Salted Caramel Easter Popcorn
You may have noticed I am a little obsessed with popcorn. I’ve recently made Biscoff Cookie Popcorn, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn, and Twix Caramel Popcorn. I am having way too much fun with popcorn:) My latest creation is Salted Caramel Easter Popcorn. This popcorn is magical. There is something about it that will not let me stop eating it. I haven’t figure it out yet, so I keep eating. It is part of my research:) I am getting closer though. I think it has something to do with the caramel marshmallow popcorn that has a kick of sea salt, pretzel pieces, and Pretzel M&M’s. All of those ingredients in one popcorn bowl can only lead to addiction.
I love a good sweet and salty treat and this popcorn has the perfect balance of sugar and salt. The popcorn and pretzels get drenched in a salted caramel marshmallow mixture. I added a little red food coloring to turn the popcorn pink for Easter. You can use a different color or just leave the popcorn plain. I also stirred in Easter Pretzel M&M’s. They add a nice pop of spring color and the chocolate salty crunch goes nicely with the popcorn.
This Salted Caramel Easter Popcorn is a great spring and Easter treat. You will want to eat the entire batch all by yourself, but try to resist because this popcorn makes a great gift. Place the popcorn in bags and tie a pretty little ribbon around the end and you have a festive homemade gift. You can also put the popcorn in little Easter eggs and hide them or add them to an Easter basket.
Get in the Easter mood and make a batch of this Salted Caramel Easter Popcorn. It is easy to make and fun to share and to munch on!
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Salted Caramel Easter Popcorn
Yield: About 8 cups popcorn
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
This sweet and salty popcorn treat is perfect for Easter and spring time snacking!
Ingredients:
6 cups plain popped popcorn
2 cups coarsely chopped salted pretzels
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Drop of red food coloring-if you want to make the popcorn pink for Easter
1 1/2 cups Easter Pretzel M&M'sDirections:
1. In a large bowl, combine popcorn and pretzels. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to a boil over medium high heat. Boil, undisturbed, until mixture is amber in color, for about 8-12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream. Be careful because the mixture will bubble up. Stir until smooth and add vanilla extract, marshmallows, and drop of red food coloring-if using. Stir until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth.
2. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pretzels and gently stir with a rubber spatula until popcorn is well coated. Stir in the pretzel M&M's. Transfer mixture to a large baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool completely.
Note-I used air popped popcorn, but stove or microwave popcorn will work as well. I used red food coloring to make the popcorn pink for Easter. I also used Easter Pretzel M&M's. You can always change up the color or leave the popcorn plain. And feel free to stir in your favorite M&M's or other Easter candy. Robin Eggs or Mini Cadbury Eggs would be good too!
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SaveIf you like this Salted Caramel Easter Popcorn, you might also like:
- Candied Popcorn from Heather Christo Cooks
- Party Popcorn from She Wears Many Hats
- Chewy M&M Chex Mix from Enchanted Mommy
Welcome to Two Peas and Their Pod. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. Join us in our culinary adventures-our kitchen is always open! 
This popcorn looks scrumptious! Can’t wait to try it. You are so creative with your recipes!
love this one Maria!
Great idea for Easter! Although I’m thinking I may wait until after Easter, melt all the candy, and pour it over popcorn!
So you’re officially both the cookie AND the popcorn queen! That is a lot of titles to hold…but you so deserve it. This sweet/salty festive blend looks amazing!
This is crack any way you look at it! I would jump right in that tub.
I’ve been meaning to make caramel corn again for some time now…this looks like just the perfect way to do it!
Looks like the perfect snack!
this is the perfect Easter afternoon snack!
I love that salty sweet combination too. I think this would be gone in a bout 3 seconds flat at my house.
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I have a question… how long will this popcorn stay good for?? I want to make it to put in my family’s Easter basket, but will be traveling so I would have to make it ahead of time and wondered how long the popcorn would stay good. It looks absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to try it out!
Two Peas replied: — March 29th, 2012 @ 1:52 pm
It will stay good 3-4 days as long as it is in an air-tight container. Enjoy!
I love the colors on this one. Your photos are so bright and inviting. Thanks for this creative twist–I am going to make this with a few substitutions.
White Chocolate popcorn is a favorite in my family. It is so simple…two microwaveable bags of the Tender White Popcorn and one bag of white chocolate chips or one bag of your color choice of candy melts. Pop the popcorn and melt the chocolate. Stir together and lay out onto wax paper to allow chocolate to dry. MMMM!!!
Love this idea! I was eating the M&M’s one day and had the thought of having popcorn with them. Now I will have to make some.
I have been going through bags of Kettle corn recently…it’s my new favorite TV snack. Love this recipe!
Yummy popcorn! We made birthday cake popcorn for the Oscar party we attended and that went over very well… this one would be great to try for a movie night!
If you have to have an obsession – popcorn is a good one to choose!
This looks amazing!! So festive too!
Super pretty popcorn, shame to eat it! )
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Best invention ever.
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Wonder if we could make this a few days ahead (in bulk) and use this at my daughter’s outdoor casual wedding? Do you think it would stay fresh?
Kimmie
mama to 8
one homemade and 7 adopted
Two Peas replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 11:53 pm
Yes, you can make it in advance. I wouldn’t make it any further in advance than 3-4 days though.
I just made this and followed the recipe to a T. (it’s hard to measure out 6 cups of popcorn but we popped 1/2 cup on the stove in oil, so I’m sure it’s about 8 cups maybe). This is very good. It has no specific flavor, I’d say, but it’s sweet and “caramaly” flavored. The pretzels and m&m’s are necessary, in my opinion. They really give it a nice balance. The pink is also necessary. We did 2 drops of NEON pink and it’s so stinkin’ pretty! Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to serve it tomorrow for our guests and make it again for the Easter party next weekend!
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Thanks for linking up Maria!
I featured your post in my wrap up! http://tidymom.net/2012/12-easter-ideas/
Have a great weekend!
Just made this popcorn! I substituted the M&Ms with Cadbury Mini Eggs and it turned out AMAZING. Such a great recipe, I have all my roommates sneaking into the kitchen to pick at it before it has cooled! Thanks so much
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I just made this tonight with my daughter. It is so amazing!!!! Thanks for such an amazing recipe
Recipe says “pretzel M & M’s”. Do you mean peanut ? Thanks for all your wonderful ideas. Gonna make this today, and probably have to do it again before Easter for I am a popcorn freak also! Happy Easter to you and yours!
Two Peas replied: — April 2nd, 2012 @ 10:11 am
I used pretzel M&M’s, but if you prefer peanut you can use those!
I’m not what I did wrong, but it came out so sticky and never really hardened like carmel popcorn. I wanted so badly for this to work to take to the office. Any suggestions?
Two Peas replied: — April 2nd, 2012 @ 12:17 pm
Maybe you didn’t boil it long enough?
I pulled it off at 250 degrees (hard ball stage). your directions said Amber in color, which I always thought was burning the sugar.
Such a cute recipe!! I’m making it right now! When do you add in the food coloring?
Two Peas replied: — April 3rd, 2012 @ 9:37 am
When you are mixing in the marshmallows. See the recipe.
How long do you think this would stay fresh for? I wanna make some for my nephews for Easter, but I wanna try to do some of the food prep ahead of time, so I don’t feel like a crazy lady on the day of.
Two Peas replied: — April 3rd, 2012 @ 2:40 pm
You can make it 3-4 days ahead of time. Just keep it in an air tight container. Enjoy!
I gave this recipe a try this weekend. Great ingredients, but it ended up being something more akin to Rice Krispie bars–sticky everywhere–than the great photos you have above. Don’t get me wrong, my co-workers still devoured them (even after a few more than one drop of red food coloring left everything an interesting shade of crimson). But any thoughts on what I did wrong, and how to keep the result from being so tacky?
Two Peas replied: — April 3rd, 2012 @ 2:38 pm
The popcorn sticks together so you will have clumps, you can break them up though.
Does anyone know how long this will last? Can I make it and store it?
Two Peas replied: — April 4th, 2012 @ 9:02 am
It will last for 3-4 days if you keep it in an air tight container! Ours didn’t last that long though:) It is addicting!
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