Washington County Weekend Post e-edition
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1302577
By Karen Stokes Special to Conley Media A simple and well-loved snack, popcorn is a multi- sensory experience. It smells great and it tastes good - real- ly good. Laughing Mountain Gourmet Popcorn in West Bend sells a variety of gourmet popcorn, including a freshly made caramel corn that owners Nancy and Mark Laufenberg said was from a recipe that has been in their family for four generations. Nancy and Mark first thought of the idea for the store in 2014, a couple of days after Christmas while they were eating a bag of Garrett's popcorn someone gave them from Chicago. "My husband said he thought our caramel corn was better than this and that's when he got to think- ing," Laufenberg said. "By January we were investigat- ing commercial equipment and we opened the store in June 2015. Located in downtown West Bend at 148 N. Main St., Laughing Mountain Gourmet Popcorn has an interesting name. Laughing Mountain is a German transliteration of Nancy and Mark's last name Laufen- berg. At Laughing Mountain you can choose from a vari- ety of flavors with favorite sweet or savory options including caramel corn with dark chocolate drizzle, pecan turtle, cheddar cheese or Mountain mix (caramel and cheese). With such a variety, Laufenberg explained that some of their flavors are inspired by restaurant menus or items on the gro- cery shelf. "There was a Cocoa Mayan Spiced tea that was the inspiration for our Mayan Spiced Caramel seasonal flavor we do in the fall and that's cocoa and some warm spices and cayenne pepper for a little heat," Laufenberg said. Another flavor came to Laufenberg in the middle of the night. "The party animal flavor, it's bright pink and purple chocolate coated popcorn with circus animal cookies in it with sprinkles," Laufen- berg said. "I was thinking about those cookies and how much I loved them as a kid. It's really popular. When a family comes in with a little girl it's almost guaranteed that they're going home with a bag." It's not just about pop- corn at Laughing Mountain, yes they have available a variety of seeds, popcorn popping supplies for the home, bowls and gift baskets but you can also find a line of gourmet chocolates, amaz- ing cotton candy and Italian sodas. Visit the store or order popcorn online at laughing mountainpopcorn.com or call 262-429-1070. Store hours are: Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday. "Here is one of our family favorites because it's beautiful along with being delicious! I've served it over the years on Christmas and Valentine's Day," said Laufenberg. 6A • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 GMTODAY.COM PIZZA MONTH OCTOBER IS NATIONA L Laughing Mountain keeps things popping in West Bend Gourmet popcorn shop started with family recipe Submitted by Nancy Laufenberg Mark and Nancy Laufenberg, owners of Laughing Mountain Gourmet Popcorn. Submitted by Nancy Laufenberg In June of 2015, a beautifully renovated retail store in the historic downtown of West Bend provided the perfect place for Laughing Mountain Gourmet Popcorn. RASPBERRY COCONUT BARS 1 2/3 c. graham cracker crumbs 1/2 c. butter, melted 2 2/3 c. flaked coconut 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 c. seedless raspberry preserves 1/3 c. chopped walnuts, toasted 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 vanilla chips Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, then press into 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle coconut on top. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over that. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely on rack. Spread raspberry preserves over the top (after baking). Sprinkle with walnuts. Melt chocolate chips in 30 sec- ond increments in the microwave and drizzle over the top. Repeat with vanilla chips. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars. GUINNESS BROWNIES WITH IRISH WHIPPED CREAM by Chris Koetke Ingredients: 4 eggs 3/4 cup sugar 8 oz semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped 4 oz white chocolate, chopped 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1 1/4 cup Guinness Stout Beer Irish Coffee Whipped Cream (see recipe below) Additional Irish whiskey Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 9x13 baking pan with addi- tional butter. Place dark and white chocolates in a stain- less steel bowl. Place bowl over a pot of boiling water. Stir periodically until the chocolate is melted. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine eggs and sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add melted chocolate to the egg mixture. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Add this mixture to the chocolate/egg mixture. Add Guinness to the batter and continue to mix thoroughly. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the oven for 20-25 min. or until a skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out almost clean. Remove from the oven and let cool. To serve, cut into 12-15 squares. Sprinkle a bit of addi- tional Irish whiskey on top of each square. Top with Irish Coffee Whipped Cream and serve immediately. IRISH COFFEE WHIPPED CREAM 15 min. prep Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream 2 tbsp Irish Whiskey 2 tsp instant coffee 1/3 cup powdered sugar Directions: Stir together whiskey and instant coffee until the coffee is dissolved. Whip cream until it starts to form peaks. Add powder sugar. Whisk until firm peaks. Stir in the whiskey/coffee mixture. Recipe reprinted from October 18, 2020 publication due to printing error