Dark Chocolate Caramel Corn (Vegan, No Refined Sugar)

Having a food blog is a rather self-serving enterprise, not only because I’m bragging on myself for the recipes I’m creating, but also because I get to eat so much good stuff. But bragging or not, I have to share this recipe with you because it would be morally wrong to keep something so fantastic to myself. (The Bible says not to withhold good from others. Ha!) This caramel corn is like “oh-my-heck, melt-in-your-mouth, let’s-make-this-daily” kind of delicious AND it’s about as natural and nutritious as something so tasty can get. It’s vegan and completely free of refined sugar.

The idea for this caramel corn started with me perusing the pantry for food items that needed to be used up as I planned our meals for the week. I have a few bags of coconut sugar that I got at Birch when they had an abundance a while back. Coconut sugar is low in fructose and contains trace minerals and antioxidants, so it’s better for you than many other sweeteners. The sugar had hardened, so it was difficult to bake with. Those of you who know me know that I hate food waste and I was not about to throw out such an expensive item. This caramel corn just proves once again that when you get creative with what you have instead of coveting what you don’t have, you end up with something spectacular! Just look at this crunchy, chocolatey, not-too-sweet, antioxidant and mineral-rich goodness! Mmm-hmmm, that’s what I’m talkin’ about.



4 Tbsp. coconut oil, room temp, divided
2/3 cup popcorn kernels
1/4 cup water
2 cups coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt (to taste)
1 bar 100% chocolate (unsweetened cocoa solids)*
Optional: toasted coconut, toasted nuts**

1) Melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large, lidded pan over medium heat (a vented lid works best to allow steam to escape). Add the popcorn kernels. Shake the pan continuously to prevent scorching and ensure even popping. When there’s a pause of a few seconds between pops, set the pan aside to cool.
2) Put the water in a medium saucepan, add the sugar, and stir until no lumps remain. Then place the saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring up to 240° on a candy thermometer while swirling the pan periodically. (Do NOT stir while the sugar melts. This ruins the caramel. I don’t know why. It’s science.) Note: Having made caramel corn with white sugar previously, the coconut caramel smelled burnt to me at this point. Don’t worry, it’s not burnt (as long as it doesn't exceed 240°).
3) Remove the caramel from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut oil, salt, and baking powder until completely smooth and the oil is incorporated. Pour over the popcorn and mix until the popcorn is evenly coated.
4) Spread evenly on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and pop in a 300° oven to bake for 10 minutes. This helps the caramel get crunchy. Be sure to spread it out, as clumps will make your popcorn chewy instead of crunchy.
5) Break the chocolate into pieces and warm it in a bowl in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until just melted but not burnt. It took about 80 seconds for me.
6) Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate evenly over the popcorn. Let cool completely, store in an airtight container, and ENJOY!!

*I got my chocolate bar at Trader Joe’s. It’s called the Montezuma’s Absolute Black with Cocoa Nibs bar.
**If you want to really make this decadent, sprinkle toasted coconut and/or toasted nuts over the popped corn before pouring in the caramel.







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