Who doesn’t love caramel-covered popcorn dipped in chocolate? These gluten-free Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Bars are decadent small bites that deliver a sweet and salty combo with every mouthful.
I like to keep my desserts gluten free, and what’s more delicious than popcorn, caramel, and chocolate? Combine the trio and you are in for a delicious and easy-to-make treat. I love portable treats and these Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Bars are perfect for lunch boxes, road trips, or picnics. Just wrap and go! They might go too fast, though, because they are so amazingly delicious!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Bars
To make these bars, you have to make caramel. Please do not be intimidated by making caramel! The ingredients are found at any grocery store and the process is a lot easier than it sounds. Just make sure none of your ingredients have any gluten snuck in there. That’s some sneaky stuff!
Some tips for getting your caramel perfect:
- Use a heavy-bottom pot,
- Utilize a sturdy spatula and stir frequently,
- Don’t forget to use a cooking thermometer to get it absolutely perfect.
I am now and forever obsessed with anything salted caramel. If I see a dessert on a menu that has the words “salted caramel” in the description, I am ordering it in a hot minute. I guess it’s the salty-sweet combo of this Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Bars recipe that has me swooning so much. I just cannot resist!
These Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Bars, with their luscious caramel and dark chocolate, are very rich so I kept them small. One pan made over 20 bars.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter
- 1 3.5-oz bag of microwave popcorn, popped
- 1 10-oz bag of dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray.
- Heat a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, water, milk, corn syrup, and butter to the pan. Let it come to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Measure the temperature of the mixture with a candy thermometer until it reaches 245ºF. Remove from the heat.
- Let the mixture cool slightly, then stir in the popcorn.
- Pour the mixture into the parchment-lined pan.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely. You can put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
- Remove the caramel popcorn from the pan. Place on a cutting board and remove the parchment.
- Cut into 8 strips, and then cut each strip into thirds.
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate, in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until all of the chocolate is melted.
- Dip the bottom of each bar in the chocolate, then place on a piece of parchment paper to let firm up.
- Store the bars in a container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: These can be served without the chocolate and they will be just as delicious. You could also add chopped nuts when you add the popcorn for some added crunch!
We hope you love these Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Bars from SoFabFood Contributor, Jennifer from Low Carb with Jennifer, as much as we do. If you like this recipe, be sure to stop by our Dessert Section for even more like it. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so that you never miss a single recipe, and be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest for daily recipe inspiration. Enjoy!
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