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    Home » All Recipes » Snacks & Savory

    Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn

    January 26, 2023 by Emily Leave a Comment

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A perfect balance of sweet, salty, and endlessly munchable, this Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn is the ultimate TV-watching snack. Made with just dark chocolate, popcorn kernels, and neutral oil, this 4-ingredient recipe is far more than the sum of its parts.

    Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn in a large bowl.
    Jump to:
    • About This Recipe
    • Ingredients & Substitutions
    • Equipment
    • How To Make Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn
    • Optional Variations
    • Expert Tips
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Tasty, No-Oven Snack Recipes
    • Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn

    About This Recipe

    When it comes to snacks, I’m always torn between salty and sweet. Luckily, my chocolate drizzled popcorn recipe has ample amounts of both! Perfectly fluffy pan-popped popcorn kernels are tossed with dark chocolate until well coated, resulting in a messy bowl of goodness that is too good to resist. 

    Granted, I love my “Better Than Movie Theater Popcorn” that is made with just brown butter and salt, but sometimes I need a little chocolate in the mix, ya know? I mean, “stressed” spelled backward is “desserts.” Coincidence? I think not.

    This tasty recipe has all the hallmarks of a great salty-sweet baked dessert like my chocolate chip butterscotch toffee cookies, but there’s one key difference: you don’t have to turn the oven on to make popcorn! 

    While the temperatures are soaring to ever higher heights this summer, keeping my house cool is a top priority. That’s a big part of why I love this snackable chocolate popcorn. But this isn’t just a summer recipe; we eat it all year long. 

    If you have 25 minutes to spare and 4 basic pantry ingredients, you’re about to have a serious party in your mouth. If you don’t, bookmark this page for later — you’re definitely going to want to revisit this simple recipe in the future. This sweet and salty snack is perfect for your next movie night!

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    As promised, you only need 4 simple ingredients to make chocolate-covered popcorn. Here’s what to grab:

    • Popcorn Kernels - Any color of popcorn kernels will work here; they all look the same in the end!
    • Neutral Oil - I prefer using refined coconut oil (not unrefined, which has too low of a smoke point). That said, feel free to use grapeseed, avocado, canola, vegetable, corn, or peanut oil instead.
    • Dark Chocolate - Since this is such a simple recipe, it’s important to use high-quality ingredients. If your grocery store doesn’t have nice chocolate chips (e.g. Guittard), check out the fancy chocolate bars in the candy section. I personally am a fan of deep dark chocolate, so I like to reach for anything over 70%. Feel free to swap in white, milk, semisweet, or even flavored chocolate if you prefer.
    • Salt (Optional) - If you, like me, love salty sweets, consider adding a pinch or two of salt to the finished product to really pep the flavors up. 
    labeled shot of chocolate popcorn recipe ingredients.
    Dark chocolate in a small bowl.

    Equipment

    You don’t need much to make delicious chocolate drizzle popcorn. Here’s your equipment list:

    • Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan - Every kitchen needs a saucepan. A heavy bottom will prevent scorching and warping, which in turn will prevent you from stressing out and/or having to replace your equipment. PRO TIP: If you’re making browned butter popcorn the day you’re making your gourmet popcorn, don’t bother washing the pot between browning and popping. 
    • Flexible Spatula - You’re going to want to toss the popcorn with the browned butter and chocolate until it’s well coated. A flexible silicone spatula makes the job a lot easier. 
    • Napkins - Eventually, the chocolate will solidify on the popcorn as it cools. If you have that kind of willpower, good on you. For the rest of us, make sure there are plenty of napkins nearby.

    How To Make Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn

    Gourmet popcorn shops have nothing on this chocolate popcorn. Here’s how to make it:

    Step 1: Heat Oil. Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat and add the coconut oil.

    Step 2: Test A Kernel. Once the oil is hot, add one test kernel to the pot and cover. As soon as the test kernel has popped, place the rest of the popcorn seeds into the oil and cover.

    Oil heated in a skillet.
    Heat oil
    Popcorn kernels added to a hot skillet with oil.
    Add popcorn kernals

    Step 3: Shake. Once the kernels begin popping, shake every 10 seconds or so until you hear the popping slow down then remove from heat.

    Step 4: Add The Goods. Add your dark chocolate bits on top of the popped popcorn and cover with the saucepan lid. The residual heat from the popcorn will help to easily melt the chocolate. Transfer the popcorn and chocolate into a large bowl and fold with a spatula to make sure every kernel is covered with salty, nutty, chocolatey goodness, then top with salt as needed. Portion into cups so there’s no fighting (trust me), then dig in! Keep your napkins at the ready, it's a beautiful mess of a snack!

    Popcorn popping in a skillet with the lid on top.
    Adding chocolate to popped popcorn
    Popcorn and chopped pieces of dark chocolate in a skilled.
    Melted chocolate with popcorn in skillet
    Chocolate popcorn in a mixing bowl with a spatula.
    Mixed chocolate popcorn

    Optional Variations

    My gourmet chocolate-covered popcorn is pretty stellar on its own, but there is always room for customization. Here are a few of my favorite variations:

    • Add Crunch. Peanuts (or any toasted nuts), M&Ms, toffee bits, sweetened cereal, freeze-dried fruits, or pretzels are all excellent additions. 
    • Use Different Chocolate. Make white chocolate popcorn, milk chocolate popcorn, zebra popcorn (by using dark and white chocolate) chili-chocolate popcorn, espresso-chocolate popcorn… you get the idea. 
    • Make It Vegan. Use cultured dairy-free butter to make vegan browned butter and opt for a vegan-friendly chocolate brand.

    Expert Tips

    • Chop chocolate into tiny bits. The smaller the pieces, the faster they’ll melt.
    • Leftovers make great popcorn balls. Call me old-fashioned, but I hate wasting food. These popcorn balls are a great way to use up your leftovers!
    • Test kernels take the guesswork out of making popcorn on the stove. Add a single kernel to the pot to see when your oil is hot enough.
    • Place your covered chocolate popcorn in the fridge within a sealed plastic bag so that the chocolate solidifies and you have a cool, crunchy snack to enjoy as desired!
    Chocolate popcorn with a bowl drizzled with dark chocolate and topped with sea salt.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you keep chocolate popcorn from getting soggy?

    Popcorn can get soggy from exposure to humidity, being soaked in too much butter/toppings, or from being stale. Try to make it on the day you plan on eating it, stick to the measurements in the recipe card, and whatever you do, don’t put a lid on the pot while the popcorn cools or you’ll rain condensation down over it.

    How far in advance can I make chocolate drizzled popcorn?

    Technically, it can be made up to a day in advance. To store it, place the COMPLETELY cooled, room temperature chocolate popcorn in an airtight container, preferably with an extra layer of plastic wrap and a silica packet to keep it fresh. That said, it’s best the day you make it. If you have leftovers, consider turning them into popcorn balls to breathe new life into the kernels.

    More Tasty, No-Oven Snack Recipes

    • How to Make Whipped Butter
    • 4-Ingredient Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites
    • Blueberry Goat Cheese
    • Starbucks Copycat Keto Egg Bites (In Oven, 3 Ways!)

    As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try the recipe for this Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn, please share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!

    Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn

    A perfect balance of sweet, salty, and endlessly munchable, this Chocolate Drizzled Gourmet Popcorn is the ultimate TV-watching snack. Made with just dark chocolate, popcorn kernels, and neutral oil, this 4-ingredient recipe is far more than the sum of its parts.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Popcorn
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 182kcal
    Author: Emily Laurae

    Equipment

    • Spatula
    • Heavy Bottomed Dutch Oven or Saucepan

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil, Or the neutral oil of your choice
    • ⅓ cup Popcorn Kernels
    • ¼ cup Dark Chocolate, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt, Season to your liking

    Instructions

    • Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat and add your oil.
      2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil
    • Once the oil is hot, add one test kernel to the pot and cover. As soon as the test kernel has popped, place the rest of the popcorn seeds into the oil and cover.
      ⅓ cup Popcorn Kernels
    • Once the kernels begin popping, shake every 20 seconds or so until you hear the popping slow down then remove from heat.
    • Add your dark chocolate on top of the popped kernals and place the asucepan lid back on top. The residual heat will allow the chocolate to gently melt - I usually keep the cover on top of the chocolate and popcorn for about one full minute. Transfer the popcorn and chocolate to a large bowl and add salt - fold with a spatula to make sure every kernel is covered with chocolate before enjoying!
      ¼ cup Dark Chocolate, 1 teaspoon Sea Salt

    Video

    Notes

    Optional Variations
    My gourmet chocolate-covered popcorn is pretty stellar on its own, but there is always room for customization. Here are a few of my favorite variations:
    • Add Crunch. Peanuts (or any toasted nuts), M&Ms, toffee bits, sweetened cereal, freeze-dried fruits, or pretzels are all excellent additions. 
    • Use Different Chocolate. Make white chocolate popcorn, milk chocolate popcorn, zebra popcorn (by using dark and white chocolate) chili-chocolate popcorn, espresso-chocolate popcorn… you get the idea.
    • Make It Vegan. Use cultured dairy-free butter to make vegan browned butter and opt for a vegan-friendly chocolate brand.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 2mg
    Enjoyed this recipe?Mention @emilylaurae or tag #emilylaurae!

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    About Emily

    Emily is the recipe developer, writer, and food photographer behind Emily Laurae. After finishing Pastry School and working as a chef in the restaurant industry, she created this blog to share those skills with home bakers and creators all over the world!

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