Reindeer Munchies

Reindeer Munchies – Reindeer munchies are comprised of caramel popcorn that’s drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with toffee bits. It’s such fun to nibble on during the Christmas season. Actually, the appeal lasts far beyond Christmas.  These munchies were inspired by the famous gourmet popcorn at Harry & David’s.  I developed this homemade version by adapting my Peanutty Caramel Popcorn recipe adding some of our favorite decadent toppings.

Ingredients you’ll need:
For the caramel popcorn:
4 quarts lightly salted popped popcorn [around 16 cups]
2/3 cup salted cocktail peanuts [or your favorite nut]
3/4 cup butter [1 1/2 sticks]
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pure vanilla
For the topping:
1 [12] oz pkg milk chocolate chips
2 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening [or 1/4 cup heavy cream]
1/3 cup English toffee bits
sea salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Spray 1 large, deep roasting pan with cooking spray. [Tip: I used a disposable turkey roasting pan for easy clean-up]   Pour the popcorn into the baking pan.  Pick over the popcorn removing any loose unpopped kernels.  Sprinkle the peanuts on top.  Set aside.   In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt together the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.

 

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Reindeer Munchies

Servings 4 Quarts

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• For the caramel popcorn:
• 4 quarts lightly salted popped popcorn [around 16 cups]
• 2/3 cup salted cocktail peanuts [or your favorite nut]
• 3/4 cup butter [1 1/2 sticks]
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• For the topping:
• 1 [12] oz pkg milk chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening [or 1/4 cup heavy cream]
• 1/3 cup English toffee bits
• sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Spray 1 large, deep roasting pan with cooking spray. [ I used a disposable turkey roasting pan for easy clean-up]
2. Pour the popcorn into the baking pan.
3. Pick over the popcorn removing any loose unpopped kernels. Sprinkle the peanuts on top. Set aside.
4. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt together the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
5. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil, then immediately lower the heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Set a timer for this step. There's no need to stir it constantly, however, you should give it a good stir periodically to keep the caramel from sticking to the bottom.
6. After 5 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the baking soda, stirring constantly. The baking soda will cause the mixture to foam. Continue to stir until the foam begins to die down, then add 1 tsp of vanilla.
7. Pour the warm caramel over the popcorn and stir well. The popcorn won't be perfectly coated at this stage.
8. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.
9. Cover the counter with wax paper.
10. After 1 hour, spread the caramel corn onto the wax paper to cool completely.
11. To make the chocolate drizzle: Melt together the milk chocolate chips and shortening. You can do this in the microwave or in the top of a double boiler. [See cook's note] To melt in the microwave, heat in 20 second increments stopping to stir each time. Repeat until the chocolate is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. The shortening will give a more crunchy texture to the chocolate once hardened. If you prefer, you may use heavy cream in place of the vegetable shortening. It will lend a softer texture to the chocolate, and will take a bit longer to set-up. Use approximately 1/4 cup.
12. Drizzle the warm chocolate over the popcorn. Immediately sprinkle with the toffee bits and sea salt to your taste.
13. Allow to set-up for 1 hour or until dry. Carefully separate into clusters.
14. Store tightly sealed at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

When melting the chocolate, if using vegetable shortening, a double boiler works best. If using cream, either a double boiler or the microwave will work.