Peanut Butter and Chocolate Popcorn; what more can be said! It's the perfect dessert. They're a bite size snack that you can pop in your mouth and instantly taste the creamy peanut butter, chocolatey goodness, and get that perfect crunch of savory popcorn.
HOW WE CAME UP WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE POPCORN
This recipe came to us in the height of football season! We were having a huge party and wanted to focus on finger foods (after all, who wants to clean a bunch of silverware?!?) After much debate, we decided to stray away from our classic cupcakes and add an extra dessert to the table; our Peanut Butter and Chocolate Popcorn!
INSPIRED BY THE BEST CHOCOLATE POPCORN
Living in Chicago, you know that we used to be able to just buy the best chocolate popcorn. But since going vegan, that hasn't been an option. Maybe this is an issue for you guys too! So we decided to solve it.
Classic Garrett Popcorn is covered in all sorts of decadent, savory, and sweet toppings. They're super delicious and they always combine flavors to keep your taste buds dancing. That's exactly what we did here!
Yes, you can buy standard chocolate popcorn, but why do that when you can make really easy and unique peanut butter and chocolate popcorn!?!
Can you think of anything more game oriented than popcorn? Nachos, maybe, BBQ, okay, but popcorn and sports are like peanut butter and jelly, a tried and true tradition. However, you don’t have to settle for traditional buttered popcorn, you can get a little fancy with it and take your munchies to a new level of yum.
WHY OUR SWEET POPCORN IS THE BEST
Chocolate covered popcorn with peanut butter, roasted cashews, and coconut is like eating a handful of Peanut Butter Cups and Almond Joy (even though the nuts are different) candy bars... without the artificial ingredients. In fact, this popcorn is probably the healthiest dessert popcorn you can get! After all, it’s made with whole foods and sweetened with maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Take another handful and smile, y’all!
Whether you're planning on watching football, tennis, your kid’s soccer games, or binging on Stranger Things (I'm obsessed) this weekend, you’ll want to have a bowl of this delicious chocolate, peanut butter, cashew, and coconut popcorn to keep you company. The popcorn is air popped, and did you know that if you don’t pop it in oil it’s actually considered a healthy snack? That means that this popcorn recipe starts with a good base and just gets better. The peanut butter and roasted cashews add protein and other nutrients, the coconut adds aminos and more, and the dark chocolate adds antioxidants, you get the picture.
HOW TO MAKE OUR CHOCOLATE POPCORN
Step One:
Grab your favorite type of popcorn- microwavable, stove top kernels, or dare we say an air popper! We love the air popper because of how easy it is and how perfect the popcorn turns out. Should we list out the benefits of an air popper?
- Perfect popcorn every time
- No more burnt popcorn smell (it's happened to us one to many times)
- You don't have to watch over a pot or a microwave while it's poppin'
Want to check out our favorite air popper from our Amazon Affiliate link?
Step Two:
In a small pot bring together the peanut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup! Bring it to a low boil and stir until everything is smooth and incorporated. Then remove from the heat.
Step Three:
Take your food processor and chop up the cashews and coconut flakes until they are about pea sized bites.
Step Four:
Add the chocolate chips, cashews, coconut flakes, and salt to the popcorn.
Step Five:
Pour over that peanut butter mixture and carefully mix in to the popcorn!
Step Six:
Eat the whole bowl of popcorn! Oops, was that just us?
HOW TO STORE THIS POPCORN
Have you ever wondered how to store chocolate popcorn? Well, we're here to tell you that it's super easy and stays fresh for months.... in the freezer! That's right!
So, how exactly do you freeze chocolate popcorn? Just put it right into an airtight container and when you're ready to eat, serve up the amount you want and return your popcorn to the freezer! Popcorn doesn't freeze so you can bite right in!
Just know that the chocolate will be a tad crunchy instead of melty, but we think that's just as delicious!
HOW DO I MAKE CHOCOLATE POPCORN BALLS?
Because this recipe is made with maple syrup, not refined sugar, it takes a little extra effort to get the balls to stick together. Make sure you work with them when the ingredients are warm (not hot, I don’t want you to burn yourself). If they cool off and won’t stick together put the popcorn mixture in a warm oven and heat until it’s warm enough to form a ball and cool enough to handle safely.
NOTES ON DESSERT POPCORN
Whenever you add something in liquid form, such as the melted peanut butter and maple syrup mixture, the popcorn will lose some of its crunch, please take that into consideration before comparing it to store bought flavored popcorn that’s coated with artificial ingredients that make it hard and crunchy. This is better for you and your teeth.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS CHOCOLATE POPCORN
Our favorite way to set out this recipe is as a stand alone dessert or alongside other desserts on a dessert table! You can also serve it as a great party snack!
Dessert Table Pairings:
Black Forest Ice Cream Cake Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Pumpkin Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts
Party Food Pairings:
Popcorn Cauliflower Bites Black Bean Empanadas Vegan Fried Pickles
Do us a favor, we want to show the world that plant-based foods are delicious and exciting. So let's connect and share all of this awesomeness with the world. Hop on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We'd be so grateful if you did. If you like this recipe and can't wait to see what we're going to share next, subscribe to Veganosity. Just fill in the subscription box above our picture in the top right corner of the page. And, Alex and I love hearing from you, please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Popcorn Balls
Ingredients
- ½ cup popcorn seeds – unpopped
- 1 tablespoon and ½ cups of roasted cashews – chopped
- 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes – chopped
- 1 tablespoon heaping cup of natural peanut butter
- ⅔ cup of pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon of ground sea salt
- 2 teaspoons of coconut oil
- 2 cups of dark chocolate chips I use Enjoy Life brand
Instructions
- Pop the corn in an air popper if available, otherwise pop the traditional way. Put the popcorn in a large bowl or a large roasting pan.
- In a small saucepan bring the peanut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup to a low boil and stir until smooth and creamy. Remove from heat.
- Chop the cashews and coconut flakes into large pieces in a food processor or with a knife.
- Add the cashews and coconut flakes, and chocolate chips to the popcorn and pour the peanut butter mixture on top. Add the salt and gently stir the ingredients together until they’re thoroughly combined. Spray the spoon with a thin layer of oil if it sticks.
- If you’re making popcorn balls form the balls and press firmly until they stick together. Spray a thin layer of oil on your hands to prevent sticking. NOTE: Maple syrup doesn’t stick as well as liquefied refined sugar or melted marshmallows so be patient. They will stay together, you just have to work with them. If the mixture becomes too cool to form balls place the popcorn in a warm over (275°) and let it warm up until you can form the balls but it’s not too hot to handle.
- Let the popcorn and/or balls sit out for a few hours to harden. Store in an airtight container for up to three days. I prefer to refrigerate mine just to be safe.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Lucie @WIN-WIN FOOD says
Oh. My. Gosh. This looks incredible. Just one question: how do I not eat the whole batch in one sitting? 😀
Linda Meyer says
Haha! That's a real problem. Thanks, Lucie!
Platt College says
I love flavored popcorn, especially chocolate. When I was a kid I would melt it in a pot and put it over the popcorn but the water in the chocolate would shrivel the popcorn.
Linda Meyer says
It's so good! The popcorn does lose a bit of it's crunch because of the moisture, but I can deal with that because I know that it's all natural, and, it tastes amazing. 🙂
nicoleanndawson says
Definitely a college football fan and looking forward to trying a nut-free version of these. I'll let you know how those turn out.
Linda Meyer says
Nut free works too! Let me know what you think, Nicole. 🙂
Hauke Fox says
Oh dear, this is next-level popcorn! Now I just need a really good movie for this evening. Can you recommend one? 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Howie! No movie, but I'm obsessed with Stranger Things and The Night Of series. 🙂
Tazim says
What a delicious combination! And it looks really easy to make. 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Tazim! Yes, so easy to make. 🙂
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
And I thought popcorn was good before...whoa does this look perfect! I'm totally out of the loop on all things sports and teams, but with a good movie (or more likely some good netflix, let's be honest) I know I could munch through a big delicious bowl of this popcorn 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Natalie! This would be perfect with movie, or binge watching a good series. 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
I adore popcorn and this looks like such a fun snack, thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! 🙂
Jac -Tinned Tomatoes (@tinnedtoms) says
I've not had popcorn in such a long time. You've made me totally crave it. I love your toppings.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! I hope you make some this weekend. 🙂
Strength and Sunshine says
Ah cashew and coconut too! This is some serious snaking!
Linda Meyer says
LOL! I'm pretty sure you meant "snacking." It took me a minute, I thought it was another generation gap comment that I wasn't getting. 🙂 Thanks, Rebecca!
Jenn says
I will take a large mixing bowl full please!! This is my kind of snack!!
Linda Meyer says
Hahaha! Yes, it was hard not to eat the entire bowl by myself. Thanks, Jenn!