuts, some wonderful popcorn, all held together with some butter and melted marshmallow, and you have a sweet and savory morsel of pure goodness.

A few weeks ago we were made aware of a product called SkinnyPop Popcorn (#nosponsor). I was very interested in trying it and wanting to create a delicious snack or recipe with it. After some deliberation, we decided we would give it a go and try to come up with something that truly showcased the popcorn with a few other interesting textures and flavors to tantalize the taste buds.

There were thoughts of squares with an array of fruit and chocolate or maybe using the popcorn in a savory dish. I am reminded of an event that Nicoletta and I went to a while ago. It was a dinner where you are blindfolded and you get to taste different recipes and try to guess what ingredients were used. One dish in particular, a soup that tasted like a creamy butternut squash, took us for a real loop, as the chefs revealed that it was a popcorn and cheese soup, using popcorn as the main ingredient. I was floored and never looked at popcorn the same way.

After much thinking I had an aha moment, so many chefs are using things like crushed potato chips, and nachos to enhance the flavor of dishes, that I immediately saw a picture of SkinnyPop, infused and accompanied by crushed nacho chips, some nuts, in a nice small handful package. The only thing that remained was how to keep them together. Then another thought: marshmallow and butter, the glue that has tantalized many a child, whose favorite were rice crispy squares, and so off to the supermarket to get some snack foods, and get to creating this Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters!

I never really noticed the brand SkinnyPop before. It's funny how some things just blind you. I usually make my own popcorn. If I don't, we buy smart popcorn. Well, after being made aware of this popcorn, all I was seeing at organic markets and super conglomerate markets was SkinnyPop. Wondering if they always had them and was I truly blind to their existence, and I was sadly informed that yes they have carried this brand for quite a while. As they say in France C'est la vie! With our shopping bags full including SkinnyPop, Doritos, unsalted nuts, and some good butter, the marshmallows we had in our pantry, we are off to our kitchen to have some fun in creating this well not so low cal skinny snack, but Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters!

Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters, Party On!

This recipe is relatively easy. The basic is the marshmallow glue, that will hold these snacks together, and also add a little sweetness to the nicely spiced savory mix. One thing that I will say is that you have to have all the ingredients ready. The Doritos nice and crunched, not to the point of pulverization, but leaving nice shards that will add a nice visual with the cloud-like formation of the popcorn. The nuts and popcorn all measured out in a bowl. The reason I say that all the ingredients should be ready is that if any of you have ever made rice crispy squares, you know that when that butter and marshmallows start to melt together,  you have little time to mix in the ingredients and get it into a pan to spread. With that being said, I have all the ingredients ready, marshmallows and butter are melting in a wok. I love that caramel smell when you are doing the marshmallow butter, it just reminds me of childhood, and having a big smile on my face when I opened my lunch and found those deliciously sweet snacks in there, nostalgic moment. So marshmallow nice and smooth, in goes the popcorn, nuts, and Doritos, a quick stir to get the buttery mixture into the mix and in a bowl this goes for a quick handling, to form the clusters. I worked quickly using my hands, which I washed first, and rubbed some of the butter on as I didn't want the mixture to stick to my hands. It was quite easy to form, and also some of the mixture just happened to land in my mouth, what? well, you have to taste it to make sure all the seasoning is right! Lol.

I wasn't the only one who was taste testing, Nicoletta was right beside me munching away. The funny thing was that she is not really crazy about Doritos, popcorn, and especially marshmallow, but admitted that these Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters were the bomb, and by the number of times her hand went for these clusters, I knew she enjoyed them, which tells a lot about the flavor and texture of these babies. I know some may say well they are not really that healthy, and my response is, we don't eat this kind of thing every day and I always tell Nicoletta, Live a little! So they might not be that healthy,  but they are Slightly SkinnyPop Party clusters, which makes me feel ok eating them.

The most memorable thing is the texture, slightly crunchy with the crispiness of the Doritos, the toothiness of the peanuts and the popcorn with its light billowy crunch all kept intact. The flavor of the Doritos comes through so subtly with its nacho cheesy spicy corn backdrop blend, a perfect partner to the popcorn with its nice buttery nuttiness. The marshmallow and butter mix is perfect in keeping the balance of the saltiness in check and added such a nice caramelization of sugar and richness to the mix. The peanuts were just that extra crunch needed to always surprise the tongue, and added, I feel, a wonderful fun feel to the clusters. Nicoletta and I enjoyed these clusters a lot, washing them down with a ginger beer.  Many went missing. Then my son Joel came home, and as the story goes, there were none. No worries, still some Doritos, SkinnyPop, peanuts, butter and marshmallow in the kitchen.

Hey, it's Mother's Day and people are getting together, what a great way to get things going or even having some for dessert than with these lovely hand snacks we call Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters!

Happy Mother's Day from all of us at SugarLoveSpices!

Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "1999" by Prince.

Slightly SkinnyPop Party Clusters

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• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 20 large clusters 1x

Ingredients

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• 12 large marshmallows
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups Skinny pop original popcorn
• 1 ½ cups lightly crushed Doritos nacho chips
• ¼ cup plain unsalted peanuts

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Instructions

1. Mix popcorn, Doritos, and peanuts.
2. In a wok on low to medium heat melt butter.
3. Add marshmallows and stir till they begin to melt.
4. Toss in popcorn mix and mix well with melted butter and marshmallows.
5. With your hands form clusters adding very light pressure to hold ingredients together.
6. Place those clusters on a parchment lined cookie sheet to cool.
7. Place clusters in a bowl.
8. Ready to snack on.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes

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On a healthier note, try our  Panko and Asiago crusted Popcorn Cauliflower

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Loreto

When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.