Popcorn and Pretzels

I must be feeling nostalgic this week because I found another Halloween photo that I just couldn't resist sharing.  This is my son (a bunny) and my daughter (a tulip) on the front porch of our home in Pennsylvania.  It was my daughter's first Halloween.    

My husband loves chocolate covered pretzels so I made some Halloween themed chocolate pretzels last week.  I took my cue from one of my kids favorite Halloween candies - candy corn.

I melted some orange chocolate in the microwave.
I dipped each pretzel in the chocolate and then let it harden.
I melted some white chocolate and dipped each pretzel halfway up the rod.
Lastly, I sprinkled yellow sugar on the end of each pretzel before the chocolate hardened.





My family loves these pretzels and I change up the colors and the sprinkles to suit whatever holiday or season we are celebrating.  At Christmas time, I dip pretzel rods in melted caramel and then in milk chocolate before I roll them in crushed peanuts.  They are always a crowd pleaser.

Another snack that I make for just about every holiday is chocolate popcorn.  There is such a wide variety of chocolate colors available now that it is easy to change it for every season.   I have made this treat for school parties, team snacks and holiday parties.  Last week I made the Halloween version of chocolate popcorn of course.

This recipe is so simple, I start by making a bag of microwave popcorn.  (I like Orville Redenbacher's Tender White popcorn.)

Spread the popcorn out on a baking sheet.  Remove any unpopped kernels.

 
Melt the chocolate in the microwave.  (I used the leftover orange chocolate from the pretzels.)
Pour melted chocolate into a ziploc bag, snip the corner of the bag and drizzle over the popcorn.
You can use more than one color of chocolate on the popcorn to make it even more colorful.
I sprinkled a few autumn jimmies over the warm chocolate as well to make it more festive.
Let the popcorn sit until chocolate hardens and then put it into bags or in a bowl for serving.

I was skeptical of chocolate popcorn when I first heard about it.  I'm usually not a fan of salty and sweet together.   I really do like this combination though.  For some reason, I can't seem to stop eating it once I start - it's just that good.

I want to know - what is your favorite Halloween treat? 

Bon Appetit!