Sweet and salty, spicy and tangy, these Dark Chocolate Popcorn Balls are some of our favorite snacks! These gluten-free, vegan popcorn balls are super easy to make with just a few ingredients and make an amazing addition to any dessert table during the holidays!
Optional: pinch of sea salt or cayenne peppercolorful sprinkles
Instructions
Melt the brown sugar, maple syrup, and a teaspoon of coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sea salt or cayenne pepper, if using. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully! The mixture will boil and start to rise - remove the saucepan from the heat source at this point.
Carefully pour the syrup mixture over the popcorn in a large heat-proof bowl. Stir the popcorn to coat it in the syrup mixture completely, and allow it to cool for a few minutes, or until cool enough to touch safely.
Spray your hands with non-stick spray, then grab a small handful of the caramel popcorn mixture and form it into a small ball, pressing gently to allow the caramel-coated popcorn to stick together into a firm ball. Place the popcorn balls onto your parchment paper or wax paper.
Melt the dark chocolate chips in the microwave (about 2 minutes, in 30 second increments) or using a double boiler method. You might need to stir in 1 teaspoon coconut oil to get the chocolate mixture to be extra gooey and pourable, otherwise it will be thick and you will have thicker globs of chocolate on your popcorn (not a bad thing!)
Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the popcorn balls. If you want to add sprinkles or an extra touch of sea salt, sprinkle those on before the chocolate dries. Let the chocolate dry, and enjoy!