Chocolate Popcorn begins with regular popcorn, mixed with brown-sugar caramel and coated in three types of chocolate. We toss in miniature marshmallows and malt balls to add even more flavor and texture to this delicious snack mix.
PREP: Assemble all the ingredients. Line an extra-large (15x21-inch) or two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Pour popcorn into a very large bowl — big enough to mix with other ingredients without spilling. Remove any unpopped kernels. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. (Note 1)
CARAMEL SYRUP: In a pot over medium heat, combine butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, fine sea salt, and cream of tartar (optional, but it prevents crystallization). Stir until the butter melts, then bring to a boil. Let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and mix in baking soda and vanilla extract—be careful as the mixture might sputter and will foam up. Quickly pour it over the popcorn in the bowl, avoiding the edges where caramel hardens. Toss with a wooden spoon to evenly coat the popcorn with caramel.
BAKE: Spread coated popcorn on the prepared cookie sheet(s) in one even layer. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes and rotating the pans from top rack to bottom rack. Remove pans and allow to completely cool.
ADDMARSHMALLOWS: Once popcorn is completely cooled, add it back to that very large bowl used earlier. Add in the miniature marshmallows and stir.
WHITE CHOCOLATE: Melt 2 and 1/2 cups (450g) of white chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring for 15 seconds between each, until smooth. Pour melted chocolate over the popcorn and marshmallow mixture and stir quickly to coat evenly. Spread white-chocolate-coated popcorn back onto the lined sheet pans.
DARK AND MILK CHOCOLATE: Melt dark chocolate chips with 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil and drizzle over the popcorn. For easy application, use a small plastic bag, snip off the tip, and pipe the chocolate. Repeat process with milk chocolate chips. Quickly, before chocolate hardens, sprinkle Whoppers candies evenly over popcorn.
ENJOY: Let popcorn harden at room temperature, about 1 hour, and then slightly break up and put in a large bowl. Enjoy!
STORAGE: To store Chocolate Popcorn, use an airtight container like Mason jars or Weck® mold jars. Keep it in a cool, dry place for up to a week. It's best enjoyed within two days due to the marshmallows. Avoid freezing, as the marshmallows harden and the popcorn loses its texture when thawed.
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Notes
Note 1: Purchasing already popped popcorn makes this recipe come together a lot quicker and easier, but is a bit pricier. If you'd rather make your own, here's what we use. Be sure to use PLAIN popcorn. Whatever popcorn you opt to purchase, check the ingredients to make sure the only ingredients being added to the popcorn are oil and salt. Purchasing a flavored or buttered popcorn will make this popcorn taste funny. Before measuring, be sure to pick out any unpopped kernels. Note 2: Not all salts are the same. If using table salt you'll want a lot less (1/8 teaspoon or less). If the popcorn you're using is overly salted, you may want to slightly reduce the salt addition.