Cuddle up this winter with a tasty mug of hot chocolate popcorn. Made with your favorite popcorn, melted chocolate, cocoa mix, and mini marshmallows, you know this is a seasonal treat you won't soon forget.
Popcorn is one of the easiest go-to snacks we keep in the house, but sometimes it's nice to give it a little "upgrade," and while I truly adore Popcorn with Almond Bark, I often add in other little goodies based on what I have on hand (like I did here and with my White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn).
This hot cocoa popcorn mix is one of the winning recipes we came up with recently, and I'm sure you can see why- Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate in every crunchy bite!
If you love popcorn recipes, make sure to check out my Snickerdoodle Popcorn, Oreo Popcorn, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn.
Why This Recipe Works
- Minimal ingredients. We only need a few things to pull this recipe together, including popcorn, cocoa mix, and white chocolate.
- Easy steps. If you can pop some popcorn and melt some chocolate, you're already skilled enough to make this recipe! It's so simple that my 9-year-old really enjoys stirring everything together. The hardest part is just waiting for the chocolate to set so it's not messy when you eat it (but that's optional if you don't mind the mess).
- Tastes great for days. Assuming that you have any leftovers after the first day, keep it stored in an airtight container and it will still taste great for up to a few days later. I think our record was keeping it on hand for up to a week.
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🥘 Ingredients
Unsalted popcorn- Okay, you can honestly use ANY popcorn for this recipe- salted or unsalted. Just know that there will be a salty sweet combo happening if you choose salted popcorn.
Almond bark- This is what will coat the popcorn so that the dry cocoa mix adheres to the popcorn.
Hot cocoa mix- We prefer to use the ones without dehydrated marshmallows because the tiny marshmallows are a little chewy. Plus, we're adding more in anyways.
Mini marshmallows- Hot chocolate is almost never complete without some mini marshmallows, so we want them to be in our tasty snack mix too.
Chocolate chips- Use milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate to give this cocoa a richer taste in every bite.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make hot chocolate popcorn with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Pop your popcorn and spread the popcorn over the baking sheet. Remove all unpopped kernels (or as many as you can).
In a small bowl, melt the almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each until smooth. It should take about 1-2 minutes.
Drizzle the almond bark over the popcorn.
Toss well to combine.
Sprinkle the hot cocoa mix over the top of the popcorn.
Not all of it will want to cling to the white chocolate and this is okay.
In another bowl, melt your chocolate chips until smooth in the same way as you did the almond bark.
Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the popcorn.
Top with mini marshmallows, aiming for the melted chocolate to hold the marshmallows in place.
Let rest for about an hour until the chocolate has set.
Break apart the popcorn and serve. Enjoy.
🧾 Substitutions
Popcorn. You can use buttery, unflavored, salty, or kettle popcorn (any popcorn of choice) to get a different flavorful combination depending on what you want.
Almond bark. You can replace the almond bark in this recipe with ½ cup of melted white chocolate chips. Note that you may wish to add ½ teaspoon of shortening or coconut oil to the white chocolate as it melts so that it melted more smoothly.
🍴 Recipe Tips
This popcorn recipe will be messy. There's no way around that. You can toss the melted white chocolate over the popcorn with your hands (after letting it cool down for a minute, so you don't burn yourself), or you can toss it together like a salad with large spoons.
Eating it as-is as soon as it's mixed is perfectly fine, but it will be messy. Making it and then giving the chocolate a chance to solidify is a better way to enjoy the popcorn without the sticky mess.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Assuming you don't finish it all in one sitting, you can store leftovers of this easy popcorn recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
💭 FAQs
Yes, using pre-popped popcorn, like storebought popcorn, is a great way to cut down on the effort and time needed to make this recipe. I like to buy bags of popcorn from my local Dollar Tree when I want a simpler snack.
I find that the variations without the mini marshmallows work best because those dehydrated marshmallows can be chewy. You can use your favorite hot cocoa mix, but I like to keep it simple with store brands.
You can easily make this recipe dairy free by using dairy free hot chocolate packets (Swiss Mix has a non-dairy option) and dairy free chocolates (I love the Enjoy Life brand).
More great winter recipes to check out soon
📖 Recipe
Hot Chocolate Popcorn
Ingredients
- 1 bag Unsalted popcorn (6-8 cups popped) ($0.42)
- 1 square Almond bark ($0.98)
- 1 envelope Hot cocoa mix without marshmallows (about 1.3oz) ($0.25)
- ½ cup Chocolate chips ($0.49)
- 1 cup Mini marshmallows ($0.30)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Pop your popcorn and spread the popcorn over the baking sheet. Remove all unpopped kernels (or as many as you can).
- In a small bowl, melt the almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each until smooth. It should take about 1-2 minutes.
- Drizzle the almond bark over the popcorn and then toss well to combine.
- Sprinkle the hot cocoa mix over the top of the popcorn, Not all of it will want to cling to the white chocolate and this is okay.
- In another bowl, melt your chocolate chips until smooth in the same way as you did the almond bark.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the popcorn.
- Top with mini marshmallows, trying to aim for the melted chocolate because it will hold the marshmallows in place.
- Let rest for about an hour until the chocolate has set.
- Break apart the popcorn and serve. Enjoy.
Notes
Substitutions
- Popcorn. You can use buttery, unflavored, salty, or kettle popcorn (any popcorn of choice) to get a different flavorful combination depending on what you want.
Recipe Tips
- This popcorn recipe will be messy, there's no way around that. You can toss the melted white chocolate over the popcorn with your hands (after letting it cool down for a minute so you don't burn yourself) or you can toss it together like a salad with large spoons.
- Eating it as-is as soon as it's mixed is perfectly fine, but it will be messy. Making it and then giving the chocolate a chance to solidify is a better way to enjoy the popcorn without the sticky mess.
- You can use store-bought popped popcorn to cut down on the effort and time needed to make this recipe. I like to buy bags of popcorn from my local Dollar Tree when I want a simpler snack.
- I find that the variations with the mini marshmallows work best because those dehydrated marshmallows can be chewy. You can use your favorite hot cocoa mix, but I like to keep it simple with store brands.
Storage
- Assuming you don't finish it all in one sitting, you can store leftovers of this easy popcorn recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Can I use already popped popcorn?
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