It’s no secret to those who know me that I have an unhealthy relationship with popcorn–unhealthy in that I find myself giving in to popcorn cravings on a more-than-regular basis (think multiple times each week and sometimes more than once in a day), and then once I begin eating it, I don’t know when to stop. To be perfectly honest, I actually do know when I’ve had too much popcorn, but I keep eating it anyway until I feel as though I’ll burst if I eat just one more teensy-weensy kernel….
I can’t help myself. It’s just so good!
I’ve tried fighting my popcorn cravings in the past only to realize that it leads to me eating a ton of other (less healthy) foods in an attempt to curb my cravings. And, true to my addiction, I almost always end up eating popcorn in the end anyway (because nothing else can compare to what I’m really craving). So, should I keep trying to abstain from popcorn and discontentedly consume everything else in sight? Or, should I just accept that life without popcorn is simply not worth living and choose to ignore my friends and family members when they gawk at me and remark, “you’re eating popcorn again?!”?
If you hadn’t already noticed from the title of this post, I chose the latter. In fact, I chose to flaunt my obsession and take popcorn to a whole new level by combining it with another amazing and equally addictive food: chocolate.
Last week in my Share the Love post, I shared Lou from Fridgescraping’s delicious Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Bars. I love Lou’s recipe and was instantly inspired by her idea. With her yummy flavor combo in mind, I set out to make my own gourmet-style popcorn treat.
It didn’t take me long to get a recipe I loved, but then how can you go wrong when you combine popcorn with chocolate, caramel, and chopped almonds? Honestly, there are no words to describe how wonderfully tasty this popcorn is. I made a batch the other night and begrudgingly shared some with my stepson (I know it sounds so mean, but I’m terrible when it comes to sharing food). I then saved the little bit we had left over in the fridge for a mid-afternoon snack the next day. I will say, this popcorn is best when it’s fresh and it’s quite filling, so feel free to half the recipe…
Just don’t be upset when you’ve eaten all the popcorn and desperately want more. You’ve been warned.
- ½ cup popcorn kernels, popped (I use my old-fashioned air popper)
- ⅔ cup cacao butter
- 3 Tbs. cacao powder
- 12-15 drops liquid stevia (depending on your desired sweetness)
- pinch sea salt
- 1 Tbs. almond butter
- 2 tsp. lucuma powder
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp. cinnamon
- 12-15 drops liquid stevia
- a couple Tbs. chopped almonds for topping (optional)
- In a double boiler or in a bowl set into hot (not boiling) water, melt the cacao butter.
- While the cacao butter is melting, pop your popcorn. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the popped popcorn out evenly over the parchment. Set aside.
- Divide the melted cacao butter evenly between two separate bowls*. Combine the cacao powder, stevia, and a pinch of sea salt in one of the bowls, stirring until everything is even. Taste and adjust the ingredients as necessary to suit your taste buds. Pour the chocolate topping over the popcorn and mix the popcorn with your hands or a spatula to ensure that all of the popcorn is coated. Quickly place the pan in the freezer to allow the topping to harden while you prepare the caramel topping.
- Be sure to keep the second bowl of cacao butter warm and melted. Add the almond butter, lucuma powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and stevia to the melted cacao butter and whisk everything together until evenly combined. Remove the sheet of popcorn from the freezer, quickly drizzle the caramel topping on the popcorn, top with chopped almonds (optional), and return to the freezer to allow the coating to harden.
- When the topping has set (this will only take about 5 minutes), remove the popcorn from the freezer and break into chunks and pieces.
- Serve and enjoy!
Original article: Chocolate Caramel Popcorn–A vegan and gluten-free treat!
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Original article: Chocolate Caramel Popcorn–A vegan and gluten-free treat!.