Description
Christmas Crunch is a festive and delightful white chocolate popcorn treat featuring crunchy pretzel pieces, colorful red and green M&Ms, and a sprinkle of holiday cheer with Christmas sprinkles. This easy no-bake snack is perfect for holiday parties and gift-giving.
Ingredients
Scale
Popcorn Mix
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels (104 g)
- 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel pieces or baby pretzels (75 g)
- 1 (10 oz) bag green and red Milk Chocolate or Mint M&Ms
Coating
- 1 (12 oz) bag Vanilla Candy Melts
- Christmas sprinkles (amount as desired)
Instructions
- Pop the Popcorn: Pop 1/2 cup popcorn kernels in a popcorn popper into a large bowl according to the manufacturer's directions, or use microwave popcorn bags as an alternative. Remove any unpopped kernels for safety and better texture.
- Combine Mix-ins: Add 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel pieces and 1 (10 oz) bag of green and red M&Ms to the popped popcorn, tossing gently to mix evenly.
- Melt Candy Melts: Melt 1 (12 oz) bag of Vanilla Candy Melts in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% power in 30-second intervals. Stir thoroughly after each interval until the candy melts are smooth and fully melted.
- Coat Popcorn - First Drizzle: Drizzle half of the melted vanilla candy melts over the popcorn mixture. Gently fold and toss the mixture a few times with a rubber spatula to distribute the coating.
- Coat Popcorn - Second Drizzle: Drizzle the remaining melted candy melts over the popcorn and stir gently until the mixture is evenly coated. Avoid over-stirring to ensure the Christmas sprinkles will stick properly.
- Set and Decorate: Spread the coated popcorn mixture in a single layer onto wax paper. Immediately sprinkle Christmas sprinkles evenly over the top before the candy melts set and harden.
- Cool and Store: Allow the mixture to cool completely until the candy melts harden. Once set, gently break into pieces and store in an airtight container for freshness.
Notes
- Using 1/2 cup popcorn kernels yields approximately 16 to 17 cups of popped popcorn.
- If you do not have an electric popcorn popper, the microwave brown paper bag method works well.
- 10 oz of M&Ms is sufficient despite previous recipes calling for 12 oz; feel free to add extra if you want more mix-ins.
- For more visible pretzels and M&Ms, set aside 1/4 of each and sprinkle them on top with the Christmas sprinkles.
- This recipe fills about 8 to 9 party treat bags (1/2" x 4" each filled two-thirds full), perfect for gifting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
