Can you believe Christmas is less than a week away? I always feel like I have too much to do and never enough hours in the day around this time of the year! But, as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that a lot of the stress and pressure is only that which I place on myself, and that what my kids will really remember are the experiences that we shared and the feelings they felt as we enjoyed this magical holiday season. Spending quality time together as a family has always been important to me and I love that sometimes, it can be as easy as just having a low-key night in with a movie and a bowl of popcorn!
A few weeks ago, I decided to recreate one of my favorite treats that I remember enjoying as a child. I still remember the box of Moose Munch that we received one year and how I ended up eating an entire popcorn bag in one sitting! The combination of rich dark chocolate combined with the crunch of savory nuts and sweet buttery taste popcorn made for a snack that I knew I wanted to recreate for my family to try. Thankfully, this recipe turned out much easier than I thought and is an incredibly delicious treat that has quickly become a new favorite in our household (I even made a batch for a potluck last week and have never had so many recipe requests!). It’s the perfect snack for everyone to share!
Dark Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Moose Munch
Ingredients:
- 1 bag Pop Secret microwave popcorn (I picked up the butter flavor at my local Walmart)
- 1.5 cups unsalted mixed nuts (I used pecans, almonds, cashews)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp shortening
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 250F
- Pop popcorn in microwave and spread evenly with nuts on a large cookie sheet.
- In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes until sauce is well integrated.
- Remove pan from heat. Mix in baking soda.
- Let mixture cool slightly. Pour warm mixture over popcorn / nut spread and mix so that popcorn is evenly coated with caramel topping.
- Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and transfer gently to wax or parchment paper to cool.
- In large saucepan, melt chocolate chips with shortening on low heat. Make sure to stir continuously to prevent chocolate from melting. Adjust shortening as needed so that chocolate has be drizzled easily.
- Using a fork or spoon, drizzle melted chocolate mixture over the popcorn.
- Once popcorn is cooIed (about 3-4 hours), break into bite-size pieces and enjoy!
How can you say no to that ooey, gooey chocolate?? While I found it easiest to drizzle using a spoon, you can alternatively pour the chocolate into a plastic bag, cut open a small corner, and squeeze it that way onto the popcorn. Be sure to clean your saucepan of the melted chocolate as it will harden and become difficult to clean!
This dark chocolate caramel popcorn treat is seriously addicting and it’s a wonderful snack for the whole family to enjoy. I love sitting down with a bowl of popcorn whenever I’m watching a movie and I’m excited for a little downtime so that we can check out some of the latest releases at the theater. The Assassin’s Creed movie is launching in a couple days on December 21 and I just love hitting the theaters for a fun night out!
Buy 2 Pop-Secret 10 ct or 10+2 ct bonus packs at Walmart between 12/7/16 – 1/8/17 and get an $8 credit toward a ticket to the Assassin’s Creed movie while supplies last.
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
amy says
This looks so good! TFS!
Sarah Bell says
This looks so delicious! What a fun treat for a night of holiday movies 🙂 Thanks for hosting the link up and happy holidays!
Sarah Bell
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