Peppermint Bark Popcorn
Looking for a fun holiday snack? This Peppermint Bark Popcorn is a festive and easy recipe to make for the holidays!
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One of our favorite things to do on a chilly Saturday afternoon is pop a big bowl of popcorn and curl up on the couch for a movie. Robbie gets to pick the movie, although I do help steer his choices a bit. The classic Ghostbusters calls to me a bit more than Paw Patrol: The Movie. Call me crazy. However, before we sit down to select the movie, Robbie’s job is to pop the popcorn. He puts the bag in the microwave and hits start. Then he watches as the bag puffs up. (We take over from there since the popcorn is hot.)
The other day, Robbie asked me, “Dad, where does popcorn come from?” I explained that popcorn is corn kernels that literally pop when they get hot. He was a little confused. I realized that when you make popcorn in a microwave, you can’t actually see the popcorn pop. That’s when I decided to make a batch of stovetop popcorn so Robbie could see the popcorn pop. And pop it did – we had popcorn popping everywhere! (Normally you put a lid on the skillet, but I left it off for a couple of seconds so Robbie could watch.)
Peppermint Bark Popcorn
Since it’s the holidays, I decided to take that popcorn and go one step further. We mixed in some white chocolate candy melt and crushed candy canes. A little drizzle of melted chocolate chips after that, and we had a big sheet pan full of Peppermint Bark Popcorn. It was delicious!
Peppermint Bark Popcorn is one of my many favorite treats during the holiday season. Our grocery store sells containers of Peppermint Bark Popcorn, but it’s insanely expensive! This is a really easy recipe to make at home – and that includes making stovetop popcorn. You could use plain microwave popcorn (i.e. no butter) to make this recipe even easier. However, if you have a kid in the house (or just a kid at heart), then I suggest the stovetop version. It’s easy, and it’s a lot of fun!
Taking the cue from the version at our local grocery store, I sprinkled some red and green nonpareils in with the white chocolate candy melt. The additional colors add a festive holiday touch! Apparently nonpareils are known as ‘hundreds and thousands’ outside of North America. Me? I’ve always called them sprinkles. Whatever you call ’em, I highly recommend sprinkling a handful into this Peppermint Bark Popcorn. They don’t add much in the flavor department, but they sure are fun!
While we ate this Peppermint Bark Popcorn during family movie afternoon, this recipe would also be great for neighbor or teacher gifts. It’s easy and tasty, and if you have any little hands around, they are super helpful with shaking the sprinkles on top! Once the popcorn is finished, just bag it up in decorative cellophane bags with a festive holiday ribbon. Nice and easy! (Of course, you might need to make an extra batch so you can nibble a bit while making the bags.) I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do – it’s an easy and fun way to celebrate the holiday season!
Did you make a batch of this Peppermint Bark Popcorn at home? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) so I can see your version!
Peppermint Bark Popcorn
Ingredients
- 2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels ~7 cups popped
- 6 oz. white chocolate candy melt
- 3 candy canes finely crushed
- red and green nonpareils
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Using a large skillet with a lid, add the vegetable oil and popcorn kernels; stir until kernels are well coated.
- Cover skillet and place over medium heat.
- Once the first kernel pops, begin shaking pan back and forth lightly to ensure kernels don’t burn.
- When popping slows to every 3-4 seconds, remove pan from heat and uncover.
- Using a microwave, melt the white chocolate candy melt according to the package instructions.
- Transfer the popcorn into a large bowl. Add the melted candy melt and crushed candy canes; toss until well combined.
- Spread mixture onto a sheet pan lined with wax paper.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.
- Transfer melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (or a sandwich bag with one corner snipped off). Drizzle chocolate evenly on top of popcorn.
- Sprinkle top of popcorn with red and green nonpareils.
- Once cool, break apart and store in an airtight container.
Looking for more festive holiday recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Will be making this soon can i use avocado oil to make this healthier what is red and green nonpareils as wont able to find it in Singapore and can i skip it i never had peppermint park popcorn before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
You may absolutely use avocado oil in this recipe, Ramya! As far as the nonpareils, don’t worry about them – they do add a fun red + green festive look to this popcorn, but they aren’t required for the recipe. I hope you enjoy this treat!
Wow! This looks fun! Very creative, and perfect for the holidays!
Thanks so much, Mimi! Easy + fun and the kids can help make it. 🙂 Happy holidays!
Have you ever watched the Lucy Show? They had a fabulous episode (From season 1, still “white and black”) in which Lucy and Vivian decided to run a popcorn business, They got a large popcorn machine and ended up having a hilarious popcorn situation. If you haven’t watched that episode, you should definitely do that (It’s named “Lucy and Viv Become Tycoons”). It’s epic!
I think this popcorn bark is such a cool idea! And most importantly, it’s super easy (Because who wants to spend our for making desserts around the holidays? We all are busy consuming, I mean, testing cookies for Santa), festive, and versatile!
You know, I’ve never watched the old reruns of that show, Ben. I think I was vaguely aware about the popcorn factory thing, though – maybe I’ve seen a clip somewhere? I’ll have to google it now! And you said it…we need easy desserts for the holidays because we have all that cookie testing to do for Santa. Only the best for the big guy in the red suit!! 🙂
This looks so good David! I love that this Peppermint Bark Popcorn is both delicious, and something the kids can help with. I’ve always got a pair of little hands just dying to “help” 😄 in the kitchen, so I love recipes that my daughter can participate in. We’ll definitely be making this!
I’m always looking for ways to get that kitchen “help!” Of course, sometimes it ends up meaning more cleaning up afterwards…but it’s all about the process and memories! 🙂 This peppermint bark popcorn was a lot of fun, and we all enjoyed it while watching Home Alone!
i don’t actually eat popcorn cos it sticks in my throat – you know all those weird little hard bits? but i do love to watch it pop! such fun. robbie must have loved this.
Haha – I totally get what you mean there, Sherry! I’ll just go ahead and eat your portion of this one, ok? 🙂 And, yes, Robbie loved this recipe – from watching the popcorn to helping mix it all together. It was a fun family activity for sure!
My husband and I are popcorn fanatics and would devour this fun and festive version! Love this for edible gifts and holiday parties too!
While I do love a classic buttered popcorn, I have to say that this peppermint bark version is quite tasty – and perfect for watching Home Alone! 🙂
This is so fun! Love that sweet salty combination. Perfect for watching all those classic Christmas movies!
You said it, Kathy – this is a great snack for watching Christmas movies! Plus, it’s an easy way to get everyone involved in the kitchen. 🙂
Love peppermint bark popcorn during the holidays! Such a classic! And I love how you’ve added nonpareils to it, so festive!
This is a fun (and easy!) recipe to make during the holiday season. We were just talking about making another batch this coming weekend actually! Thanks, Michelle!
OMG this is a great idea! Will definitely serve this on Christmas
This is a great snack for sure, Raymund – and festive for the holiday season, too! 🙂
We love popcorn in my household too! My toddler and I love to curl up with a bowl and watch something – most recently, Home Alone. I adore peppermint (actually justtt published a post on favorite peppermint recipes!) so this recipe sounds awesome.
We totally did the Home Alone thing with a bowl of popcorn here, too, Nicole! Then we turned around and did it again with the Grinch. 🙂 I hope you had a merry Christmas, Nicole! Happy New Year to you and the family, too!
Made a batch of this yesterday for a dinner party with friends. They LOVED it! So much so that I was asked if I could make more for our New Year’s Eve party.
Hey Nancy! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this recipe. It’s a pretty easy treat to make, and it’s quite tasty. And great idea to make it for New Year’s Eve – we might have to do that here, too!! Cheers!