This Christmas Popcorn recipe (also known as Christmas Crunch or Santa Munch) is such a festive holiday treat and easy to prepare. The Holiday White Chocolate Popcorn Snack Mix is a great combination of sweet and savory tastes and wonderful for serving at a casual holiday party or family snack for a Christmas movie night.
The M&M and red and green festive sprinkles topped party popcorn mixture also makes a nice edible gift. The chocolate coated salty popcorn tossed with candies makes a fabulous flavor contrast. Everyone will enjoy this Christmas treat, even Santa!
Christmas Popcorn Recipe: Kids can Help!
This Christmas Popcorn recipe is appropriate for children of various ages to help make a homemade popcorn treat. The only cooking appliance used to make a batch of this Holiday White Chocolate Popcorn Snack Mix is the microwave. While the hot candy melts
used should obviously not be handled by younger children, older kids can easily handle that step.
The little ones won’t be left out though when making Christmas Popcorn. They can measure the white chocolate candy melts, listening for the popcorn to stop popping, and off course adding lots of colorful holiday sprinkles.
This fun white chocolate covered Christmas Popcorn treat is made festivity ready with lot plenty of holiday sprinkles and a generous dose of Christmas Peanut M&M's
. A holiday snack mix combination that both kids and adults will love. It is a great break from some of the heavier sweets of the season.
The Christmas Popcorn recipe can be prepared the evening before if you like. If you store it in an airtight container you could even make it a few days before your event.
Making the Holiday Popcorn Snack Mix
The holiday season is particularly hectic for many people. Because of this, I simplified this white chocolate covered popcorn a little more than some of the others I've done in the past. The popcorn is just tossed in white chocolate. It is not two tone like some I've done and I used candy melts drizzle pouches to cut down on clean up.
Total time to make the popcorn Christmas treat: 10 minutes (5 minutes prep, 5 minutes cook)
What you Need
- 1 bag of microwave popcorn (classic butter popcorn is fine)
- 1 cup white chocolate candy melts
- red candy melt drizzle pouch
- green candy melt drizzle pouch
- holiday sprinkles
- Christmas Peanut M & Ms
Steps to Make Christmas Popcorn:
- Microwave your popcorn. Once you are done popping the popcorn, dump it into a large bowl and remove the unpopped popcorn kernels. No one wants to bite a hard popcorn kernel disguised by chocolate.
- Place the white chocolate candy melts in microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Zap for 30 seconds then stir and repeat in 10-20 second intervals. You want the chocolate melted and smooth. This took about one minute total in my microwave. Do not overcook your chocolate candy melts, they will get clumpy on you. Use small intervals as directed!
- Pour the melted white chocolate over the popped popcorn and toss to coat. Then spread the coated popcorn out onto a large serving platter.* Toss a few Christmas sprinkles on the mixture. They will adhere while the candy is still warm.
- Melt the candy melt drizzle packs according to directions (these melt really fast). Drizzle over the platter of coated popcorn. Immediately top the platter off with more sprinkles and a plenty of the colorful Christmas M & Ms.
*If you plan to bag the popcorn up, spread it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper instead. This makes placing in bags and clean-up easier.
Enjoy the easy Christmas treats with your family!
Chocolate for Christmas Popcorn
As I've mentioned above it is very important not to overcook your chocolate candy melts. They do need to be melted and smooth, but those last few chunks will generally dissolve with a little stirring.
White Chocolate
While I used Wilton Candy Melts in this recipe, any good white melting chocolate or white Almond Bark can be used. DO NOT buy regular white chocolate chips and expect good results. They are tricky to melt.
Just remember low heat is your friend with this.
Colored Chocolate
I suggest purchasing the colors you want as is. Adding color can often clump chocolate. This is why so many colors are so readily available for purchase. If you just need a subtle tint, a little gel food coloring or natural powdered pigment such as beet or matcha powder may be successfully added.
Topping Variations
While I went with red and green M & Ms and Christmas sprinkles as toppings, experiment with your own favorite holiday treats. For peppermint flavor add Crushed candy canes or chopped Andes mints. Mini marshmallows would also be a tasty choice.
Homemade Edible Holiday Gift Idea
The sweet and salty popcorn is a lovely homemade gift too. Simply store the delicious Christmas treats in holiday themed tins or other type of airtight container.
For party favors or individual snack bags, package the gourmet popcorn in brown paper bags tied with festive ribbon. Perhaps tie candy canes on each for an easy edible decoration.
More Fun Christmas Recipes:
- Snowman Pretzels
- Gingerbread Boy Christmas Rice Krispies Treats
- Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
- Hot Cocoa Dip
- Candy Cane Marshmallows for Your Hot Cocoa
Set out a bowl of this Christmas Popcorn along with a few cups of hot chocolate and you have yourself an instant holiday celebration!
Christmas Popcorn Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bag of microwave popcorn
- 1 cup white chocolate candy melts
- red candy melt drizzle pouch
- green candy melt drizzle pouch
- holiday sprinkles
- Christmas Peanut M & Ms
Instructions
- Pop the bag of popcorn and remove the unpopped kernels.
- Place the white chocolate candy melts in microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup.
- Microwave candy melts for 30 seconds then stir, repeat in 10-20 second intervals until melted and smooth. It only took about a minute total in my microwave.
- Drizzle over the bowl of popped popcorn and toss to coat, use your hands if necessary to ensure a nice coating. Then spread the coated popcorn out onto a large serving platter (or a baking tray/cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper , if you are going to bag the popcorn up after). Toss on a few holiday sprinkles. They will adhere while the candy is still warm.
- Melt each of the drizzle packs and drizzle over the platter of popcorn, immediately top with more sprinkles and a generous amount of the Christmas M & Ms.
- Allow the Christmas popcorn to cool before serving or packaging for later use.
Nutrition
Justine says
This is one of our favorite snacks! The kids love picking out the colors we use. I love that you added M&Ms to this one!
Renee Goerger says
I like to give this for gifts at Christmas. Everyone loves it!!
Sharon D says
We made so many batches of this today. Can't wait to pass bags of this popcorn out this week.