Caramel Popcorn Dark and Milk Chocolate Cookies. Soft, chewy, and packed with caramel popcorn, and a mix of dark and milk chocolate. Topped off with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Delicious, easy, and fun to make and eat, these cookies will have you anticipating every bite until the cookie disappears!
CARAMEL POPCORN
Have you ever had a food just drop into your life that you never knew you needed? That happened to me recently with Caramel Popcorn! I saw a recipe for it in one of my grandmother’s old cooking magazines and instantly felt the need to make it.
It took a few attempts to get it just right since I wanted to make a recipe without corn syrup. Brown sugar and honey made the perfect healthier (er…less unhealthy) substitute!
I used 3 cups of my caramel popcorn recipe for these cookies. It’s the best option, in my opinion, because you can make the caramel popcorn as a treat to enjoy and still have enough to add to these cookies!
Caramel popcorn couldn’t be easier to make! You just mix up a simple caramel, mix it with fresh popcorn, and bake it for about 20 minutes.
OTHER POPCORN OPTIONS
- Store bought caramel popcorn: I haven’t used store bought, but I think it’d be fine.
- Cracker Jacks! Since Cracker Jacks are basically caramel popcorn with nuts, this would definitely work especially if you like nuts.
- Plain or buttered popcorn. I haven’t used buttered popcorn yet, but I’m so curious to try it in these cookies! Buttered popcorn chocolate chip cookies, anyone?!
Popcorn Cookies
I came up with the idea for these cookies because, honestly, I just wanted another way to enjoy this caramel popcorn! Popcorn and cookies sounded fun together and I knew the textures and flavors would be DELICIOUS!
DARK AND MILK CHOCOLATE
Dark chocolate = GOOD! Dark and milk chocolate = EVEN BETTER! I happen to love both and I also like how they taste together. Also, since my husband prefers dark and I prefer milk chocolate, there’s something for everyone.
If you love combining milk and dark, check out my Brown Butter Toffee Cookies with Mixed Chopped Chocolate. If you love white chocolate, you could even add some chopped white chocolate!
I used more dark chocolate here since I’m using caramel popcorn which is already pretty sweet. I usually use Lindt bars and just chop them up. I usually get the 70% dark bars. Use all of one type of chocolate, or combine them to make 1 cup like I did.
OTHER CHOCOLATE OPTIONS
- Chocolate Chips: Instead of the cup of chopped chocolate, you could use 1 cup of chocolate chips! Use dark, semisweet, or even white chocolate! (By the way, I have so many chocolate chip cookie recipes for you to try! I’ll start by recommending two of my most popular which are these Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies and Shortbread Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips!
- Chocolate Chunks: These would also be delicious and I think would be amazing texture-wise!
FLAKY SEA SALT
Speaking of chocolate, I should mention that these chocolatey cookies are finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Why did chocolate remind me of sea salt? Because salt intensifies the chocolate flavor! It also balances out the sweetness from the milk chocolate and caramel popcorn.
Add the sea salt to the dough balls just before they go into the oven or sprinkle it on as soon as you take them out.
Ok…that was a lot about the add ins! The caramel popcorn and chocolate are so important and so GOOD in this recipe, so I had to be sure to share all the details.
HOW TO MAKE POPCORN COOKIES
The cookie dough itself doesn’t need as much explaining since it’s pretty much your standard chocolate chip cookie…butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
I like to use dark brown sugar and some granulated sugar. The dark brown sugar helps the cookies get their nice chewy middles and adds a tasty molasses flavor! I prefer dark, but you can also use light brown sugar.
Once the dough is mixed, fold in the popcorn and chocolate. The popcorn will break a little but that’s okay! You’ll end up with some whole pieces and some smaller pieces of popcorn.
These are definitely MONSTER popcorn cookies which is how I like my cookies these days. To scoop them onto the cookie sheet, I use a large ice cream scoop (size 16). You can also measure out 1/4 cup of dough and form it into balls. If you prefer smaller cookies, be sure to reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
No need to flatten the dough and no chill/rest necessary with this dough. Bake until the edges are golden brown.
I have never seen a cookie more fun or delicious tasting than these Caramel Popcorn Dark and Milk Chocolate Cookies! They’re made with lots of vanilla and brown sugar, packed with caramel popcorn, dark chocolate and milk chocolate and topped with flaky sea salt. When you taste how good they are, you’ll realize why they needed to be monster sized!
Print
Caramel Popcorn Dark and Milk Chocolate Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 1 dozen 1x
- Category: Desserts, Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with homemade caramel popcorn and both dark and milk chocolate, these Caramel Popcorn Dark and Milk Chocolate Cookies have a soft, chewy texture and are full of flavor!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar (preferably dark), packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups popcorn caramel popcorn (or buttered or plain popcorn, air popped or microwave)
- 1 cup chocolate (dark and/or milk, chopped or chocolate chips)
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat an additional minute. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients. Stir in the popcorn followed by the chocolate.
- Use a large ice cream scoop or 1/4 measuring cup, scoop out the dough and place balls onto prepared baking sheets. Top with flaky sea salt and bake Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until edges turn golden brown. Allow to cool for five minutes on baking sheet before eating or transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Keywords: popcorn, cookies, caramel popcorn, chocolate, chopped chocolate, dark chocolate, popcorn cookies, chocolate chip cookies
