Chocolate Coated Popcorn

Are you ready for another easy treat? Great for neighbor gifts? Or for eating with your family? Or for eating locked in your bathroom?

Here is one of my absolute favorites. Chocolate coated popcorn.

I typically think white chocolate is not a food that should be eaten, except when it’s coating something else. Like pretzels or  especially popcorn. Then I think it is worthy, oh so worthy.

First we need some popcorn.

If you are feeling really adventurous and want your popcorn to look like the stuff you see in stores, then you need to get something called mushroom popcorn.

Mushroom popcorn pops bigger and is less fragile and prone to breaking when it’s stirred.

The popcorn on the left is mushroom popcorn kernels, the one on the right is regular popcorn kernels. Notice how the mushroom popcorn kernels are larger. And look at the result of the popped kernels. The mushroom kernels produce popcorn that is more round in shape with less jaggedy pieces.

Of course mushroom popcorn isn’t required, it will just make a prettier end product. You can get mushroom popcorn at this little store called Amazon. Ever heard of it?

It’s best to pop your popcorn in an air popper. We are going to use 1/2 cup of kernels.

Put the popped corn a large bowl.

Now we are going to melt the chocolate. I used something called vanilla apeels. They are little discs of white chocolate. You can use white chocolate chips or dipping chocolate. If you get a chocolate with a fat in the ingredients other that cocoa butter, then you  won’t need to temper the chocolate. Which is a bonus for this type of recipe.

Melt 1 1/2 cups chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at a time. Stir well in between microwaving. Heat just until it’s melted, then stop so that you don’t scorch the chocolate.  You could color this chocolate, but I like it white.

Drizzle this chocolate over the popped popcorn in the large bowl. Then carefully stir until it coats all of the popcorn.

You almost can’t tell there is chocolate on the popcorn. It’s a fun little surprise.

Let it dry for a few minutes.

Now spread the chocolate coated popcorn in one layer on a baking sheet.

The next step is optional, but it makes a prettier popcorn.

Melt an additional 1 cup of chocolate as before in the microwave. This batch will get colored.

Make sure you use an oil based food coloring. Otherwise your chocolate may seize (get gloppy and hardish) and the color won’t blend well. You can either do one color, or split up the chocolate and make two colors for a very festive popcorn.

 

Drizzle the colored chocolate in a fine stream all over the pan of coated popcorn. Try to hit all the kernels.

Let this dry until it is hardened (which only takes a few minutes, especially when it’s chilly.)

Break apart. Package or eat 😉

Recipe source: Orson Gygi