Making the World's Best Popcorn with Oil, Salt, Cinnamon and Sugar

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of fancy popcorn toppings. I'm not the sort to drench my popcorn in garlic, pepper or seasoned salt. For a while, I picked up a trend that I experienced in European movie theaters, which often implement sugar instead of salt for flavoring. But after a few months, even that wore off. Just plain butter and plain salt for me, thank you very much. So when a friend of mine told me about this unusual topping, I certainly didn't believe that it was truly the "World's Best Popcorn." How could it be when I loved my regular flavoring so very much?

I don't know what convinced me to give it a try, but I did - and I was an instant convert. So if you're not an adventurous popcorn eater, if you don't like sweet toppings, or if you think you already know the world's best popcorn topping, I challenge you to try this method just once, and to see if you are as swept away by its deliciousness as I was. Here we go.

Step 1: Make Your Normal Unflavored Popcorn
I prefer to use my air popper to make fluffy, delicious popcorn without any added calories from oil or butter, but you could also pop your corn in a pan or buy unflavored microwave popcorn. My favorite popping corn is a special blend from an Almish Farmer's Market that is low on aggravating kernel shards, but as long as you're happy with your regular popcorn, this step is easy.

Step 2: Prepare the Oil
This is the first secret to creating the World's Best Popcorn is... are you ready?... olive oil. I'm not a huge fan of olive oil, so I mix it half-and-half with margarine. Butter separates too easily when heated, I've found. If you love olive oil, feel free to skip the margarine. Olive oil is a heart-healthy fat and is the key to creating a really healthy popcorn topping. It also adds a special flavor that really complements the taste of the corn. So at this point, melt the margarine (if you're using it) and heat the olive oil.

Step 3: Cover the Popcorn with the Oil
I think it's important to start with the oil instead of the seasonings. This prevents the seasonings from falling through the kernels and ending up in a tasty but useless heap on the bottom of your bowl.