There's a funny story how today's 'cookie' came to be. Last night, I was all set to make Butterscotch Haystacks. (No worries, they will come another day. I promise!)
I had melted the butterscotch chips, and was just getting ready to pour in the chow mein noodles to stir and combine, when I decided to taste the butterscotch mixture. Because it's no fun to bake without tasting!
And then, I realized I hadn't melted butterscotch chips. They were definitely peanut butter chips. How can you make BUTTERSCOTCH Haystacks with PEANUT BUTTER chips?? Now, I could have thrown away the peanut butter mixture and just started over. But I'm not one to throw away a $2 bag of baking ingredients!
So, I thought, "What could I do with this melted peanut butter stuff?"
And then I thought of my very favorite kiosk at the mall in the Bean Town. It is a popcorn kiosk, based out of Bluffton. Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn makes the absolute best flavored/chocolate-coated popcorns. And they always have free samples. My favorite is the 'Buckeye'. (can you guess what that's named for?) The 'Buckeye' is a combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel. Gosh, it's so tasty.
So, I had an idea, a brilliant one in my opinion. I decided to make my own version of a gourmet popcorn. I popped some popcorn, and spread it all out on a cookie sheet. I scattered some Christmas M&M's throughout to be festive. And then I drizzled the melted peanut butter chips all over. And then I decided to melt some white chocolate and add that to the mixture, too, along with some Christmas sprinkles.
My Business Man even helped! It was actually his idea to add the sprinkles.
Melt peanut butter chips on MEDIUM in the microwave until melted, stirring about every minute. Drizzle melted peanut butter chips over popcorn. Sprinkle with sprinkles.
Melt white almond bark on MEDIUM in the microwave until melted, stirring about every minute. Drizzle melted almond bark over popcorn. Sprinkle yet again with sprinkles.
Let chocolate set up. Break into small-ish pieces and store in an airtight container. Perfect for holiday gifts!
I had melted the butterscotch chips, and was just getting ready to pour in the chow mein noodles to stir and combine, when I decided to taste the butterscotch mixture. Because it's no fun to bake without tasting!
And then, I realized I hadn't melted butterscotch chips. They were definitely peanut butter chips. How can you make BUTTERSCOTCH Haystacks with PEANUT BUTTER chips?? Now, I could have thrown away the peanut butter mixture and just started over. But I'm not one to throw away a $2 bag of baking ingredients!
So, I thought, "What could I do with this melted peanut butter stuff?"
And then I thought of my very favorite kiosk at the mall in the Bean Town. It is a popcorn kiosk, based out of Bluffton. Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn makes the absolute best flavored/chocolate-coated popcorns. And they always have free samples. My favorite is the 'Buckeye'. (can you guess what that's named for?) The 'Buckeye' is a combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel. Gosh, it's so tasty.
This would be super-cute all packaged up in a little tin. The perfect gift for a neighbor, co-worker, or mail-person.
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| Or for that jolly old man who comes just once a year! |
And did I mention that it's pretty addicting? That salty-sweet combo that you just can't stay away from.
Speaking of salty-sweet combos, I keep seeing recipes for baked goods with bacon in them. (Brownies with a layer of bacon in the middle, maple-bacon cupcakes, ...) Has anyone out there tried anything like this? Is it good?
My favorite salty-sweet combo would have to be dark-chocolate covered pretzels. Trader Joe's makes a dark-chocolate pretzel 'slim' which is my absolute favorite. The ratio of chocolate:pretzel is much greater than the normal ones.
Question: What's your favorite salty-sweet combo?
White-Chocolate-Peanut Butter Coated Popcorn
Servings/Yield
8-10 cups- 2 packages microwave popcorn, popped
- 1 bag peanut butter chips
- 6 oz. white almond bark
- 1 cup m&m's
- sprinkles
Method
Spread out popcorn onto foil-lined baking sheets. Remove any unpopped kernels. (To avoid anyone breaking a tooth.) Scatter m&m's throughout popcorn.Melt peanut butter chips on MEDIUM in the microwave until melted, stirring about every minute. Drizzle melted peanut butter chips over popcorn. Sprinkle with sprinkles.
Melt white almond bark on MEDIUM in the microwave until melted, stirring about every minute. Drizzle melted almond bark over popcorn. Sprinkle yet again with sprinkles.
Let chocolate set up. Break into small-ish pieces and store in an airtight container. Perfect for holiday gifts!
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