CHOCOLATE COVERED POPCORN: A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS!

The Academy Awards are tomorrow night. For "A Night at the Movies" or a Night About the Movies, one must have Popcorn -- dressed appropriately for the occasion. Here's a simple recipe worthy of Oscar viewing: Chocolate Covered Popcorn. 

You can use dark or white chocolate -- or both. Just drizzle some great melted chocolate over your air-popped Popcorn. Drizzle sparingly. Less is more!

CHOCOLATE COVERED POPCORN

Make a bag of popcorn (buttered or plain) and pop it according to the directions.

Put popped popcorn into large bowl or flat baking pan (for more even distribution).

Melt dark or white chocolate or both (in separate bowls) in top of double boiler (or in microwave).

Drizzle chocolate on popcorn. You can always add more chocolate, but you can't remove it, so use sparingly.

RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN: 3 Recipes for A Night at the Oscars!

Roll out the Red Carpet for the Academy Awards. Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn (3 ways) is the perfect snack for tonight's Oscars!

A Night at the Oscars with Red Velvet Red Carpet Popcorn!

I. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN

Ingredients
1 cup red velvet cake crumbs  (make your own cake or buy one at the bakery - a few unfrosted cupcakes will do)
2 Tbsp unsalted  butter
2 Tbsp Madagascar vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 cups popcorn, popped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350.
Spread cake crumbs on baking sheet. Bake 8 - 10 minutes until toasted. Cool.
Melt butter, vanilla, sugar, salt and mix.
Toss popcorn with butter mixture.
Microwave white chocolate chips or melt in double boiler; stir until smooth.
Drizzle over popcorn until evenly coated.
Toss in cake crumbs.

II. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN
Recipe adapted from CassieCraves, adapted from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients
8 cups popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped kernels or 2 bags)
3 cups red velvet cake crumbs
12 ounces white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions
Pour popcorn into large bowl. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler.
Pour melted chocolate over popcorn and stir gently to coat completely.
Pour popcorn onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets and sprinkle with red velvet crumbs.
Melt dark chocolate chips in microwave or double boiler. Using fork, drizzle over popcorn.
Let popcorn set completely before eating.

Want to make Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn Balls? Here's a recipe adapted from IcyViolet's Kitchen. It's quite heavenly--and very rich.

III. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN BALLS

Ingredients
12 ounces white chocolate 
1/4 cup cream cheese
1-1/4 cup white cake mix
1/4 cup DARK cocoa powder
2 tsp red food coloring (or 1/4 tsp red food gel)
1/4 cup corn kernels
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: 
Put 1/4 cup corn kernels in large pot with Tbsp olive oil over medium to medium high heat...they will heat up and start popping. When popping lessens and stops. it's done. Measure out six cups and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Add cream cheese to chocolate and stir until melted.
Add cake mix, cocoa, and red food coloring to chocolate mixture and stir.
Pour coating onto popcorn and coat evenly.
Pour popcorn onto cookie sheets to cool/harden and shape into popcorn balls

A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS: Roll out the Red Velvet Red Carpet Popcorn

Roll out the Red Carpet for the Academy Awards. Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn (3 ways) is the perfect snack!

Roll out the Red Velvet Red Carpet Popcorn!

I. RED VELVET RED CARPET POPCORN

Ingredients
1 cup red velvet cake crumbs  (make your own cake or buy one at the bakery - a few unfrosted cupcakes will do)
2 Tbsp unsalted  butter
2 Tbsp Madagascar vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 cups popcorn, popped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350.
Spread cake crumbs on baking sheet. Bake 8 - 10 minutes until toasted. Cool.
Melt butter, vanilla, sugar, salt and mix.
Toss popcorn with butter mixture.
Microwave white chocolate chips or melt in double boiler; stir until smooth.
Drizzle over popcorn until evenly coated.
Toss in cake crumbs.

II. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN
Recipe adapted from CassieCraves, adapted from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients
8 cups popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped kernels or 2 bags)
3 cups red velvet cake crumbs
12 ounces white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions
Pour popcorn into large bowl. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler.
Pour melted chocolate over popcorn and stir gently to coat completely.
Pour popcorn onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets and sprinkle with red velvet crumbs.
Melt dark chocolate chips in microwave or double boiler. Using fork, drizzle over popcorn.
Let popcorn set completely before eating.

Want to make Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn Balls? Here's a recipe adapted from IcyViolet's Kitchen. It's quite heavenly--and very rich.

III. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN BALLS

Ingredients
12 ounces white chocolate 
1/4 cup cream cheese
1-1/4 cup white cake mix
1/4 cup DARK cocoa powder
2 tsp red food coloring (or 1/4 tsp red food gel)
1/4 cup corn kernels
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: 
Put 1/4 cup corn kernels in large pot with Tbsp olive oil over medium to medium high heat...they will heat up and start popping. When popping lessens and stops. it's done. Measure out six cups and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Add cream cheese to chocolate and stir until melted.
Add cake mix, cocoa, and red food coloring to chocolate mixture and stir.
Pour coating onto popcorn and coat evenly.
Pour popcorn onto cookie sheets to cool/harden and shape into popcorn balls

CHOCOLATE: A Night at the Movies!

Sunday night I'll be watching the Academy Awards, and I will be eating chocolate. So I started to think about all the great movies that involve Chocolate. Here's a short list. There are a lot of movies with Chocolate in the title that have nothing or little to do with chocolate, so I've skipped those. Enjoy! Make some Chocolate Covered Popcorn to watch! Recipe at the end of this post.

Chocolat.  2000. A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community. Based on the book by Joanne Harris with Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Alfred Molina.

Like Water for Chocolate. Como agua para chocolate. 1992. Based on the novel by Mexican author Laura Esquivel.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. 1971 with Gene Wilder. Based on the book by Roald Dahl.

Consuming Passions. Cioccolato Bollente. 1988 in Italian, made in the UK. Black Comedy about a young executive who tries to modernize a chocolate factory.

Bread and Chocolate Pane e cioccolata. 1973 Italian film about an Italian immigrant in Switzerland trying to make a better life for himself while dealing with increasing bigotry and bad luck.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 2005. Johnny Depp. Based on the Roald Dahl book, but no where as good as the first movie.

Lessons in Chocolate. 2007. (lezioni di cioccolato) Italian film set in the chocolate world of Perugia.

Milton Hershey: The Chocolate King (documentary). 1995

Kings of Pastry.  (documentary) 2009. Sixteen French pastry chefs gathered in Lyon for three intense days of mixing, piping and sculpting everything from delicate chocolates to six-foot sugar sculptures in hopes of being declared one of the best. Prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France competition. Not just chocolate, but there's a lot of chocolate!

EASY CHOCOLATE COVERED POPCORN

1. Make a bag of popcorn (buttered or plain) and pop it according to the directions.
2. Put the popped popcorn into large bowl or flat baking pan (for more even distribution).
3. Melt dark or white chocolate or both (in separate bowls) in top of double boiler (or in microwave).
4. Drizzle chocolate on popcorn. You can always add more chocolate, but you can't remove it, so use sparingly.

A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS: RED VELVET POPCORN

Last year I posted a recipe for Chocolate Covered Popcorn--perfect to snack on while watching the Academy Awards.  

Want to take it up a notch?

Here are recipes for: 


Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn 

and 

Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn Balls

Roll out the Red Carpet!

I. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN

Ingredients
1 cup red velvet cake crumbs  (make your own cake or buy one at the bakery - a few unfrosted cupcakes will do)
2 Tbsp sweet butter
2 Tbsp Madagascar vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 cups popcorn, popped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spread cake crumbs on baking sheet. Bake 8 - 10 minutes until toasted. Cool.
3. Melt butter, vanilla, sugar, salt and mix.
4. Toss popcorn with butter mixture.
5. Microwave white chocolate chips or melt in double boiler; stir until smooth.
6. Drizzle over popcorn until evenly coated.
7. Toss in cake crumbs.

II. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN
Recipe adapted from CassieCraves, adapted from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients
8 cups popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped kernels or 2 bags)
3 cups red velvet cake crumbs
12 ounces white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions
1. Pour popcorn into large bowl. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler.
2. Pour melted chocolate over popcorn and stir gently to coat completely.
3. Pour popcorn onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets and sprinkle with red velvet crumbs.
4. Melt dark chocolate chips in microwave or double boiler. Using fork, drizzle over popcorn.
5. Let popcorn set completely before eating.

Want to make Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn Balls? Here's a recipe adapted from IcyViolet's Kitchen. It's quite heavenly--and very rich.

III. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN BALLS

Ingredients
12 ounces white chocolate 
1/4 cup cream cheese
1-1/4 cup white cake mix
1/4 cup DARK cocoa powder
2 tsp red food coloring (or 1/4 tsp red food gel)
1/4 cup corn kernels
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: 
1. Put 1/4 cup corn kernels in large pot with Tbsp olive oil over medium to medium high heat...they will heat up and start popping. When popping lessens and stops. it's done. Measure out six cups and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Add cream cheese to chocolate and stir until melted.
3. Add cake mix, cocoa, and red food coloring to chocolate mixture and stir.
4. Pour coating onto popcorn and coat evenly.
5. Pour popcorn onto cookie sheets to cool/harden and shape into popcorn balls

A Night at the Oscars: Chocolate Covered Popcorn

The Academy Awards are Sunday night. For "A Night at the Movies" or a Night About the Movies, one must have Popcorn -- dressed appropriately for the occasion. Here's a simple recipe worthy of Oscar viewing!

You can use dark or white chocolate -- or both. Just drizzle some great melted chocolate over your air-popped Popcorn. Drizzle sparingly. Less is more!

CHOCOLATE COVERED POPCORN

1. Make a bag of popcorn (buttered or plain) and pop it according to the directions. (airpopping!)
2. Put popped popcorn into large bowl or flat baking pan (for more even distribution).
3. Melt dark or white chocolate or both (in separate bowls) in top of double boiler (or in microwave).
4. Drizzle chocolate on popcorn. You can always add more chocolate, but you can't remove it, so use sparingly.

Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn & Popcorn Balls for the Academy Awards

Yesterday I posted a recipe for Chocolate Covered Popcorn--perfect to eat while watching the Academy Awards. Want to take it up a notch?

Here are two recipes for Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn and a recipe for Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn Balls. 

Roll out the Red Carpet!

 
I. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN

Ingredients
1 cup red velvet cake crumbs  (make your own cake or buy one at the bakery - a few unfrosted cupcakes will do)
2 Tbsp sweet butter
2 Tbsp Madagascar vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 cups popcorn, popped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spread cake crumbs on baking sheet. Bake 8 - 10 minutes until toasted. Cool.
3. Melt butter, vanilla, sugar, salt and mix.
4. Toss popcorn with butter mixture.
5. Microwave white chocolate chips or melt in double boiler; stir until smooth.
6. Drizzle over popcorn until evenly coated.
7. Toss in cake crumbs.

II. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN
Recipe adapted from CassieCraves, adapted from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients
8 cups popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped kernels or 2 bags)
3 cups red velvet cake crumbs
12 ounces white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions
1. Pour popcorn into large bowl. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler.
2. Pour melted chocolate over popcorn and stir gently to coat completely.
3. Pour popcorn onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets and sprinkle with red velvet crumbs.
4. Melt dark chocolate chips in microwave or double boiler. Using fork, drizzle over popcorn.
5. Let popcorn set completely before eating.

Want to make Red Carpet Red Velvet Popcorn Balls? Here's a recipe adapted from IcyViolet's Kitchen. It's quite heavenly--and very rich.

III. RED CARPET RED VELVET POPCORN BALLS

Ingredients
12 oz white chocolate 
1/4 cup cream cheese
1-1/4 cup white cake mix
1/4 cup DARK cocoa powder
2 teaspoons red food coloring (or 1/4 tsp red food gel)
1/4 cup corn kernels
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions: 
1. Put 1/4 cup corn kernels in large pot with Tbsp olive oil over medium to medium high heat...they will heat up and start popping. When popping lessens and stops. it's done. Measure out six cups and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Add cream cheese to chocolate and stir until melted.
3. Add cake mix, cocoa, and red food coloring to chocolate mixture and stir.
4. Pour coating onto popcorn and coat evenly.
5. Pour popcorn  onto cookie sheets to cool/harden and shape into popcorn balls

And the Oscar Goes to...

I know I'll be making some special chocolate treats for the Academy Awards, but probably not as fancy as the Chocolate Oscar statuettes created by Chef Wolfgang Puck. They'll be featured at a Champagne Bar at the Governors Ball following the Awards Ceremony. They are dark chocolate coated with edible 14-carat gold.

There are a few chocolate companies that have gold foil wrapped chocolate Oscar statuettes. Not sure if there are any still available. Amazon says they're out of stock, but I found a listing HERE. These chocolate Oscar statues don't have the panache of those by Wolfgang Puck, and I doubt the flavor, but if you need one now, they're available, just do a search.  I also found Chocolate Oscar Statue in a Gold Box HERE. 

Want to make your own Chocolate Oscar? I saw a Chocolate Oscar Statue Mold on eBay.


Want to make Cookies instead?


I have a great Oscar Cookie Cutter I found a few years ago on eBay. Mine is a real nice copper one, but you can find a different one HERE. And here's another with a base HERE. It's not available from Cookies Seattle right now, but it's the one I have, and you can find it if you do a search.

Speaking of Oscar Cookies, Bakerella had a fantastic post this week on Oscar Cookies, making, decorating and standing them up on cookie bases. Her cookies sure look like the winners, and I bet they taste like them, too!

Have a great Oscar Night!