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Chocolate-Coconut Popcorn

Source of Recipe

From "Food, Gift, Love" by Maggie Battista


Recipe Introduction

"Popcorn is the great common food denominator: for movie night, a birthday party, or a work event, put a bowl of the freshly popped stuff between us and we'll be fast friends. A quick-to-make sweet and salty snack, my Chocolate-Coconut Popcorn fits the bill for these times and many others. Kids love popcorn plus chocolate, and adults are pleasantly surprised when I set out a dish of it during cocktail hour (with a crisp beer) or bring it as a stand-in for dessert (with a syrupy red wine). I use unsweetened shredded coconut because milk chocolate is sweet enough. You can also pair it with dark chocolate. This chocolate-coated snack is even better sprinkled with Vanilla Sea Salt or sliced almonds, to add more crunch."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
â—¦ 8 cups popped popcorn
â—¦ 2 cups milk chocolate chips
â—¦ 1 tablespoon coconut oil
â—¦ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or try Vanilla Sea Salt)



Recipe

Preheat the oven to 300° F. On a large (18x13-inch) baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread the coconut. Bake 7 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool. Set aside.

On another baking sheet lined with parchment, spread a single layer of popcorn. You may need two baking sheets to keep the kernels in a single layer. Set aside.

In a double boiler set over medium heat, place a bit of water in the bottom pot — making sure the water doesn't touch the underside of the top pot. Assemble the double boiler. (If you do not have a double boiler, place a metal or glass bowl on top of a medium pot.) Place the chocolate and coconut oil in the top part of the double boiler to melt until reaching a smooth consistency, stirring a few times with a rubber spatula.

When you're ready to make the popcorn, set up your work area with the shredded coconut and salt. Pour the melted chocolate into a plastic bag. Cut a tiny corner off the bag and immediately begin drizzling the chocolate over every single popcorn kernel, until all the chocolate is used. Sprinkle the coconut over the popcorn and chocolate evenly, making sure the coconut sticks to the chocolate. Lastly, sprinkle the sea salt (or Vanilla Sea Salt) evenly over the popcorn. Do not stir the mixture, or the chocolate will smear up and not form a smooth cover.

Let the popcorn sit at room temperature 4 to 6 hours to cool completely. Alternatively, place the tray(s) in the fridge or freezer to quicken the hardening process. Gift or serve immediately. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.


Makes about 8 cups



Optional: Vanilla Sea Salt

â—¦ 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
â—¦ 1 cup coarse or fine sea salt
â—¦ Equipment: Mortar and pestle

Using the back of a knife, strip the seeds from each side of the vanilla bean. In a mortar, add the vanilla bean seeds and the salt. Using the pestle, grind the seeds into the salt until the salt takes on the perfume of the vanilla and the beans are well dispersed. Slice the vanilla bean halves in half again and place the pieces in the sea salt to add extra vanilla flavor, or reserve them for your vanilla extract. Store in an airtight container up to 6 months.

Makes 1 cup