Beautiful Life Magazine

Make your Valentine a sweet treat this Valentine’s Day with this delicious and easy-to-make Valentine Popcorn!

Did you know that there are some people who don’t like dark chocolate? I know, I’m clutching my pearls too. I wouldn’t have believed it myself, but apparently I’m friends with a few of them! With some it’s an allergy issue, with others it’s just a matter of taste, but no matter the reason, it really puts a crimp in my edible gift-giving style! I’m such a chocolate lover, I always gravitate to chocolate desserts myself, so I have to think outside of the box when I’m making treats for these chocolate-phobes.

This Valentine Popcorn snack mix starts with a bright pink, crunchy popcorn that’s packed with strawberry flavor. It’s totally addicting and really good on its own, so if you want to keep things simple you can just make the popcorn and call it a day. If you’re game, though, we’re going to take things up a notch and add a bit of white chocolate coating and a big sprinkle of fun Valentine’s Day candies. I admit I cheated a bit on my no-chocolate promise and added some M&Ms, but you can customize it any way you’d like–I think this would also look really cute with conversation hearts!

VALENTINE’S POPCORN

INGREDIENTS

• 3 oz packet microwave popcorn (to yield 12 cups popped)
• 2 oz (1/4 cup) butter
• 2 3/4 oz (1/4 cup) light corn syrup
• 3 1/2 oz (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
• 3 oz packet strawberry gelatin (not sugar-free variety)
• 9 oz white melting chocolate wafers
• 1 1/2 cups assorted Valentine’s candies

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Pop the microwave popcorn according to the package directions, and pour the popped popcorn into a large bowl.
2. Place the butter and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir until the butter is melted. Add the sugar and strawberry gelatin, and stir until they are dissolved. Bring the mixture to a low boil, and, stirring occasionally, boil it for 4 minutes.
3. After 4 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and pour the sugar syrup over the popcorn in the bowl. Stir until the popcorn is coated. Scrape the popcorn out onto the baking sheet and spread it into a thin layer. Bake the popcorn for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, then remove it from the oven and separate any big popcorn clusters. Let it cool completely at room temperature—as it cools it will get nice and crispy!
4. The fruity popcorn is good on its own, but for Valentine’s Day, we’re going to take it one step further and add white chocolate. Melt the white chocolate melting wafers in a large bowl in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Add the cooled popcorn and stir until the popcorn is coated. Spread the popcorn in an even layer back out on the baking sheet.
5. While the white chocolate is still wet, scatter the Valentine’s candies all over the top, pressing down slightly to embed them in the chocolate. Reserve some of the candy to toss with the finished popcorn later. Refrigerate the tray briefly to set the white chocolate, for about 15 minutes. Once set, break the popcorn into pieces and toss it with the remaining candy. Store this popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

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Valentine Popcorn

Course

Dessert, Starter

Servings

Ingredients

• 12 cups microwave popcorn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 oz packet strawberry gelatin (not sugar-free variety)
• 9 oz white melting chocolate wafers
• 1 1/2 cups assorted Valentine’s candies 

Course Dessert, Starter Servings Ingredients 12 cups microwave popcorn 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 oz packet strawberry gelatin (not sugar-free variety) 9 oz white melting chocolate wafers 1 1/2 cups assorted Valentine’s candies

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Pop the microwave popcorn according to the package directions, and pour the popped popcorn into a large bowl.
2. Place the butter and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir until the butter is melted. Add the sugar and strawberry gelatin, and stir until they are dissolved. Bring the mixture to a low boil, and, stirring occasionally, boil it for 4 minutes.
3. After 4 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and pour the sugar syrup over the popcorn in the bowl. Stir until the popcorn is coated. Scrape the popcorn out onto the baking sheet and spread it into a thin layer. Bake the popcorn for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, then remove it from the oven and separate any big popcorn clusters. Let it cool completely at room temperature—as it cools it will get nice and crispy!
4. The fruity popcorn is good on its own, but for Valentine's Day, we're going to take it one step further and add white chocolate. Melt the white chocolate melting wafers in a large bowl in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Add the cooled popcorn and stir until the popcorn is coated. Spread the popcorn in an even layer back out on the baking sheet.
5. While the white chocolate is still wet, scatter the Valentine's candies all over the top, pressing down slightly to embed them in the chocolate. Reserve some of the candy to toss with the finished popcorn later. Refrigerate the tray briefly to set the white chocolate, for about 15 minutes. Once set, break the popcorn into pieces and toss it with the remaining candy. Store this popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

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