Covered in chocolate and caramel and loaded with crunchy peanuts, this addicting caramel popcorn is definitely the ultimate holiday snack!
Uh-huh. I so did this, guys.
I’m gonna state it right here and now: If you are on ANY kind of diet, I would suggest closing this window RIGHT now. Before the caramel popcorn-yum sucks you in.
Oh, you’re still here? It must be too late for you. OR you know good stuff when you see it. By all means keep reading.
Don’t mind me. I’m just face-shoveling over here in my corner. closet.
Although, I think any minute now someone is gonna find me. Caramel popcorn isn’t the stealthiest thing I could choose to be eating right now.
Crunch, crunch, CRUNCH.
Okay, scratch all of what was said above. I do NOT steal all the caramel popcorn and then hide in closets to stuff my face.
That would be….just selfish and sneaky of me. And y’all know that I am super-generous in the sweets-department.
*cricket cricket*
Ooookay…awkward. Movin’ on here…
P.S. I’m baaaack from 3 glorious days of vacation at an (indoor!!) waterpark resort in the Wisconsin Dells with family.
And back to reality. *sob*
Seriously though, my family is the best and I had the BEST time with them! Yes, including my 7 nieces and nephews that have Aunt Sarah pretty much completely wrapped around their little fingers. 😉
I took along a few bags of this popcorn (plus a double-batch of these dangerous cookies) to the Dells with us, and seriously, the way people stuffed their faces, you’d have thought they’d been raised by wolves. My grandpa, who is a BIG caramel-popcorn fan (I must get that from him) even told me that I could have his dinner one night, because he was perfectly content to just have this popcorn.
I like the way he thinks. It just….makes such perfect sense. 😀
So I think it’s safe to say that I am a total snack-addict. Even more so in the caramel popcorn department.
Maybe a few months ago I would have been perfectly content with just my caramel-covered popcorn. But now? No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. My caramel has to be covered with chocolate. A double-layer of happiness all over my popcorn, if you will.
I mean, caramel popcorn is amazing on it’s own and all, but let’s be honest: It’s kinda ho-hum and Plain Jane. Let’s shake up otherwise boring caramel popcorn shall we? In the butt-kickin’ chocolate-y direction.
Oh, and peanuts too. Because we all know that: Peanuts + Chocolate + Caramel = The best kinda heaven.
Enter, Chocolate-Covered Peanut Caramel Popcorn.
And never leave my life. Or my hands which keep reaching back into that bowl for “just one more handful.”
Isn’t it strange how “oh, I’ll just have a handful” turns into 2 million handfuls?
I’ll be completely honest here: This caramel popcorn is definitely NOT diet food. It’s got a wholeeee ‘lotta butter in it, and it’s drizzled with all the chocolate…. but c’mon guys, we gotta live a little sometime!
This is really just your basic caramel popcorn recipe that nearly EVERYONE I know has. Caramel sauce goes on top of popcorn, peanuts get thrown into the mix (I used salted) it’s baked up, stirring occasionally until perfectly golden.
And then…..(here comes my twist) THE GAME-CHANGER.
Melted semisweet chocolate is drizzle to perfect-o over that lovely golden caramel popcorn.
And somehow your face ends up in the pan immediately following…
I know, I know it’s so hard to wait. But puh-LEAZE wait at least an hour before digging into this popcorn. As it cools the popcorn will harden up and become perfectly-perfect crunchy and crispy.
THEN you can go nuts with the faceplanting.
I seriously have ZE-RO self-control around this popcorn. I swear, as I was putting it in plastic bags it was whispering to me: Eat me, eat me, EAT ME!
I wish I was one of those people who could say no, but sadly I’m not.
Right, that’s sad.
If you can bear to part with this caramel popcorn, it seriously makes the BEST gift, but I would advise attaching the recipe along with it.
Otherwise, well….you’re probably gonna end up physically forced to make it again.
P.S. I sincerely apologize for the insane amount of photos in this post. Clearly, I could not get enough of this popcorn. 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Caramel Popcorn
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 cup popcorn kernels popped with an air popper
- 2 cups unsalted peanuts
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine popped popcorn and peanuts. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Bring butter and honey to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until caramel is thickened and golden. Remove from heat and whisk in cream, salt and vanilla.
- Pour warm caramel sauce over popcorn-peanut mixture and stir until evenly coated. Divide popcorn mixture between prepared baking sheets. Bake caramel popcorn at 325F 20-25 minutes until golden, stirring once.
- In a double-boiler, melt chocolate chips and oil until smooth. Drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn. Allow popcorn to harden and cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, break popcorn apart and store.
Notes
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