Buttery Candied Popcorn (Screaming Yellow Zonkers)
Have you ever tasted Screaming Yellow Zonkers? They were a big deal when we were kids and we loved them well into adulthood – until they stopped making them in 2007. They were this weirdly yellow, buttery, sugar shellacked popcorn that we couldn’t get enough of. We’ve eaten a lot of them. As we have with so many other favorites (Hard Hat Pudding, Bit O’Chocolate Bars), we had to try to recreate them so we can have them again. Our Buttery Candied Popcorn is probably even better than the real deal. It may not be as yellow in color but it’s every bit as delicious. How can one go wrong with butter, sugar and popcorn? We liked Fiddle Faddle, too, but mostly for the peanuts. We sometimes add peanuts to our Buttery Candied Popcorn because, well, we love them. It would also be delicious with almonds or macadamia nuts.
What snacks and sweets did you enjoy as a kid? We’d love to hear in the comments!
Jump to Recipe
Spread the popcorn out on Silpat lined baking sheets and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the coating.
Bring the coating ingredients to a boil.
Add the vanilla and baking soda.
Coat the popcorn as evenly as possible.
Dig in as soon as the coating has hardened and it is cool enough to eat!
Buttery Candied Popcorn
Ingredients
- 10 cups (2 bags) butter flavored microwave popcorn
- ½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (2.75 oz) light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup peanuts optional*
Instructions
- Heat oven to 250 degrees.
- Spread popped popcorn from each bag on its own silpat or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Be sure to leave any unpopped kernels behind. Place the two popcorn filled baking sheets in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the coating.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Allow to continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring only a couple of times. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and then the baking soda.
- Pour half of the mixture over each sheet of popcorn, using a couple of spatulas to toss and coat evenly. Return both pans of popcorn to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully toss the popcorn again. Spread back out in an even layer and return the pans to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove pans from oven and toss for a minute or two while it cools, to keep the popcorn from clumping. Allow to cool completely on sheet pan and enjoy!
- *Note: Optional peanuts can be added to each pan of popcorn before coating. We use cocktail peanuts, but any salted peanut will do.
Am definitely going to try this. Just posted about SYZ on a facebook page, sooo many people said how much they loved them!
PS you asked about other favorite snacks; my favorite cookie when I was a kid were YumYums. They are long gone but they were so yummy.
Ok, I admit to not making this recipe yet, but I have been haunted by Screaming Yellow Zonkers for a long, long time(shocked they were manufactured into this century) and can’t wait to try this duplicate recipe!
I read this whole thing again to get a better idea of what to do. Under each picture is written what to do, but under one picture says to add the Vanilla and Baking Powder.
In the ingredients and instructions it says: Baking Soda.
Which one is correct ?? Please and Thank You.
Hi Barb. The recipe is correct…you should use baking soda. Will update the text under the photo. Thank you so much for catching this and alerting us!
Thanks !!! Looking forward to making this soon.
I pray you all have a blessed weekend.
Been wanting this recipe forever. Thanks !!! I will have to buy this popcorn then try to duplicate it just like this. I’m not sure what a gentle boil is. I’m not sure if that is just around the edges or a more rolling boil , like in the picture. Not sure what to do if it’s not cooked enough ? Don’t want to make a sticky mess. Looking forward to the finished Candied Popcorn. It’s one of my favorites. Praying for good results.
Cane out awesome 👌, my children said that it was bussin!!! Will make again.