Homemade Gourmet Popcorn

On Friday I shared Greyson’s 36 Random Acts of Love with all of you. Today I am back sharing the secret behind making homemade gourmet popcorn! It is so easy, but it is the difference between making the claim “gourmet” and just making popcorn with chocolate on it.

So here we go:

Step 1: Pop some popcorn and then lay it on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Spread the popcorn out so it is not all piled up on itself. If you notice any un-popped kernels get ’em out of there.

Step 2: Grab your chocolate candy melts toss them into a bowl and following the directions on the package to melt them.

I like to use two different colors. This time I chose red and pink for Valentines day.

Step 3:

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the popcorn. I just dip a fork into the chocolate and then move my wrist in a circular motion all over the popcorn. There is no wrong way to do this!

Step 4:

Sprinkle on your toppings. I just used Valentines Day themed M&M’s but you can really use anything! I think peanuts, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter M&M’s crushed cookies would all be delicious!

Now you just wait a few minutes until the chocolate hardens. If you use the candy melts it literally takes less than 2 minutes. If you use chocolate chips it will take a little while longer to harden. DO NOT put it in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening process!! The condensation from the refrigerator will just end up giving you wet mushy popcorn. YUCK!

Step 5: THIS IS THE SPECIAL STEP!! A lot of people stop at step 4, but not me. Not the Butlers! Once the chocolate has hardened (step 4) take your hands and “fluff” the popcorn. Pretty much just mix it gently, flipping the pieces over.

Step 6: Do another coat / drizzle /pour of your chocolate! And add a few more pieces of your toppings. Let the chocolate harden, and then enjoy!!

Adding the extra layer of chocolate really takes this up a notch. It not only looks better, but it tastes better too. It pretty much ensures every piece of popcorn has some chocolate on it. It also helps with making some of the pieces stick together. I am not sure about you, but my favorite is when you think you are getting  a piece of popcorn but get about 5 all stuck together. Delicious!

Here is a side by side of the popcorn as it undergoes it yummy transition.

1                                              2                                                   3                                    4

Then just toss into a bowl and enjoy!!

Or you can put them in a pretty package and share them with the world.