Candy Cane White Chocolate Popcorn

Looking for a last minute snack or hostess gift that is easy to make, quick and budget-friendly too? Try this Candy Cane White Chocolate Popcorn! With only three ingredients, you can prepare several batches and package it nicely in cellophane bags tied with a festive ribbon for gifting!

When it comes to snacking, I will always choose salty and savoury snacks over a snack that’s sweet. Sometimes, in our home, that can mean you’ll simply go without. Both John.e and McKenna are sugar addicts, and would much prefer chocolate over chips or popcorn. But, when it comes to popcorn, I like them both equally. And, even though I love salty and savoury snacks, I could not keep my hands out of the Candy Cane White Chocolate Popcorn bowl!

If I’m making popcorn at home, most of the time I’ll make either a butter salt popcorn, or one like the one you see in front of you. This popcorn has white chocolate and candy canes, but surprisingly, it’s not overly sweet. The reason for this is that the popcorn to chocolate ratio is quite large. I used two cups of melted white chocolate to coat 16 cups of popped pop corn.

When it comes to popcorn, we always buy the Three Sisters brand, because we love the taste. It’s organic and we always buy the variety pack. The kernels are a little smaller when popped, but the taste is super fresh. This is not a sponsored post, and I’m not pushing the brand on you, but if you ever see it in your travels, try it and let me know what you think! It’s a little pricey, but if you’re a popcorn fan, like we are, then it’s worth it. This time around though, I used regular Orville Redenbacher.

Like in many of my other recipes, I often state that if the recipe requires only a few key ingredients, then you should use the best that you can afford. If you can only afford one better quality ingredient, then it should be the white chocolate since that is the most dominant flavour in this particular recipe.

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my third holiday series for this year. So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Candy Cane Recipes Series. Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Popcorn – You can buy popped plain popcorn or pop your corn at home in an air popper.
• White Chocolate – Use really good white chocolate because there are not a lot of ingredients in this recipe to mask the taste of mediocre chocolate.
• Crushed Candy Canes

HOW TO MAKE CANDY CANE WHITE CHOCOLATE POPCORN

Measure the popcorn into a very large mixing bowl. If you do not have a large bowl, halve the ingredients and make two batches if needed. Melt the chocolate and pour evenly over the popcorn. The best way to evenly coat the popcorn with the chocolate is with a rubber spatula. Gently toss and toss repeatedly until all of the popcorn is well coated.

Once the popcorn and chocolate have been mixed together, evenly sprinkle over the crushed candy canes. Spread the popcorn out onto large rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Set aside for 1-2 hours to allow the chocolate to cool and firm up.

Package into cellophane bags for gifting. If you plan to keep the popcorn for yourself, you can store it in a large bowl with a lid or simply transfer to large Ziploc bags.

NO-BAKE RECIPES

I used to think that the term no-bake meant that a recipe was more of an assembly-type recipe. Something like a salad, for example. It sounds simple enough, right? Toss the lettuce and any other veggies you want into a bowl. Top it with cheese, croutons, avocado, hard-boiled egg, etc. Add some dressing and you’re all done! But, no-bake actually just means no baking. There still might be some stove-top cooking needed – or even a microwave, for that matter.

Some other no-bake-type holiday recipes you might enjoy are these Rudolph’s Red Nose Cookies. Hairy Moose Droppings are delicious and always quite the conversation starter! Just like these Caramel Peanut Slices were a favourite of my mom’s so were these Marshmallow Coconut Balls and so were these Christmas Crunch Cookies. You can find many more no-bake cookie recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen by using the search field at the top of this page.

MAKING YOUR OWN CRUSHED CANDY CANES

If you don’t want to use the red and white crushed candy canes that you can find just about anywhere this time of year, you can crush your own candy canes by placing unwrapped, broken candy canes into a sturdy bag and firmly rolling over them with a wooden rolling pin.

Either way you look at it, the candy canes should not be crushed too finely. Many times, you’ll find they have too much powder, meaning that they have been crushed too much. You want chunky pieces in order to get the red and white speckled pattern.

I’ve tried crushing them myself and have crushed them a little too much. Even the type you buy in the store can sometimes have too much candy cane dust. You can easily fix it by filtering out the dust. Working in small amounts, place a heaping spoonful of the crushed candy canes into a colander. Sift out the dust so that you are left with nice little pieces.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!