Aiza Will Cook

Microwave Popcorn! Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Make popcorn in your microwave. And no, you don’t need those fancy microwavable popcorn package from the supermarket. You just need a humble brown paper bag!

What you’ll need:

Brown Paper Bag

A Handful of Corn Kernels

A Microwave

2 wooden spoon

Big Bowl/Pan

Saucepan

1-2 cups of white sugar (depends on how much corn you’ll pop)

1/2-1 cup of water (just enough to cover the sugar in your pan)

2-3 tbsp butter (or more if you want it to taste really buttery!)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

Pop your Corns!

Place the kernels in the paper bag. Seal the bag by folding the top for three to four times. Place the bag in the microwave and zap it on High for 2 minutes. 

Place your popcorn in a big pan or container that can stand heat and where you can easily mix in your caramel thoroughly later. 

Brown your Sugar!

In a Saucepan, combine sugar, salt, water and butter. Make sure that the sugar is entirely wet. Cook it on medium to high heat. DO NOT STIR! Yes, no matter how tempted you are to stir this sweet thing, don’t stir. It will make the sugar crystallize and you’ll have hard candy. Boo. 

Wait until the bubbles show an amber or light brown color. Turn off the heat and quickly add the baking soda. Use a wooden spoon coated in oil to stir it quickly! The mixture will foam up and be ready to pour the hot caramel on top of your popcorn. Use your other wooden spoon to toss the popcorn and the caramel together to coat the popcorn as evenly as you can. Be careful, the caramel is insanely hot!

We’re pretty addicted to this stuff right now. And while I can’t go abroad again to munch on Garett Popcorn (My HG popcorn!), this will have to be the next best thing.

Thanks to my Ate for teaching me this insane recipe!

5-Minute Chocolate Cake

Yearning for a warm chocolate cake? Stuck in your dorm room only with just a microwave oven? With just a few common ingredients you can find in your pantry, you can be five minutes away from a delightful chocolate cake!

What you’ll need:

A microwave

A mixing bowl and spoon/fork/spatula/whisk

A big ceramic coffee mug or any microwave safe container

4 tbsp flour (use cake flour for a lighter cake)

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp beaten egg (a whole egg is too much)

3 tbsp milk

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp flavoring such as vanilla extract, orange, etc.

3 tbsp (or more!) chocolate chips

about 1/2 tbsp milk

1. Place 1/2 tbsp milk in a microwave safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave for about 5 seconds on high. You just want the milk to be warm enough to melt you chocolate chips. 

2. Add the chocolate chips to the warm milk and mix until melted. Set aside for a while. If you can’t find chocolate chips near you, you could always use a chopped up chocolate candy bar instead.

3. Combine the dry ingredients: Flour, sugar and cocoa powder. Mix until well distributed. Add egg, milk, oil and flavoring. Mix well until lumps disappear.

5. Add the melted chocolate. Mix well.

6. Optional: Prepare your coffee mugs/microwavable container. You may not do this step if you plan to eat this cake straight from the mug! If you plan to plate it: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of your mug with oil or butter. Place a tablespoon of flour inside and let the mug be coated with flour. Tap the excess flour out of the mug.

7. Pour the cake batter into the mug, until about half full.

8. Cook it in the microwave at the highest setting for about 2-3 minutes, depending on your microwave’s power. Watch the cake rise and mushroom on top of your mug! You’ll know when the cake is done when the top does not appear wet, only a bit moist. If you took the cake too soon, don’t worry since you can return it and nuke it for 10-30 more seconds.

9. Invert it on a plate and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

10. Eat it for less than 10 minutes.

You can use one big coffee mug or divide the batter into two smaller coffee mugs. You just don’t want the batter to reach more than 3/4 of the cup or else you’ll make a mess in your microwave. 

Thanks for reading! :)