What are Reindeer Munchies you may ask? They're a fun take on classic caramel corn that's drizzled with melted chocolate and sprinkled with toffee bits. It's such a mouthwatering snack to make and nibble on during the Christmas season but, the appeal actually lasts far beyond Christmas. Serve them at your holiday parties, give tins as gifts or make a batch any time of year you need a nostalgic sweet treat.
Reindeer Munchies
This chocolate drizzled caramel corn was inspired by the famous gourmet popcorn at Harry & David's. I developed this homemade version by adapting my Peanutty Caramel Popcorn recipe and adding some of our favorite decadent toppings. My reindeer munchies consist of kicked-up peanutty caramel popcorn topped with toffee bits, a generous drizzle of chocolaty deliciousness and a sprinkle of sea salt. What reindeer wouldn't enjoy that on Christmas Eve, right? I know a couple of little boys that insist it's Santa's favorite snack, too. Just for the record, I happen to know firsthand that Santa completely concurs.
Popcorn and Other Seasonal Sweet Treats You May Like
We all know the holiday season is filled with celebrations and at each you may find a variety of cookies, candies, cakes, drinks and more for indulging. You may enjoy my classic Caramel Corn recipe or this Reindeer Chow from Brown Eyed Baker.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Reindeer Munchies
Servings: 4 Quarts
Ingredients
- For the caramel popcorn:
- 4 quarts lightly salted popped popcorn [around 16 cups]
- ⅔ cup salted cocktail peanuts [or your favorite nut]
- ¾ cup butter [1 ½ sticks]
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- For the topping:
- 1 [12] oz pkg milk chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening [or ¼ cup heavy cream]
- ⅓ cup English toffee bits
- sea salt
Instructions
- 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]
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Pour the warm caramel over the popcorn and stir well. The popcorn won't be perfectly coated at this stage.
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.
- Cover the counter with wax paper.
- After 1 hour, spread the caramel corn onto the wax paper to cool completely.
- 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 ¼ cup.
- Drizzle the warm chocolate over the popcorn. Immediately sprinkle with the toffee bits and sea salt to your taste.
- Allow to set-up for 1 hour or until dry. Carefully separate into clusters.
- Store tightly sealed at room temperature.
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.
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!
My name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.
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Sandra
So, my girls and I have been celebrating Christmas in July watching movies on Hallmark. I was looking online for some fun snacks to make and found this recipe. We all agreed, we will be making this as Christmas gifts this year. Thank you!
Melissa
Hiya Melissa, thanks so much for stopping by for a visit. I appreciate your sweet comment, thanks for pinning. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Melissa @ My Recent Favorite Books
Oh my! this looks so good!
Pinning to my Holiday Recipe board.