Chocolate Moose Munch

.  Wow, what a whirlwind of a week.  Oh and look at that, it's over!

Not much has been going on around here, this week has been quite busy at the office so that's kept me fairly occupied.   I'm not complaining though, whatever gets us to the weekend faster, right?!

Aside from work, my mind has been consumed with the festivities December is bringing my way.  Let's see, we have [numerous] birthdays, a potential softball reunion, family coming to town, Christmas, and of course, New Years.  Whew, do I have some shopping and planning to do!

One thing I'm struggling with is present ideas.  Gah, it seems to get harder every year.  But I'll admit that I absolutely adore shopping for gifts for people.  Yes, it gets a tad stressful running from corner to corner of the city, but nothing beats finding the perfect gift [even though I always tend to second guess myself after the purchase!].  But isn't it a great feeling to give something to someone they wouldn't normally buy for themselves?  Well, at least I think so.  By the way, does anyone have any fun, creative ideas for presents this year?

Anywho, I know most of you are fully partaking in the hustle and bustle the holiday season brings, which doesn't leave time for many other things.  Am I right or am I right?  I find myself methodically planning every move I make in order to maximize efficiency.  Crazy?  Yes.  So what could be better than a fantastic, easy snack that takes little to no effort?  But will delight both the kiddies and adults alike?  Well, nothing!  And I have the solution here for you today.

I came across the recipe for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Moose Munch over at Something Swanky.  Mmm let me tell you, I'm a sucker for Moose Munch.  And so is Robbie.  So this was a recipe I was going to try out as soon as the time presented itself.  And we were not disappointed.  Now, the add-ins I used when I made the Moose Munch kind of transformed the dish, so that's why I'm calling it Chocolate Moose Munch.  Take a glance at my pics and you'll see why.  But what you get is a rich bowl of confectionary goodies.  Popcorn, caramel, chocolate, pretzel bits, and any type of candy your sweet little heart desires.  Crunchy, sweet, and salty.  Decadence.  Pure decadence.  Enjoy!  .

My Notes:

• I didn't intend for the chocolate to completely cover all of the popcorn, but that's what I ended up with.  I didn't quite think things through, I was too excited to stuff my face ☺ If you'd rather have a more traditional Moose Munch, I would suggest letting the popcorn cool a little, so the chocolate chips/canides don't completely melt.  Or melting the chocolate chips and then drizzling the chocolate over the popcorn and letting it set.  I think that would be really pretty!
• The fun thing about this recipe is that you have complete freedom in deciding what add-ins you use.  I decided on chocolate chips, pretzels, and Robbie's favorite, Reese's Pieces.  But you basically have as many choices as there are candy boxes.  And we all know there's no shortage of variety there.  And just think of the lovely holiday candies you could incorporate!!  Oo, I just got excited.
• I will warn that the melted chocolate got a little messy in the pan and once cooled, some pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan.  But, ha, it's oh-so-worth-it!

Adapted from Something Swanky

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. corn syrup

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 large bag popped popcorn

1-3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

1-3/4 c. white chocolate chips

2 c. mini pretzels, crushed

1 bag Reese's Pieces

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 300°F.  Pour popcorn into 13x9-inch pan.  Combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook and stir until mixture boils.  Continue boiling at a steady rate for 4 minutes without stirring.

2.  Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract.

3.  Pour caramel over popcorn and stir to coat.  Bake 10 to 15 minutes (10 minutes for a chewy snack and 15 minutes for a crunchy treat).

4.  While hot, add toppings and stir to melt milk and white chocolate chips and completely coat the popcorn.  Let cool and set (I put my pan in the freezer to speed up the process).

Yield: Hmm, A LOT!