Chocolate Christmas Popcorn Recipe
This Chocolate Christmas Popcorn Recipe takes movie night snacking to a new level during the holiday season! I love combining two of our favorite things – popcorn and chocolate – into one irresistible treat.
My kids fall in love with this sweet and salty combo, and it’s become our go-to Christmas Eve snack while watching holiday movies. It takes just minutes to make, and you can customize it with different toppings to match your Christmas theme or satisfy picky eaters.
The red jelly beans and mini marshmallows make it look like Santa’s favorite snack bowl! I can’t tell you how often people ask me for this recipe at holiday gatherings.
If chocolate isn’t your thing, check out these 15+ Easy Holiday Popcorn Recipes for other festive options!
Chocolate Christmas Popcorn Recipe
Melting the chocolate and peanut butter together creates an amazingly smooth coating that perfectly hugs each popcorn kernel. The trick is warming them in short bursts. Get too excited with the microwave, and you’ll end up with seized chocolate (trust me, I learned this the hard way!).
The peanut butter isn’t just there for flavor. It helps the chocolate stay softer and adds a rich, nutty depth that plain chocolate popcorn lacks.
I love adding the garnishes right before serving. The warmth from the popcorn slightly melts the marshmallows, creating these gooey little pockets of sweetness. And those red jelly beans? They’re like little edible Christmas ornaments scattered throughout!
How long does chocolate popcorn stay fresh?
This is trickier than you’d think! While regular popcorn can last for days, chocolate-covered popcorn needs special attention. Let me break it down:
From what I’ve experienced, it’s best eaten within 24 hours of making it. The chocolate coating helps protect the popcorn from going stale, but the marshmallows can get weird if left out too long.
If you need to store it, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature, away from heat sources or direct sunlight. Just don’t refrigerate it. The moisture in the fridge makes the popcorn soggy, and the chocolate can develop that weird white film called bloom. Nobody wants that!
Specialty Ingredients:
The following ingredients are affiliate links on Amazon because they may be a bit hard to find in your normal store. I wanted you to be able to see exactly which things we are using.
Reminder, not all ingredients in the Holiday Chocolate Popcorn Mix Recipe are linked above, just the ones that may be a bit difficult to find or that you might be unsure of what to look for.
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Must Have Resources:
When making Christmas Chocolate-Drizzled Popcorn at home, you really need to have the following Amazon affiliate tools on hand.
Make it a Meal:
I’m big on meal planning because it saves me time and stress during busy holidays. When I serve this as part of a Christmas movie night, here’s my full spread:
Main Dish: Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe
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Vegetable Side: Bacon and Broccoli Salad Recipe
Starch Side: Loaded Baked Potato Casserole Recipe
Refreshing Drink: Candy Apple Mocktail Recipe
Best Christmas Snack Recipes:
After making this chocolatey holiday popcorn, your sweet tooth might be craving more festive treats!
These Grinch Marshmallow Pops are adorably green and perfect for kids!
You’ll fall in love with the sweet simplicity of The Best Christmas Puppy Chow Recipe!
The Chocolate Christmas Tree Pretzel Sticks look like mini Christmas trees and taste amazing!
Red Velvet Sugar Christmas Cookies bring such gorgeous color to any cookie platter!
Christmas Chex Mix fills your home with the coziest holiday spices!
The Grinch Snack Mix Recipe is always the first to disappear at parties!
Easy Peppermint Bark Cupcakes combine two holiday favorites into one fantastic treat!
Is this popcorn kid-friendly to make?
This popcorn treat is kid-friendly! My little ones love helping me make it, and I’ve found some safe ways to include them.
They’re pros at lining the cookie sheet with wax paper and adding the fun garnishes at the end – those mini marshmallows and jelly beans never make it all onto the popcorn, though, if you know what I mean!
I only handle the chocolate melting and mixing because hot chocolate can be tricky and messy. I let the kids pour the popcorn into the bowl and supervise the decorating.
It’s become one of our favorite Christmas cooking activities, and they feel so proud serving their creation during movie night!
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More Popcorn Recipes:
- Skittles Popcorn Recipe
- Muddy Buddy Popcorn Recipe
- Cotton Candy Popcorn Recipe
- M&M Popcorn Recipe
- Gourmet Cinnamon Popcorn Recipe
Chocolate Christmas Popcorn Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 -5 Cup(s) popped popcorn
- 1 Cup(s) of chocolate chips
- ½ Cup(s) of peanut butter
- Red jelly beans garnish
- Walnut garnish
- Mini marshmallows garnish
Instructions
- Add wax paper to a baking sheet and set it aside.
- Put the popped popcorn into a large bowl and set it aside.
- Add the chocolate chips and the peanut butter into a different microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30-second intervals. Make sure that it’s melted completely.
- Pour the melted mixture into the bowl of popcorn. Use a spatula and fold it all together to coat evenly.
- Once covered and coated, pour it onto the lined baking sheet. Let it set for at least 30 minutes to firm.
- Garnish with jelly beans, mini marshmallows, and walnuts.
Nutrition
This holiday popcorn has saved me during those last-minute “I need to bring something to the party” moments – it takes just 30 minutes and always disappears first from the snack table! I’ve even caught my chocolate-hating nephew sneaking third helpings of this stuff!
