Salted Chile Chocolate Popcorn

I love cooking and baking, and I LOVE watching the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. Yesterday I did a little experimenting because I had a hankering for something chocolaty and something salty so I decided to try making chocolate cover popcorn. 

The ingredients: 

1 bag of microwavable popcorn

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/4 tsp of cocoa chile blend 

a sprinkle of sea salt

The hardware:

baking sheet

parchment paper

small pot 

glass bowl 

spatula and/or spoon

Start by popping the popcorn. I used the microwaveable kind because it's easy and I already had it, but if you're concerned about the sodium level I would recommend stove-top popcorn because you can control the levels salt and oil more easily. 

While the popcorn is popping bring water to a boil. Once the water is boiling I switched the lid of the pot for a bowl that is large enough to sit nicely over the pot without touching the water. Add in the chocolate chips, again you can switch out the chocolate for any kind you like. When the chocolate melted I added in the chile blend. 

Spicy and chocolate seems to be a classic "unexpected" combination on all the food shows. The cocoa chile blend I used contains cocoa powder, chipotle pepper, and paprika. I think cayenne or even a little bit of hot sauce would be a good substitute. 

Once the chocolate and spice is all mixed together add in the popcorn in two batches. Since mine came in a bag I avoided shaking the bag to keep unpopped kernels and the salty oil at the bottom of the bag as much as possible as I scooped the top half of bag into the bowl. 

Gently mix the popcorn and chocolate together. Once everything is coated transfer it to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and add the second batch. 

Spread the popcorn out evenly and sprinkle on a little bit of salt. It might seem unconventional but it really isn't, salt helps bring out the sweet flavor of the chocolate and is another common mix. It'll take a while for the chocolate to set up and since it's pretty much summer where I live it was too warm to keep the popcorn out on the counter so I cooled it down in the refrigerator. 

Once the chocolate is set transfer to an airtight container. I only made this yesterday so I don't know how long it can keep I would guess 2-3 days, but knowing me it won't last that long...

This is a really yummy and easy snack that perfectly combines salty and sweet while the chile blend has a slow, subtle kick to it and if you're a little more adventurous just add more. Hope you enjoy!