Last Minute Holiday Treats

Last night I went to a White Elephant Party and decided to make this yummy and sweet popcorn to share with everyone.  This snack is a perfect last minute treat and easy to bring to parties.  I made four full cookie sheets of it for my fashion class and it was gone by the end of the day!  I'm including two different types of popcorn, and you can choose one, or even both! This recipe isn't very precise, and it's all about what you think looks and tastes good, so scroll down for the instructions.

What You Need
For popping popcorn:

• A large saucepan and lid
• About a tablespoon of vegetable oil or enough to coat the bottom of the saucepan
• Enough corn kernels to coat the bottom of the pan

For the hot cocoa popcorn:

• Dark or semi-sweet chocolate melting wafers
• Mini marshmallows 
• Festive sprinkles
• Parchment paper lined cookie sheet
• Microwave safe bowl
• Spoon

For the peppermint popcorn:

• White chocolate melting wafers
• Candy canes (Regular sized ones would be better, but I couldn't find any)
• Heavy duty Ziploc bag
• Parchment paper lined cookie sheet
• Microwave safe bowl
• Spoon

 Optional:

• Cute tins, bags, or trays to package up the popcorn (I found these adorable tins in all different styles at Michael's)

Instructions

1. Add enough vegetable oil to the saucepan on medium-high heat to coat the bottom of it, add three or four popcorn kernels, and cover with the lid.  Turn down that Christmas music, and listen for all the kernels to pop!  Once they do, you can add enough kernels in an even layer to coat the bottom of the pan.
2. Once they start to pop, shake the pan and keep them moving until they stop, take the pan off the heat, and the pour all the popped popcorn in a thin, even layer onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
3. Now, you can repeat the process to make as much as you want.

For the Hot Cocoa Popcorn

1. Melt the dark or semi-sweet chocolate wafers in the microwave on 30-second increments, stirring between each, until it's smooth, but be careful! Depending on the bowl you use, it can get very hot!
2. Layer drizzles of chocolate and mini marshmallows, and you can build up as much as you want!  Add some festive sprinkles, wait for it to dry, and then package up however you want!

For the Peppermint Popcorn

1. Unwrap and add candy canes to a heavy duty Ziploc bag and mash it with a hammer, throw it on the ground, hit it against the counter; whatever you want to crush up the pieces, you can even throw them in a blender or food processor to pulverize it into a fine dust.
2. Melt the white chocolate wafers in the microwave on 30-second increments, stirring between each, until it's smooth, but be careful! Depending on the bowl you use, it can get very hot!
3. Layer drizzles of chocolate and candy cane bits, and you can build up as much as you want! Wait for the chocolate to harden and you can package up the popcorn however you want!

And you're all done!  Bring this to parties, work, school, or put it in cellophane treat bags and give it to friends!  The best part about this is you can alter what you add to fit the season- caramel, sprinkles, candy, pretzels, spices- make it sweet, salty, or both!
Let me know if you decide to try this out, and have a Merry Christmas!

-jules