Salted Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix

Light and fluffy homemade popcorn drizzled with dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt and mixed together with nuts, more chocolate and coconut. This Salted Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix is some seriously good stuff.

Snacking doesn’t get much better than this, friends.

A gluten-free, totally customizable and EASY TO MAKE(!!) popcorn-based snack that’s drizzled with melted rich chocolate that’s lightly salted for that amazing sweet-salty combo.

Not to mention all the other good things that are mixed in here like almonds, coconut and more chocolate. This is a seriously good snack. 

And did you know October is National Popcorn Popping month?

I had no idea either. Buuut all the more reason to get popping now, right!

I love popcorn regardless of the month or national food holiday. But this whole National Popcorn Popping month got me thinking about another holiday that is right around the corner… Halloween. (PS – October where did you go?)

Popcorn can be such a great alternative to all those seasonal mini chocolate bars and small bags of chips and candies. I mean, we are talking more fibre and waaaaaay less sugar, no preservatives, artificial flavours and colours and, more often than not, fewer calories and it’s allergy-free too.

So when I was asked how I dress up my popcorn for such a spooky occasion as Halloween, I knew there was going to be chocolate and crunch.

MORE ABOUT THIS SALTED CHOCOLATE POPCORN TRAIL MIX RECIPE…

Have you tried popcorn and chocolate together? I wasn’t sold on the idea at first, that’s for sure. It seemed too weird. I have always thought that popcorn was reserved for things like butter, honey and butter, caramel and powdery cheese. But chocolate? Say, what?

Definitely chocolate. It was one of those ‘Why haven’t I been eating this the whole time?!?’ moments. But it’s true.

Here dark chocolate is melted with just a touch of butter to make a super creamy and delicious and rich chocolate ganache-like drizzle that 1. Is incredibly fun to drizzle and 2. Is then salted with pink Himalayan sea salt. And don’t be shy with the salt.

And this trail mix recipe is completely customizable to your likes and to what you already have in your kitchen. I used raw chopped almonds, mini chocolate chips (because, duh!!) and sweetened shredded coconut. But any combination of raw or roasted nuts, seeds, dried fruit or other grains like pretzels or cereal would be totally delicious too.

Customizable recipes, or recipes that allow lots of flexibility are the best!! No need to go shopping for one specific ingredient, no need to worry about allergies or dislikes – just use what you have on hand and make it yours!

This recipe was slightly adapted from my Homemade Sweet and Salty Popcorn recipe (aka the most popular recipe on the tiny Always Nourished corner of the internet and for good reason too). I make the popcorn the exact same way and top it with a little sweet and a little salty. If you are short on time or homemade popcorn supplies you could definitely use a pre-popped popcorn like SkinnyPop and continue the same way.

But you guys! Salted Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix is crazy addicting. And the perfect movie night/girls’ night/afternoon snack or a great alternative to chocolate bars and candy at the next Halloween-themed function too. (Or maybe just eat while watching all the scary movies on October 31st…) Everyone will love it!!

Salted Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Total Time: 17 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 cups of trail mix 1x

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Description

Light and fluffy homemade popcorn drizzled with dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt and mix together with nuts, more chocolate and coconut. This Salted Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix is easy to make, gluten free, dairy free and vegan possible and it’s a seriously good snack.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup jumbo popcorn kernels
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate (I used about a quarter of a dark chocolate bar)
• 1 teaspoon butter (or try coconut oil for dairy free and vegan option)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste (a couple good grinds of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt)
• 1/4 cup chopped raw or roasted almonds (or any seed or nut of your choice)
• 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (mini or regular, dark or milk chocolate – your choice)
• 2 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut (or other dried fruit)

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Instructions

1. Add corn kernels to a standard lunch-size brown paper bag and fold the top of the bag over twice, pressing the fold tightly so the bag stays closed.
2. Microwave the paper bag for 2 minutes or until there is a 5 second pause between pops. Remove the bag from the microwave, transfer the popcorn to a baking sheet immediately.
3. Smooth the popcorn into an even layer and remove separate out all the unpopped kernels. Set aside.
4. In a small microwave-safe dish, add butter and chocolate then microwave for 30 seconds, stirring once at 15 seconds or so. Remove from microwave and continue to stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
5. Using a spoon or a small spatula, drizzle the chocolate over top of the popcorn. (Take a spoonful of the melted chocolate and quickly swing the spoon back and forth over the popcorn. Repeat until all the chocolate is used.)
6. Sprinkle the chocolatey popcorn with sea salt. (I use 3 good grinds of my salt mill or you can measure out about 1/4 teaspoon.)
7. Transfer the popcorn to the freezer for 10 minutes. (And only 10 minutes! This helps the chocolate harden quicker without making the popcorn overly stale.)
8. Remove the popcorn from the freezer and add the nuts, chocolate and coconut the pan (or which ever add-ins you are using) and gently toss to combine with your hands or a spoon.
9. Serve immediately or within a couple of hours to avoid the popcorn tasting spongy and stale.

Notes

Prep time includes cooling time.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 minutes