When the holidays come around there are always tins of popcorn or bags of moose munch that wind up in our pantry and under the tree. Over the years, we have tried more types of popcorn than we can count. From the bright orange cheddar variety to classic caramel corn to more unique flavors like cookies and cream, we love the sweet and salty variety. Although we love cheddar popcorn or caramel corn, we always find ourselves craving a mixture of both sweet and salty. Something with savory sea salt notes while still having a balanced sweet flavor. After trying more popcorn varieties than we can count, we came up with our perfect concoction: dark chocolate toffee popcorn with sea salt and almonds.
When thinking through the perfect popcorn we wanted it to be sweet but not overly sweet, so we added toffee bits to get the caramel effect without the popcorn being entirely coated in caramel. We also wanted a savory note so we added flaky sea salt and roasted almonds. To bring it all together we add a dark chocolate coating which both helps the toffee and almonds stick to the popcorn and adds a chocolaty flavor. Although we love dark chocolate, any chocolate can be used to make this delicious treat.
This popcorn is perfect for the holidays or any time of year and comes together in a few minutes. There are just 5 ingredients and it only takes about 5 minutes to make! The best part of it is that it is absolutely delicious. It brings together all of our favorite parts of different popcorn flavors. It is sweet, but not too sweet while being savory and salty. This popcorn is the best of both worlds and will please both savory and sweet lovers!
How to make the chocolate toffee popcorn:
To make the popcorn, start by lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Once the sheet is lined, scatter the popped popcorn onto the parchment lined cookie sheet in an even layer. Then melt the chocolate and drizzle half of it over the popcorn. To drizzle it, we like using a ziploc with a little hole cut in the corner, but it can also be drizzled straight from the bowl. Stir the popcorn with a spatula to coat the popcorn.
After the popcorn is coated with the first half of the chocolate, sprinkle over the toffee bits and chopped, roasted almonds. Drizzle over the second half of the chocolate and sprinkle on the sea salt. Let the popcorn set until the chocolate has hardened and break into pieces.
It’s that easy! There is no baking required and it comes together with a few quick ingredients. (Plus the baking sheet is lined with parchment so there is very little clean-up required, too!)
Ingredient Notes:
- Popcorn: For the popcorn we simply use microwaveable bagged popcorn. Our favorite is a light butter and salt version so the butter flavor is not overpowering. Since we are adding so many other tasty additions, we want those flavors to be the star of the show. Popcorn that is popped on the stove or pre-popped will also work.
- Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate pairs perfectly with the toffee bits and roasted almonds making this our go-to combination. Valrhona feves (70%) or Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips (60%) are our preference since they have a higher % chocolate and are a darker chocolate than the standard chocolate chip. If you are not a dark chocolate fan, just use your favorite!
- Heath Toffee Bits: Heath makes the most delicious bits of toffee. You can find these in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips. They are our favorite thing to scatter into chocolate chip cookies or popcorn. They are what gives this popcorn a “caramel corn” effect without actually needing to make caramel. They are so addicting and pair perfectly with the almonds and chocolate.
- Roasted Chopped Almonds: We used roasted, chopped, unsalted almonds. The almonds are little square pieces that provide the perfect crunch. They are just the right size, not too thin and not too large (similar in size to the toffee bits).
- Flaky Sea Salt: We sprinkle flaky sea salt on at the end for a balanced popcorn. In this case, fleur de sel or Maldon flakes are our preference to get those visible, light flakes of sea salt for a sweet and salty popcorn.
Chocolate Toffee Popcorn
Ingredients
- 1 bag light butter popcorn
- ½ pound dark chocolate*
- ⅓ cup Heath toffee bits
- ⅓ cup roasted chopped almonds
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt fleur de sel
Instructions
- Pop popcorn according to instructions and spread onto a parchment lined cookie sheet
- Melt chocolate and place in a ziploc bag with an ⅛” hole opening cut in the corner. This will be used to drizzle the chocolate, but if the chocolate is melted in a bowl, the chocolate can also be poured/drizzled on with a spoon
- Drizzle over half of the melted chocolate and stir with a spatula to coat the popcorn
- Sprinkle over the toffee bits and chopped, roasted almonds
- Drizzle over the second half of the chocolate and sprinkle on the sea salt
- Let the popcorn set until the chocolate has hardened and break into pieces
Entertainer’s Note:
This is a great dessert or snack if you are looking for a gluten free treat! Simply make sure all the ingredients you buy are gluten-free certified and you make it in a part of your kitchen that has been well cleaned and away from any gluten products. Other mix-ins can also be used instead of almonds or toffee to accommodate for any other allergies.
