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    Home » Recipes » Snacks » Christmas Popcorn

    LAST UPDATED: September 23, 2020 • FIRST PUBLISHED: December 25, 2014 By Toni Dash 83 Comments

    Christmas Popcorn

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Holly Jolly Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix is a fun treat for parties, gift-giving, movie watching and snacking (along with a Holiday Movie Watchers giveaway!)

    Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix in popcorn boxes

     

    An activity that my family loves probably most of all about the winter holiday break is watching movies. It’s a time of year offering loads of new movies in theaters, with more being family-friends than what seems to be the norm of R-rated movies excluding younger viewers from the movie going mix. This year certainly has garnered the attention of young and old with regard to international politics and cyber terrorism around the release of one simple movie. Whether or not to release it has attracted worldwide attention in the precedent-setting game of cat and mouse.

    We’ve gone to see the final Hobbit movie (The Battle of the Five Armies), waiting anxiously all year for it to arrive. Free Christmas movies have been streaming non-stop on family iPads. Having been a child fan of the original Planet of The Apes movie series, I played both more recently released movies on my large computer monitor while toiling through hours of Christmas wrapping in my home office. It took both feature length films to finish the job….with a bit left over. There are a number of in-theatre flicks we hope to see:  Annie, Big Hero 6, Penguins of Madagascar, and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. I’m interested in Big Eyes having seen those big eyed pictures, never guessing such a drama lay behind them.

    Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix spilled on countertop

     

    Between Netflix and Amazon Instant Watch it’s a great time to catch up on movies missed in theaters at home, or to rewatch old favorites; Elf and The Polar Express at this time of year. I usually include a ‘Let’s Watch a Holiday Movie’ in our Countdown to Christmas, with movie size candy boxes being the treat to go along with it. We love popcorn too and I wanted to make a fun popcorn treat that was easy and festive:  Holly Jolly Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix.

    Holly Jolly Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix

    Our favorite way to make popcorn is with the Whirly Pop. A very simple gadget that does it the old fashioned way, a pot with a lid and a crank that generates an arm to constantly sweep the bottom preventing burning or ‘old maids’. One batch yield about 16 cups of fluffy, fresh popcorn. Three types of seasonal M&M’s are included and the mixture is drizzled with popcorn, sprinkled with mini seasonal M&M’s, white nonpareils cookie decorations and salt. It’s a perfect mixture of salty, sweet, chocolate peppermint and popcorn!

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    Easy Popcorn Balls for Halloween

     

    Holly Jolly Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix - BoulderLocavore.com

    Holly Jolly Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix

    This easy, festive treat mix is perfect for parties, movie-watching, gifts or holiday snacking. The mixture of chocolate M&M's include different types of chocolate, peppermint and holiday colors. It's an eye-catching delicious mix no one will be able to resist!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours
    Servings: 8 Aproximately 17 cups treat mix
    Calories: 462kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 16 cups freshly popped Popcorn
    • 1 cup Chocolate Chips (Milk, Semi-Sweet or Dark)
    • ¾-1 teaspoon Coconut Oil*
    • ¼ cup Mini M&M’s (one tube), seasonal red and green used for this recipe
    • ½ cup Holiday Mint M&M’s
    • ½ cup Milk Chocolate M&M’s (the holiday bag is red and green only)
    • ½ cup White Chocolate Peppermint M&M’s
    • ¼ cup Mini M&M’s (one tube), seasonal red and green used here
    • White Nonpareils (small white balls used for cookie decorating)
    • ½ teaspoon Sea Salt

    Instructions

    • Cover a work surface with parchment paper and spread out the popcorn in a single layer.
    • In a small bowl combine the three regular size M&M’s (holiday mint, regular red and green, white chocolate peppermint); mix together. Sprinkle evenly over the popcorn.
    • In a heatproof metal bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, melt the chocolate chips. When melted add the coconut oil and stir in to fully incorporate.
    • Using a large dining spoon, take a spoonful of the melted chocolate and holding it a few inches above the popcorn move the spoon while shaking it gently or tapping the side to allow the chocolate to drizzle over the popcorn. Continue drizzling over the popcorn mixture until all the chocolate has been used.
    • While the drizzled chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the chocolate with the mini M&M’s, the nonpareils and the salt. Allow to set fully (can be chilled to speed up the chocolate hardening; I stuck a tray in my garage for an hour which did the trick at this time of year).

    Notes

    *I use Coconut Oil because of its mild flavor and solid consistency at room temperature (to help the drizzled chocolate solidify). Other liquid oils with mild flavor may be also used however add the oil beginning with 1/2 teaspoon, increasing by 1/4 teaspoon to gain the desired consistency; 3/4-1 teaspoon should be plenty. Too much oil in the chocolate will prevent it from hardening. Different types of chocolate liquify differently so it's best to start with a smaller amount and add more oil if required (again not more than 1 teaspoon)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 210IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1.6mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!

    close up of Holly Jolly Chocolate-Peppermint Popcorn Treat Mix

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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Comments

    1. steve weber says

      December 29, 2014 at 10:35 pm

      My all time favorite movie is American Beauty.

      Reply
    2. Samantha D says

      December 29, 2014 at 7:18 pm

      5 stars
      My fave movie of all time? I’m pretty sure I couldn’t name just one…but I love The Goonies, Eddie and the Cruisers and Oceans Eleven.
      Thanks for a fun giveaway!

      Reply
    3. ET Pruitt says

      December 29, 2014 at 5:17 pm

      5 stars
      Pulp Fiction is my favorite movie.

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        December 29, 2014 at 6:26 pm

        I actually went to the University of California at Santa Cruz, home of the banana slug (school mascot). John Travolta’s wearing of that tshirt in the movie got the college on the map I’m sure!

        Reply
    4. Vunda V says

      December 29, 2014 at 8:24 am

      i really want to go see the new hunger games movie so bad!

      Reply
    5. Laura m says

      December 29, 2014 at 7:52 am

      Unbroken is my new favorite movie! It was awesome!

      Reply
    6. Taryn T. says

      December 29, 2014 at 7:08 am

      My all time favorite movie is Gone With The Wind, my kids really want to see Into the Woods, and I would love to win this fun giveaway!

      Reply
    7. heather says

      December 28, 2014 at 7:34 pm

      I would love to win this one and Forest Gump is my favorite movie.

      Reply
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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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