Theatre Style Popcorn with Real Butter

My kids love to go to the movies and eat the popcorn. We recently told them there'd be no trips to the theatre this year as we decided to cut that out of the budget. (Just for the kids- Joe & I still have room in the budget for movies on date night!) After cries of "Unfair!" I determined the main reason for their disappointment was that they really wanted that greasy, buttery movie popcorn and my homemade stuff wasn't the same.

This prompted me to turn to the Internet for ideas and I found out that clarified butter, also known as ghee, is a real food substitute for the junky fake butter flavored stuff used at the theatre. The butter-flavored theatre oil has a lower water content than butter so it makes popcorn less soggy. Real clarified butter has the same effect.

Clarified Butter
Melt 1 stick of butter over medium heat. Once melted it will be foamy on the top. Skim off the foam with a slotted spoon. Continue to simmer the butter for 5-10 more minutes and remove as much foam as possible.
When the butter is clear and you can see to the bottom of the pan it's done. Cover the mouth of a jar with cheesecloth and pour the butter in. The cheesecloth will remove the rest of the milk solids and you'll be left with clarified butter. Wait for it to cool before putting the lid on. The clarified butter will remain a liquid at room temperature, or turn solid in the refrigerator. 

Theatre Style Popcorn with Clarified Butter
Mix 3 tablespoons of clarified butter with 10 cups of freshly air popped popcorn and mix together. Add sea salt for flavor.

This was a hit with all of us and we gobbled it down. I'm happy to have another real food alternative for my family and another homemade item for school lunches.

This post is featured on: Clever Chicks, Make Your Own Mondays, Homestead Barn Hop, Natural Living Monday