Chocolate Covered Popcorn
Chocolate Covered Popcorn (aka Hot Chocolate Popcorn) is popcorn drizzled with chocolate then tossed with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. It’s one of the easiest recipes you can make with 4 ingredients. Snack on it while watching tv or wrap inside a coffee mug as a thoughtful homemade gift.
Chocolate covered popcorn is nothing new to me.
I remember when my childhood friend introduced me to it, telling me how her aunt came up with this recipe and we just had to try it.
Of course we were impatient and ended up eating the popcorn before the chocolate hardened, making a mess of our hands and faces.
I’ve also been known to mix in a handful of mini marshmallows with just-popped microwave popcorn. No chocolate; just buttered popcorn and marshmallows.
Sometimes I even throw in M&Ms like I did with my Halloween popcorn and Christmas popcorn.
Seriously – if you haven’t tried sweet and salty popcorn before, you’re totally missing out.
Back when I worked in an office with coworkers, I made chocolate drizzled popcorn as a last minute, affordable gift.
All you have to do is melt chocolate, mix together popcorn and marshmallows, then boom – instant snack gift.
I like to call it hot chocolate popcorn because you often drink thick hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.
That’s what got me thinking to wrap it up in cute treat bags, stick in festive holiday mugs, and give as the most thoughtful homemade winter gift ever.
You can also keep your chocolate drizzled popcorn for yourself to eat while watching your favorite tv show.
Ingredients For Chocolate Covered Popcorn
Making your chocolate covered popcorn recipe only needs 4 ingredients:
- Popcorn: Whether you make stovetop popcorn or use microwave popcorn, make sure it’s generously salted as it’ll balance the sugar.
- Mini marshmallows: Tastes great with the chocolate.
- Baking chocolate: Use semisweet or dark chocolate that’s ideal for melting.
- Sprinkles: The easiest way to add some festive color for any holiday
How To Make Chocolate Covered Popcorn
Before you start making your candy corn popcorn, have everything measured and ready to go as you’ll want to mix everything together while the chocolate is still hot:
- Melt the chocolate then drizzle half onto parchment paper.
- Add popcorn and marshmallows on top, gently pressing them into the chocolate so they’ll stick.
- Drizzle the remaining chocolate on top then add sprinkles.
- Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Break it into bite-sized pieces then serve.
Chocolate Covered Popcorn FAQ
It’s best eaten the same day it’s made, but you can store it at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can refrigerate it if the chocolate starts to melt but the popcorn may lose its freshness faster.
If you’re giving chocolate popcorn as gifts, you can make them 1 day ahead of time. That way it’s still fresh for your recipient.
To avoid clumping, chop the chocolate into small, uniform pieces and stir often while melting.
More Popcorn Recipes
Looking for more popcorn ideas? Or perhaps you want a different flavor to give away? Check out these easy popcorn recipes:
Chocolate Covered Popcorn
Chocolate Covered Popcorn (aka Hot Chocolate Popcorn) is popcorn drizzled with chocolate then tossed with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. It’s one of the easiest recipes you can make with 4 ingredients. Snack on it while watching tv or wrap inside a coffee mug as a thoughtful homemade gift.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 cups salted popcorn (learn how to make stovetop popcorn here)
- 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a medium pan with about an inch of water then bring to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat all the way down to low.
- Add chocolate to a heatproof bowl larger than your pan then place over the water (the bowl should not be touching the water - the steam will melt the chocolate). Stir with a rubber spatula until completely melted.
- Drizzle half of the chocolate onto the parchment paper. Add the popcorn and marshmallows in a single layer, gently pressing into the chocolate.
- Drizzle the remaining chocolate on top then add sprinkles. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Break it into bite-sized pieces then serve.
Popcorn is best eaten the day it's made but can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can refrigerate if the chocolate starts to melt but popcorn may lose its freshness faster.
To make popcorn on the stove:
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a Dutch oven or similar wide pot. Add 2 tablespoons unpopped kernels and shake the pan until coated.
- Turn on the heat. Shake the pan every so often so the kernels move around a bit. Once you hear popping, add a lid.
- Turn the heat down to low while the kernels finish popping. Once the sound stops, turn off the heat and let it sit 1 minute for any late poppers.
- Transfer popcorn to a large bowl, removing any unpopped or hard to eat pieces. Add a generous amount of salt and toss to coat.
Notes
- For more popcorn recipes, check out Christmas Popcorn, Halloween Popcorn, and Peanut Butter Popcorn.
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First published December 3, 2013
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Hello perfect munchies! This looks so tasty and festive, Carla. PINNED!
uhhhh yah. Pretty much. Yah.
Great gift? check.
delicious beyond all reason?? DOUBLE CHECK!
I love dumping my m&m’s in my movie theatre popcorn. So yeah, chocolate + popcorn = my kind of snack. Also thanks for including my link!
I hadn’t considered adding marshmallows until this post! What a cute idea! I also love the “visually appealing” effect. Sometimes it tastes better if it also looks good haha. The nice thing about this recipe is you could switch out the sprinkles for another occasion…say pink, red and white for valentines!
Taste testing is definitely tough work. I don’t envy you the job ;) In all seriousness, WOW. This is such a fun, easy, delicious idea and your photos are amazing. So so so pretty. I can’t stop staring at these photos!
Does the chocolate actually harden? I always have a problem with melting chocolate and it not hardening correctly? Thanks in advance.
Yes, it does. Not sure why you’d be having problems. If it doesn’t harden fast enough, you can chill it in the fridge to speed up the process. Just make sure you remove it from the fridge once the chocolate hardens.
Is there any reason to temper the chocolate? Do you have to worry about bloom?
You are welcome to temper it, but all I did was melt it in a bowl over simmering water. The key is not overheating it, so once it is just melted, remove it from the heat. You don’t want it to melt and leave it on the heat for another 5 minutes. Otherwise it may seize and/or cause blooming.