You know which snack combinations are just so underrated and delicious together? Popcorn and chocolate chip cookies, oh yeah! It’s a weird one...but go with it. My husband and I just came back from a crazy trip in Ireland and Scotland and had a fantastic time! Once we were back we had plans to meet up with friends over the weekend, and I planned on bringing a delicious dessert that needed some planning out. I figured that sitting for hours in an airport would give me more than enough time.
Now, i’m not sure about the rest of you, but there’s something about hours of flying that just makes me HUNGRY. And not for a few little things to nibble on. I want a big meal and I want comforting snacks! As we sat in the Dublin airport during our 5 hour layover, we wandered aimlessly through the different stores looking for which snacks would get us through the next leg of our trip. When I entered the snack aisle I was already in recipe mode since I had just been researching flavor combos for my dessert. As I wandered the aisles to determine which snacks would jump out at me, I noticed the popcorn, and I noticed the chocolate chip cookies.
Now I know what you’re thinking. It sounds bizarre. But something about the saltiness of the popcorn and sweetness of the cookies stood out to me, and I saw the dessert come together in my head. This overtired epiphany from hours of flying led me to these fantastic Popcorn Blondies!
I used my favorite blondie recipe, and I topped it off with homemade popcorn that’s tossed in a fantastic chocolate mixture. Once you let the two set, it becomes this ridiculous combinations of textures and flavors that will literally make you eat the entire pan!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30-40 minutes
Yields Time: 1 dozen squares
Ingredients
1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chocolate chips
Topping Ingredients
3-3 ½ cups popped popcorn*
2 ½ tablespoons coconut oil or butter
½ teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
¼ cup white chocolate chips
¾ cup chocolate chips
Optional: Sea salt for sprinkling
Directions
1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line a square pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
2. In a stand mixer, begin to beat your butter. Add in your sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Next, add in your slightly beaten eggs and vanilla. Scrape down the sides to make sure all is incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly begin to add into your wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips before transferring to your baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking with a toothpick for doneness.
4.While your blondies are cooling, melt your white chocolate and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Once it is melted and incorporated, add in your instant coffee and stir until dissolved. Next, add in your vanilla. Once mixture is mixed, pour over your popped popcorn, and use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture together, making sure all the popcorn is coated in the delicious chocolate.
5. Once brownies are cooled, place ¾ cup chocolate chips and ½ tablespoon coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and allow to melt and come together. When the chocolate is ready, pour over the top on your blondies, spreading in an even layer. Take your popcorn and begin to pour over the melted chocolate. Press down so that the popcorn does not fall off**. If desired, drizzle over some melted chocolate, and top with a bit of sea salt. Place the blondies in the fridge to allow to set before cutting and serving!
*If you are unsure of how to make popcorn on the stove top, you can use your favorite plain popcorn from the grocery store.
**If some popcorn is not directly touching and sticking to the melted chocolate it will fall off later when cutting. You can either remove before drizzling the melted chocolate, or allow for extra popcorn pieces to fall off and snack on later!
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