Tea Time with Brandy: Tiny but Mighty Popcorn

While preparing her various Thanksgiving dishes, Brandy was looking for something she might be able to have out as a snack for those dropping by throughout the holiday weekend.  "It needs to be light, but flavorful.  Artisan crafted, but approachable.  Familiar, but with a twist," Brandy said while wandering down the snack isle of her local grocery store.  Then suddenly, there it was.  "Popcorn!  Or course!" She said, stopping so short that the shoppers behind her were involved in a three cart pile up.  "But it can't just be any old popcorn.  It has to be something special.  Ah... what's this?" she said, reaching for a bag on one of the shelves.

What it was was Tiny but Might Popcorn, an heirloom popcorn grown on a handful of small farms in Iowa.  The corn is purposely grown to have smaller kernels, which is actually a major benefit.  Tiny But Mighty’s kernels are more dense, which means they have a compact and concentrated corn flavor as well as being high in fiber, gluten free, non-GMO and possessing a thin hull that virtually disintegrates upon popping, which makes the popcorn easier to chew and gentler on the digestive system.  Tiny but Mighty comes in three varieties: loose kernels, pre-popped bags of popcorn (in Butter, Sea Salt, and Kettle flavors), and their newest addition, microwavable popcorn (in Butter, Light Butter, and Kettle varieties).  Brandy instantly adored the true corn flavor of the popcorn as well as light touch of flavoring.  "It's pretty good on it's own, but I think I know how to make this even more special!  A little touch of sweet, tart, and salty should do the trick."


Tiny but Mighty Popcorn is available at most Whole Foods locations, on Amazon.com, and on the Tiny but Mighty website.

The writers of this blog were provided with samples of the products mentioned above in order to facilitate the writing of this post.





PB&J Popcorn Clusters

1/2 cup of Tiny but Mighty loose kernels or 1 bag of Tiny but Might Sea Salt pre-popped popcorn
1 tablespoon peanut oil (if popping your own kernels)
Sea salt (if popping your own kernels)
3/4 cup meltable peanut butter chips
1 tablespoon of milk or cream
1 cup dehydrated strawberries, crushed into small pieces

In a large stock pot, heat the peanut oil and add in 2 test kernels.  When those kernels pop, add in the rest of the popcorn, turn down the heat, and cover with a lid.  Once all the popcorn is popped, remove from heat and place off to the side.  (Note: you can skip this step if you're using the pre-popped popcorn.)

Place the peanut butter chips in a medium bowl over a double boiler and melt until they are an even consistency.  Add in the milk/cream and combine.  The mixture should be smooth and a little loose.

Carefully pour the melted peanut butter chips over the popcorn and stir until the popcorn is well coated.  Moving quickly, spread out the popcorn on a max paper covered cookie sheet, sprinkle with the dehydrated strawberry pieces, and finish by cracking the sea salt over the popcorn (Note: if you used the pre-popped popcorn, you don't need to salt it).  Place in the refrigerator for about an hour or until the peanut butter coating has set, then break into small pieces and enjoy!