poppy chow.

An adorable name, yet strangely off-putting due to its likeness to dog food. In fact, the actual version, puppy chow, actually suggests this. I gather that it is Crispix cereal coated in a chocolate-peanut butter-powdered sugar mixture, but because this version uses popcorn instead, hence the word poppy. Get it?

This is the other flavour of popcorn I was referring to in a previous post. I quite like this too and I can't seem to decide which I like better, this or the caramel one. I love the hardened pools of fudginess in the nooks and crannies of the popcorn where it didn't get mixed evenly but the downside is that it gets soggy more quickly, especially in my kind of weather.

Even though the recipe suggests 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar to coat, I found that I only needed 1/4 cup for a half batch, 1/2 cup for a full. The icing sugar not only makes the poppy chow looks like it has been buried under a layer of angelic snow, but when coating the surfaces of the popcorn, it somehow stops the chocolate-peanut butter coating from melting and plastering to the sides of whichever unfortunate container you are using.

I used pretzels in this mix again! Chocolate-peanut butter coated pretzels? Need I say more?

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Popcorn {Poppy Chow}

recipe taken from Brown Eyed Baker

9 cups plain popcorn
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups powdered sugar *I needed only 1/2 cup

Optional but very delicious: mini pretzels, crushed and salted peanuts

Put the popcorn in a very large bowl.

In a microwave (at 50% power) or over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter until melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour the chocolate mixture all over the popcorn. Using a large spoon, stir until all of the popcorn is evenly coated with the chocolate/peanut butter mixture.

Sift the powdered sugar over the chocolate-covered popcorn and stir until each piece is evenly coated. Spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate is set. *I let it set first before stirring the powdered sugar. So the order goes like this- sift, set, stir.

Break it up and serve! Store leftovers in an airtight container.