Birthday Cake Batter Popcorn

Hi, friends! I apologize for the sporadic posting as of late. Things have been a little wacky, schedule-wise, which always happens around this time of year. However, you've caught me on a special day during one of my absolute favorite weeks of the year (which would be Baseball's Season Opener Week!).

Today just so happens to be my birthday!

That's right, I'm a 4/4 birthday girl, and today marks my 27th year on Earth. It also marks the first birthday I can remember just feeling kind of "meh" about. I've always been crazy about birthdays, making a huge deal about mine and others'. When I was younger, I had birthday party sleepovers every year that I'd also go all-out for and get so psyched up about that I would almost always end up being the first girl to crash into her sleeping bag. Since then, I've always gotten super excited every time April 4th comes around. 

Until this year. I'm not sure if it's because it falls on a Wednesday, or that 27 is just kind of a ho-hum age, or what the deal is! I will say, however, that I've been super-happy all morning and so appreciative every time my phone blows up with texts, calls, Facebook and Twitter messages. They really make a gal feel special.

On that note, I threw together a quick birthday treat to pep me up and share with my coworkers that is very appropriate for today's occasion: Birthday Cake Batter Popcorn! If you're a salty-sweet snack lover that can't resist anything with sprinkles (much like me), you'll go gaga over this super-easy, super-addictive treat.

This stuff definitely helped me get more excited about turning 27!

I found this wonderful concoction over on one of my go-to blogs for all things tasty just a week or so ago. How perfect!, I thought. Who wouldn't want to combine two of the greatest treats ever: popcorn and birthday cake? Especially if it all comes together in 15 minutes.

All it takes is a little white chocolate...

All melted up. Then, just to make sure you won't mistake this snack with health food, add in a little vegetable shortening for good measure.

If that wouldn't already be perfect enough, you add actual yellow cake mix to the mix.

Finally, you spread out the popcorn (I just bought a big bag from the grocery store, but you can pop your own if you've got five extra minutes to spare), and drizzle the beautiful white-chocolate/cake-batter mix on top. Then, toss is all up to ensure even coating, and add LOADS of rainbow sprinkles on top.

Remember: It's not birthday-cake themed if you don't cover it in sprinkles.

Finally, let the batter harden up a bit, break up the large chunks (or, in my case, eat those large chunks before anyone else can get to them...), and enjoy!

But I'm warning you: this treat won't last more than a day. Or maybe just a few hours....

This snack turned my birthday blahs into birthday cheer right away! And I hope it does the same for you!

Birthday Cake Batter Popcorn

(adapted from Eat, Live Run)

Ingredients:

One bag popcorn 

1 1/2 cups white chocolate

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup yellow cake mix

Rainbow sprinkles!

Directions:

1. Melt white chocolate in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each 30 seconds.

2. Stir in vegetable shortening until nice and smooth.

3. Add cake mix a little bit at a time until thick and smooth.

4. Drizzle white-chocolate mixture over popcorn, spread out on a large baking sheet.

5. Toss coated popcorn until even distributed.

6. Sprinkle on rainbow sprinkles to your heart's delight!

7. Let the drizzle harden, then break up large chunks and enjoy!