Home Kitchen Chocolate Popcorn

Three things happened yesterday:

1. A spider fell from the ceiling right in front of my face. I might have screamed like a crazy person and my daughter might have laughed at me. (like I’m a crazy person. Btw… I completely hate spiders)

2. When I told my 7 year old “Well it sounds like you had good intentions” She looked up at me with a confused face and replied with “I have good intestines?” So I simply said “Yes, yes do… soooo keep eating your vegetables!!!!!”

3. I made chocolate popcorn. With peanuts. Why? It was Jersday! And at 10 o’clock, my phone was on silent, then I poured myself a gigantic glass of wine and settled into my couch with a bowl of this insanely good popcorn and watched the season finale of Jersey Shore. Only so we’re straight… it’s someone at the table who’s a fan. I was only there for moral support. It was the season finale after all. duh.

And in case you haven’t heard… red wine and chocolate go together like Ronnie and Sammy.

For this Chocolate Popcorn Set out:

• coconut oil
• popcorn kernels
• unsalted peanuts
• chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate)
• honey
• real maple syrup
• pure vanilla extract
• kosher salt

To make the popcorn; start out by measuring 1 tablespoon of unrefined coconut oil and adding it to a large pot, not a pan…. pot. Someone at the table tried that once, using a pan. There was more surface area than room for the popcorn… disastrous.

Heat up the oil over medium-high heat. Throw in a single popcorn kernel.

Put a lid on it and wait.

And wait for it to POP!

Once popped, add the remaining 2/3 cup popcorn, it truly depends on the size of your pot. But you want 8 cups of popped popcorn in the end, so if you have a small pot, work in batches.

Once you added the kernels, replace the lid and shake… over the burner until the popping subsides (it could take about 5-8 minutes) and you no longer here kernels rattling when you shake it. Simply be careful not to burn the popcorn!

Remove the lid and you should see handsome, white and fluffy popcorn.

Measure out 8 to 9 cups of popcorn.

What you don’t see… is that I once set that measuring cup on a hot burner. The bottom of it is toast!

Spread on a greased baking sheet.

Sprinkle 1 cup of unsalted peanuts.

Then toss the two around with a spoon and set aside.

Now let’s get going on the chocolate!

Add 1-1/2 cups of chocolate chips into a heavy sauce pan. I ran out of regular semi-sweet chips… so I used some mini chips too. Dark chocolate would be fab also.

Then add in 1/3 cup of honey.

Next add 1/3 cup real maple syrup.

Then add the last 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

Heat the chocolate over medium heat while stirring often.

Then stop when it’s all smooth and completely melted. Add in the 1/4 teaspoon of real vanilla extract.

Then drizzle over the popcorn and peanut mixture.

Next, mix and spread evenly.

And then place into a preheated 300° oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove, stir it around and place back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Again, remove, stir and back in for another 10 minutes (30 minutes total).

Lastly, allow the popcorn to cool completely in the pan, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick. Then season the chocolate popcorn with a desired amount of kosher salt. Popcorn should still be crispy and the chocolate should not be gooey.

FYI I have family members that live a gluten-free and/or dairy free diet, sticking to the coconut oil and substituting the milk chocolate for dark chocolate, makes this snack dependable for them!

Enjoy! And if you give this chocolate popcorn recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!