Andes Mint Chocolate Popcorn

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This winter I ran into a grocery store for milk and came out with these little Andes mint chips.  I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but I HAD to have them :-)

Fast forward, like, 6 months ;-) and I've been rolling this one little idea around in my head for a while.  So last week, in an effort to push through a particularly bad bout of anxiety, I decided to try something new, and this yummy little snack was born :-)

First things first: you need some popcorn! Plainer is better... I popped mine in my Whirley-Pop (you have one of these, right? If you love popcorn, you need one!), using just a little bit of coconut oil.  

Put that popcorn in a nice, big bowl.  You're going to be doing some tossing and stirring, so make sure you have lots of room in there. 

While the popcorn cools, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and start making your mint chocolate drizzle.  Go ahead and toss the chocolate chips and 1/4C of the Andes chips together and microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring between each zapping :-)  Once the drizzle is fully melted and smooth, drizzle it into the big bowl of popcorn one smallish spoonful at a time, tossing the popcorn after each drizzle.  After several spoonsful, the popcorn will start to stick together.  Use a spatula to keep turning it if tossing isn't working anymore, until all of the drizzle has been added.

Add the rest of the Andes chips to the chocolatey popcorn and give it all one last toss before turning it out onto the waiting cookie sheet.  Melt your candy melts - I like to do this in a ziplock baggie, standing up in a coffee mug so all of the melts collect in a corner - and drizzle it over the popcorn on the cookie sheet. :-)  Let everything cool and set, then break up into chunks and serve!  It'll be a smidge messy, but nobody's likely to complain :-)  

A corsage baggie full with a cute twist tie and tag would be a super-cute and tasty St. Patrick's Day treat for coworkers or the mailman!

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 C chocolate chips (milk or dark, or both)
• 1 C Andes' Creme De Menthe Baking Chips , divided
• About 8 C popped popcorn (1/3 C unpopped kernels)
• 1/4 C green candy melts

Procedure:

1. Pop popcorn, set aside in large bowl to cool.
2. Line cookie sheet with wax paper.
3. Melt chocolate chips and 1/4 C of the Andes baking chips together in the microwave.
4. Gradually add melted chocolate to popcorn, stirring or tossing frequently, until well-coated.
5. Gently stir in remaining 3/4 C of Andes chips.
6. Spread mixture on the prepared cookie sheet.
7. Melt candy melts and drizzle randomly onto the chocolate-coated popcorn.
8. Allow to set fully, then break into chunks and serve.