Popcorn Surprises

These popcorn surprises are unlike any candy you’ve probably made before. Popped corn gets coated in a sugar syrup cooked to 270 degrees (soft crack stage), cooled completely, then ground through a food chopper and stirred into melted chocolate. The result is a crunchy, sweet-salty candy with a texture somewhere between a crunch bar and a chocolate truffle.

Cooking the sugar syrup to exactly 270 degrees is what makes the popcorn coating shatter when ground rather than staying chewy. At that temperature, the sugar has lost enough moisture to harden into a brittle shell around each kernel. A candy thermometer is essential here. Cover the pan at the start to let steam wash down sugar crystals from the sides, then uncover to monitor the temperature.

Once the caramel-coated popcorn is completely cool and ground fine, you fold it into melted chocolate coating until the chocolate can’t hold any more. The ground popcorn adds crunch and a toasty, salty-sweet flavor that makes plain chocolate taste boring by comparison.

Pack the mixture into chocolate-lined molds for a polished look, or roll it between waxed paper and cut with cookie cutters for more creative shapes.

Kitchen Tips

• Let the coated popcorn cool completely before grinding. Warm popcorn sticks to the grinder and creates a gummy mess
• Use chocolate coating (also called candy melts or compound chocolate), not regular baking chocolate. It sets firm without tempering
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler slowly. Overheated chocolate seizes and turns grainy
• These keep for 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature

Variations

• Peanut butter chocolate: Stir 2 tablespoons of peanut butter into the melted chocolate before adding the ground popcorn
• White chocolate version: Use white chocolate coating instead of dark for a sweeter, more visually striking candy