This white chocolate Christmas popcorn is a perfectly balanced sweet and salty popcorn recipe making it an irresistible holiday snack!
This is our family's favorite sweet & salty popcorn mix. It blends together ingredients from classic gourmet popcorn recipes making this almond bark popcorn a fancy yet easy Christmas snack. (Not the Christmas season? Get details below on how to customize this holiday popcorn for any time of year!)
I still remember the first time I tried this white chocolate covered popcorn over twenty years ago. I was working my way through college as a bank teller. One of the moms had brought in her favorite holiday popcorn recipe to share with the staff the week before Christmas.
I looked down at the popcorn mix and asked with a crinkled nose, "What's in this?"
"Popcorn," she replied with a tone of sarcasm.
I eyed the bowl again, "What else?"
"I'm not telling you until you try it."
"Seriously? Come on, Carol," I pleaded.
With a classic-mom look on her face, she informs me, "You don't have to eat it, but if you want to, you better give-it-a-go soon... it is going fast."
Annoyed I walk away.
Eventually, though, this picky eater was overrun with curiosity. I cautiously (and secretly) sampled some of the Christmas popcorn. I was hooked.
I apologized for my snarky behavior and begged my co-worker Carol to teach me to make the holiday popcorn.
When she handed me a photocopy of the recipe card, I was shocked. I told her the Christmas popcorn recipe had two ingredients I absolutely hated — coconut and macadamia nuts. Carol smiled and quietly replied, "Good thing you didn't know what was in it when you tried it."
. . .
This past spring, my family moved and I stumbled across an old unmarked recipe binder I hadn't seen in two decades. As I flipped through the pages of recipes, I found the photocopy of Carol's Christmas popcorn recipe.
I made it this Christmas and confirmed — It is one of my absolute favorite popcorn treats, despite the fact I would not classify myself as a huge coconut fan. Something about how the ingredients subtly complement each other in this sweet & salty popcorn mix makes it addictive. I love the CRUNCH of it all.
I cannot wait to share the holiday popcorn recipe with you below. Get a printable copy of the white chocolate popcorn recipe below!
Tips For How to Make Chocolate Covered Popcorn SIMPLE
Before you print the recipe, below are a few tips to make sure this white chocolate Christmas popcorn recipe is a no-fail!
- Skip the oven and "toast" your coconut in a dry skillet instead. This allows you to keep an eye on the coconut to ensure you don't burn it on accident.
- If you have sweetened coconut, don't leave the stovetop while toasting it. The added sugar makes it more susceptible to burning!
- Use store-bought popcorn for perfectly salted Christmas popcorn. This will also keep your holiday popcorn fresh longer. If you live in the Midwest, we love Valley Popcorn for this white chocolate recipe.
- Skip the double-boiler and melt the chocolate in the microwave.
If you've struggled with melting chocolate in the microwave in the past, this tip is for you!
The problem with microwaving chocolate is ... If you use too much heat, the chocolate will begin to clump or separate. Once this happens, nothing will "save" your chocolate.
The key to melting chocolate in the microwave is to "utilize the gentle heat generated from the glass bowl" to slowly melt the white chocolate. In other words, imagine you're using the microwave to warm the bowl instead of the chocolate!
You'll want to start by microwaving the chocolate in a glass bowl for a full minute. When you take the white chocolate out of the microwave, notice the warmth of the bowl. Continue stirring the chocolate until the warmth dissipates. Then heat the bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate is fully melted.
You'll never burn or separate chocolate again with this tip!
Printable White Chocolate Popcorn Recipe
Get a printable copy of this White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch below.
White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch
This white chocolate Christmas popcorn is a perfectly balanced sweet and salty popcorn recipe making it an irresistible holiday snack!
Ingredients
- 10 C Store popped popcorn
- 1 ½ C Roasted macadamia nuts
- 1 ½ C Coconut
- 12 ounces White chocolate or almond bark (broken into pieces)
- Parchment or wax paper
Instructions
- Place the coconut in a dry skillet (don’t add oil!). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Set aside.
- Place the nuts in the dry skillet. Heat over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Do not leave the stovetop because nuts burn easily.
- Pour the popcorn into a large bowl and top with the toasted coconut and macadamia nuts.
- In a glass bowl, microwave the white chocolate on high for one minute. Stir until the outside of the bowl is no longer warm. Continue to heat for 30-second increments, always stirring until the bowl is no longer warm
- Once fully melted, pour the white chocolate over the popcorn, nuts, coconut mixture. Stir gently.
- Cool on parchment or wax paper. Enjoy!
Notes
Slivered and toasted almonds are a delicious alternative but the popcorn loses its "Christmas Crunch."
HOW TO STORE OR GIFT — Place the White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch in an airtight storage container or Ziploc bag. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to a week. (Although it will probably be eaten before then!)
Original recipe via Mary Schlumpf's Lake Keesus Popcorn
Christmas Popcorn + Different Holiday Variations To Enjoy This Recipe All Year Long!
While we love this "Christmas popcorn," officially it is not a holiday recipe — meaning you can enjoy it ALL YEAR LONG. Below are a few ways to give this White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch holiday flair!
- Cupid's Crunch — Add some pink and red Wilton Holiday Hearts to give this popcorn mix some Valentine's Day love.
- Leprechaun Munch — Add green sugar sprinkles to give this some St. Patrick's Day color.
- Easter Bunny Munch — Popcorn and candy is the ultimate combination. Pastel holiday M&Ms make this the perfect spring treat.
- Memorial & Independence Day Snack — After you lay the White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch down on the parchment to dry, add red and blue sugar sprinkles!
- Monster Boogers — Add a tiny dash of green food coloring to the melted white chocolate. This will give your holiday popcorn a horrifically gross green tint that kids will love.
The Secret Sweet & Salty Recipe Tradition Continues
When I made White Cholocate Popcorn Crunch this year, I did it in secret.
As I sat down on the couch with a finished bowl of the salty & sweet popcorn, my teenage daughter walked into the room, "Ohhhhh, what is that?!? Can I have some?"
I smiled, "Of course."
When she looked more closely at the bowl, her nose crinkled, "What's in that?"
"Popcorn," I replied with sarcasm.
She eyed the bowl again, "What else?"
"I'm not telling you until you try it," I laugh.
"Seriously, Mom? Come on," she pleads.
With that same classic-mom look, I take another bite and inform her, "You don't have to eat it, but if you want to, you better give-it-a-go soon... it is going fast."
My heart smiles thinking about Carol as my daughter playfully stomps out of the room. A few minutes later she plops on the couch deflated and exhales a loud teenage, "F—I—N—E, I'll try it."
Of course, she loves it because this Christmas popcorn recipe is DELICIOUS. When I tell her there are toasted coconut and macadamia nuts in the recipe, she looks at me confused, "But I don't like coconut."
"Neither do I," I tell her, "Neither do I."
. . .
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P.S. Below is the recipe binder I found and the original photocopy my co-worker Carol shared with me over twenty years ago! The white chocolate popcorn recipe was pulled from a collective community cookbook from a friend, Mary Schlumpf who told Carol it was "nice for the holidays." We couldn't agree more!!!