dark chocolate caramel corn

Happy Saturday! I was gonna post again sooner, I swear! I had made you guys some awesome-looking chocolate muffins and I was ready to tell you all about them. But then... I actually tasted them and they were just... blah. Totally not blog-worthy. I was so sad. And THEN, I had to wait for my family to eat all of said muffins before I could make anything new. So, without any more stalling, here is my newest treat! Dark chocolate caramel corn. Mmmmm.

I was at the store earlier today with my little brother, and he wanted me to spend a ridiculous amount of money on some gross 100-calorie packs of chocolate drizzled caramel corn. I told him, "I am not buying those! I can so easily make caramel corn at home, and it will taste so much better!" And you know what he said? "You always say that, but then you never make the stuff." Well, excuuuuse me if you don't remind me! So I made this immediately after dinner, mostly just to prove him wrong. See, I do make treats when I say I will! Hmph. Silly little 10 year old. This caramel corn is sticky, ooey, gooey... and terrible if you have braces. I could hardly eat it cause it glued my mouth shut! But what I did eat of it tasted delicious. Easy treats are the best. Enjoy! Even your inner pre-teen will be pleased.

Dark Chocolate Caramel Corn
Inspired by How Sweet Eats
Yields: one jelly-roll pan of popcorn!

1 regular-sized bag of popcorn, about 6-7 cups popped
4 tablespoon light corn syrup
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking soda
about ½ cup dark chocolate, melted

Pop your popcorn and transfer to a large bowl, discarding all unpopped kernels. Set aside. Prepare a jelly-roll pan by lining it with alumminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray, or some of that handy nonstick foil they sell! Also set aside.
In a medium nonstick saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the corn syrup and brown sugar, and whisk til dissolved. Let simmer for about 4 minutes (without stirring) until it begins to bubble, then cook for several more minutes, stirring occasionally, til amber in color. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Pour the caramel over your prepared popcorn, mixing with a rubber spatula. Once evenly distributed, pour the popcorn mixture onto your lined sheet. Using the spatula, spread the popcorn into a single layer. 
While the caramel hardens, melt the dark chocolate and transfer to a sandwich-size ziploc baggie. Snip the corner, and drizzle evenly over the caramel corn. Let harden at room temperature, or stick in the fridge for several minutes to help the chocolate solidify. Dig in! And be sure to share. 🙂