Easy Organic Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

Free of gluten, nuts, eggs and soy with dairy free option

My body is pretty predictable.  This might sound funny, and I apologize to any male readers who get a little squeamish with this, but I know that when I start craving chocolate chip cookie dough my special "lady time" isn't far away.

I kid you not. When this happens my husband knows to just hand over the jar of chocolate chips and a heating pad for my belly, and maybe a movie for me to watch while I lay on the couch and lament my fate. 

But the last few months I've been looking for healthier, less calorie laden sweet treats to satisfy my, ehm... abdominal urges... hence this super fast chocolate covered caramel popcorn...


Apparently, ancient treats included things like tree sap, honeycomb, pine nut-stuffed dates, rolled in salt and fried in honey, candied herbs and flowers and gummy fruits (FYI both sugar and gummies got their start in the Arab world and Islamic pharmacies! How cool is that?).  - National Geographic


I'm pretty sure that whether it be a First Nations'/Aboriginal menstrual hut, medieval European salon, or Ottoman harem, when "that time" of the month came around,  I would have shown up with a bucket full of tree sap and a jar of candied violets!!  And maybe a bottle or two of wine...



Of course, this popcorn is great any time of the month, and it's a much lighter version of the nasty corn syrup original so you don't have to feel guilty giving it to your kids, either. 

A few months ago I shared a recipe for easy organic caramel popcorn using local organic popcorn kernels, and this chocolate speckled version is just a natural extension of that. And yes, you'll probably want to eat this one with a spoon, too!

Makes 1 large bowl full of popcorn

Ingredients: 

1 batch of easy caramel popcorn  (It only takes like 4 minutes to make!)

Approx. 2-3 Tbsp worth crushed/chopped organic dark chocolate (I used a few squares from a bar of Green & Black's 85% organic fair trade dark chocolate) or dairy free chocolate
OR
a small handful of organic dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs
salt

Directions:

1. Make the caramel popcorn and, while the pot is still warm, sprinkle with the crushed chocolate and some salt, put a tight fitting lid on the pot and shake like mad.  Add more salt to taste (I like mine sweet and salty!)

   Alternatively, if you're a less experienced home popcorn maker or don't happen to make treats at the pace of a woman possessed, you might want to make the batch of caramel popcorn first, melt your chocolate in a sauce pot over medium heat or in the microwave, then toss your popcorn in the chocolate and stir to coat.

See? Wasn't that easy? No need to waste time and dishes by coating the popcorn with caramel, spreading it on a sheet, then repeating with the chocolate and waiting for it to cool and harden.  A bucket of tree sap didn't take that much work, so it shouldn't be that hard to satisfy a 21st century craving!  


What do you do to satisfy your sweet tooth?  

This post was shared on the following great sites: Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Musings of a Housewife, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Monday Mania on Pinterest, Natural Living Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesday, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Farm Girl Blog Fest,