Salty and Sweet

The other night Sy and I were up late watching something or another and we decided it was snack time.  We’ve both become obsessed with the Zebra flavored crack from Popcornopolis but there was not a bag to be found in the house. We discovered this wondrous stuff at Old Navy (not a place I think of for buying food) in the fall and then bought it again at Staples recently for about a dollar less.  Neither of them are open at midnight and besides, we already had pj’s on. What to do? Head for the pantry!

We found a bag of caramel corn from Trader Joe’s, a big block of Hershey’s and some dark chocolate chips leftover from I don’t know when.

So what it probably expired at least a year ago.  It's chocolate.
So what it probably expired at least a year ago. It’s chocolate.

Sy melted the chocolates in separate bowls in the microwave while I spread the caramel corn on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (wax paper would probably work too).  We thought we might have to thin the chocolate a bit (and you might, depending on what brand/kind of chocolate you’re using, the phases of the moon and other mysterious chocolate related issues) so I pulled out the heavy cream as well.

Please excuse the phone pictures.  The good camera was all the way in the study, all 30 feet away.
Please excuse the phone pictures. The good camera was all the way in the study, all 30 feet away.

The chocolate was liquid enough to drizzle just fine straight out of the microwave.  I did the milk chocolate one direction.

IMG_4270And the dark the other just to be fancy.

Doesn't it make your teeth hurt just to look at its sugary goodness.
Doesn’t it make your teeth hurt just to look at its sugary goodness.

Sy ended up eating his in a bowl after mixing it a bit.  He originally wanted to toss the entire batch but I was looking to replicate the Popcornopolis experience as much as possible.  I ended up eating mine straight off the cookie sheet with a spoon because I couldn’t wait for it to cool off much beyond the napalm  stage.  By the time I was done snacking the chocolate was starting to harden.

Eating by the glow of the Christmas tree.
Noshing by the glow of the Christmas tree.

There was a bit left at the end of the evening so I set the cookie sheet aside and let it harden completely.  It took a little under two hours but it’s pretty chilly here and the relative humidity is low.  Warmer and wetter and it’ll take longer.  I put it in an air tight container and tried it the next day.  I thought it was better then the store bought.  No more sneaking it into the cart and hoping the kids don’t see it!  The semi-homemade wasn’t as sweet as the original and I liked the flavor of the real chocolate as opposed to confectioners chocolate.

I wouldn’t mind adding in a layer of white chocolate next time though.

Maybe I should try making it completely from scratch?  Start with brown sugar, butter, and popcorn kernels.

Making it up ahead of time so it can cool and harden properly isn’t a bad idea either.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.