Christmas Crunch {White Chocolate Popcorn}
User Reviews
5
Christmas Crunch {White Chocolate Popcorn}
Description
This recipe starts with freshly popped popcorn, mixed with broken pretzel pieces and colorful red and green M&Ms to balance sweet and salty flavors. The popcorn mixture is coated twice with melted vanilla candy melts to ensure an even, creamy white chocolate coating that binds the ingredients together. Sprinkles are added while the coating is still soft to give a festive appearance and additional texture.
The process of drizzling the white chocolate in two parts rather than all at once helps evenly coat the popcorn clusters without over-mixing and losing the colorful candy and pretzel visibility. Once cooled on wax paper, the coated popcorn breaks into crunchy clusters that combine the light crispness of popcorn with the sweet vanilla flavor, salty pretzels, and candy sweetness.
This treat can fill party favor bags for gifting or be enjoyed as a holiday snack. The popcorn is best stored in an airtight container to keep its crunch. Using a popcorn popper or the microwave method both work for the base popcorn.
If preferred, set aside some M&Ms and pretzels to sprinkle on top after coating for more visible candy pieces. The recipe yields approximately 16 to 17 cups of popped popcorn coated and ready to break into pieces.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (104g) popcorn kernels
- 1 (12 oz) bag Vanilla candy melts (such as Wilton Candy Melts)
- 1 1/2 cups (75g) pretzel broken pieces or baby pretzels
- 1 (10 oz) bag** M&Ms green and red Milk Chocolate or Mint
- Sprinkles Christmas
Instructions
- Pop popcorn in a popcorn popper into a large bowl (or alternately in the microwave if using microwave bags of popcorn) according to manufactures directions. Remove any unpopped popcorn kernels. Toss in broken pretzel pieces and M&Ms***.
- Melt Vanilla Candy Melts in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Drizzle half of melted chips over popcorn mixture, then stir, tossing gently a few times with a rubber spatula.
- Then drizzle remaining half of melted chips over popcorn, and gently stir mixture until evenly coated (don't over stir though or your sprinkles wont stick if the white chips begin to set and harden).
- Pour mixture into a single layer onto wax paper. Sprinkle entire mixture evenly with sprinkles (as many as you'd like) before vanilla chips set. Allow to cool and harden, then gently break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Popcorn yield from 1/2 cup kernels produces about 16 to 17 cups of popped popcorn.
- If you do not have a popcorn popper, microwave brown paper bag popcorn is an alternative method.
- Using white candy melts such as Wilton Vanilla Candy Melts provides the desired coating texture and flavor.
- For more visible M&Ms and pretzels, set aside about a quarter of each before coating and sprinkle them on top with the sprinkles.
- The finished mixture fills about 8 to 9 party treat bags (1/2 cup size) when divided.
- Store the popcorn crunch in an airtight container to maintain freshness and crunch.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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