Peppermint Bark Popcorn

It’s time for some Christmas sweetness so get your taste buds ready because you’re in for a real treat!



I saw this recipe on my friend Tiburon’s blog the other day and it looked so yummy that I had to give it a try. I tweaked it a little and it’s just as yummy as I anticipated!



INGREDIENTS

8-10 cups of popped popcorn, which is approximately 1 bag of microwave popcorn.

1/2 lb vanilla bark (the original recipe called for almond bark but I’m not a fan of almond flavour so I switched to vanilla which works really nicely. Feel free to substitute in whatever flavour bark you prefer.)

6 candy canes, crushed

1 tsp peppermint extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips



DIRECTIONS

Place popped popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.

Unwrap candy canes and place them in a sealed Ziploc bag.

Using something heavy like a rolling pin, whack the candy canes until all your aggression is out or the candy canes are finely crushed – whichever comes first!

Pour crushed candy canes into the bowl with the popcorn.

Place the vanilla bark in a microwave safe dish and heat for 1 minute, adding extra time in 10 second intervals until melted completely.

Add the peppermint extract to the melted bark and mix thoroughly. It will get a bit thick and bumpy, but that is ok so just keep mixing till it’s smooth and evenly mixed.

Pour the bark and peppermint mix over the popcorn and candy canes.

Mix thoroughly until the candy cane bits are evenly distributed. I find using my hands to be easiest because it is quite a sticky process.

Pour the popcorn mixture out onto a piece of waxed paper, parchment, or foil covered cookie sheet. Spread evenly and set it aside.

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.

Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the top of the popcorn.







You can leave the mixture sitting out to harden but I’m impatient and I put it in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes.

When the chocolate is hardened, use your hands to break it all up into chunks and store the chunks in an airtight container. Or you can put it in cute little bags tied with a festive ribbon.



Personally, I thought it was too yummy to leave the house and my boys and I inhaled it over the next 24 hours.



But that’s a whole other parenting discussion.



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