It is finally feeling like fall! In October we had temps in the 80s a good chunk of the month it felt like, and definitely didn’t feel like fall. But it snowed on Halloween so that means it is officially now cool weather season! Since we are now in cozy season, I am all about the popcorn lately. I love making it for a snack, and most of the time I just make it with a little avocado oil, sea salt, nutritional yeast and garlic powder if I am feeling savory. But I do love a good home made caramel corn, and I was in the mood for something sweet last weekend! I decided to make some Double Chocolate Pecan Caramel Corn! It was so delicious, and just as good as something you would buy at one of those gourmet popcorn places but so much better since it was made at home!
I make my popcorn in the microwave in a popcorn popper I bought off of Amazon similar to this one, I buy organic white corn kernels and it turns out nicely every time. If you are making this caramel corn, you will need to pop the popcorn ahead of time. Or some stores may sell pre popped corn. If you do buy pre popped popcorn, and you end up buying salted, leave the salt out of this recipe.
For the caramel I used a mixture of Earth Balance vegan butter and coconut oil because it is what I happened to have on hand, and I enjoy the flavors of both. But if you wanted to use just one or the other, that would work for this as well. I used brown sugar for the caramel because it gives it a better flavor, and I added vanilla to make it aromatic and delicious! I wanted to use both dark and white chocolate in this so I drizzled both over it. For the vegan white chocolate I used Pascha vegan white chocolate chips. I also wanted some sort of nuts, and I chose pecans because they are my favorite lately!
This popcorn was so incredibly delicious! I could not stop sampling it after I made it and everyone I shared it with loved it too! If you are in the mood for a munchy cozy treat, or looking for an edible gift, this is perfect! So definitely give this Double Chocolate Pecan Caramel Corn a try this fall or winter! Although be warned the whole pan of it might get eaten in just a few hours!
Double Chocolate Pecan Caramel Corn
Makes about 12 cups
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 10 cups popped popcorn
- 3/4 cup plus 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
- 3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips or vegan dark chocolate chopped
- 3/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips or vegan white chocolate chopped
Instructions:
- In a pot, combine the sea salt, butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, and cook over medium heat and everything is melted. Whisk every so often to combine the mixture. It should become uniform in color and emulsified.
- Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, then after 5 minutes, add the vanilla, whisk to blend it in, then add the baking soda and whisk in. Remove from heat and whisk it in (it will bubble, it is supposed to). Whisk until completely combined.
- Pour the caramel mixture and 3/4 cup of the pecans over the popcorn in a large bowl, and use a spoon to stir it until all of the popcorn is coated. Pour out onto a foil or parchment lined baking tray.
- Melt the vegan white chocolate and vegan dark chocolate over double boilers. Place each in a pastry bag (or ziplock bag with the corner cut off) and drizzle over the popcorn. Sprinkle with the rest of the pecans.
- Place popcorn in the refrigerator until the chocolate sets, break into pieces and enjoy!
Keeps for 1 week in an airtight container.
