Last night had we had a couple littles (and my little sister who is not so little anymore) over for a cookout and watercolor evening.
It was fantastic. We set them up outside with paint, paper, and brushes and let them have at it. And while they were painting the mr took charge of the grill: cooking up potatoes, corn, and the tofu dogs.
I was cutting up fruit and making a special snack treat of popcorn (who doesn't love popcorn?) consisting of almond butter, coconut, and chocolate....Almond Joy popcorn.
Addictive like crack. But still safe for children
The littles were more or less indifferent to it ( they are not big coconut fans..I know, but i am making it a mission to make them like it), but the sister and the mr… Lets just say I had to pull out my outdoor voice on them a few times (STOP EATING IT ALL!!!!!)
I think we have a winner here!
The stuff. A large quantity of air popped popcorn, almond butter, chocolate chip, coconut flakes and coconut oil. We also have some extra chocolate chips and a big handful of roasted almonds.
Licking your lips yet?
Start by dumpling your popcorn into the larges baking sheet to pan that you have.. the more surface area the better. Now heat up the almond butter. You can do this on the stove or in the microwave. The trick here is to heat it slowly so you don't burn it. If doing on the stove, put in a sauce pot and with a fork, constantly stir until a drizzable consistency. If in microwave, stick it in there for 10 second intervals.
Note. I know from experience that there are many different types and consistency of almond butters out there. If your butter seems really stiff and thick, add a teaspoon of coconut oil.
As soon as your almond butter is melted, drizzle all over the popcorn.
With the same pot (no need to clean) place teaspoon of coconut oil in it. Heat oil until hot. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Kepp string until the chips are melted.
And drizzle that all over
Then toss on the coconut chips, chopped almond bits, and the chocolate chip.
With your (clean) hands, give the popcorn a good toss, mixing everything all around.
And now place either in a big bowl or individual cups (great for littles) I happened to have some pink(beet juice stained) shredded coconut on hand, which made for a nice touch of pretty (totally not necessary,but it kinda was). Next time maybe some sprinkles would look nice…...
Anyway, be ready to lick you fingers!
And I am giving you ample amount of time to get the ingredients needed for this. Makes the perfect snack for a cookout, a party, or movie night(or Netflix binge)
Happy Day!!!
-C
Almond Joy Popcorn Crack
- 6-7 cups air poppped popcorn
- 1/3 cup smooth almond butter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips plus a handful (use vegan chocolate chip if needed)
- 1 -2 teaspoon coconut oil
- handful of toasted almonds, chopped into pieces
Feel free to play with proportion. You can adjust the amount and ratios of all the ingredients to your taste preference.
Take popcorn and dump on the biggest baking sheet or pan that you have and level it out. Either on the stove or in the microwave, heat almond butter until a melty a runny consistency. If doing so on the stove, make sure to consantly stir while heating* If in microwave, check ever 10 seconds. (burnt almond butter tastes like crap )
*Note. I find that all almond butters are not the same. IF you feel that yours is not melty and drizzable enough, add in a teaspoon of coconut oil.With a spoon or spatula, drizzle all over popcorn. .
Now take the coconut oil and melt on stove or in microwave until hot. Remove from heat, add in chocolate chips and mix around until fully melted. Drizzle all over popcorn .
And last but not least, take the coconut flakes, almond pieces, and the extra handful of chocolate chips and toss those in too. With clean hands, give everything a good mix Dump into a big bowl or individual container.
Eat with hands..lick your fingers clean..
Word of caution…Once you start, you will not be able to stop eating this.
Simple lemon cake stuff. Flour, baking powder and salt whisked together, Sugar and soft butter in a bowl. An egg, some vanilla, milk, and of course, the lemon. 
Frozen bites ready for the chocolate coating… Bittersweet chocolate chips and a little bit of coconut oil. Melted together all nice and shiny smooth.
Now dip and slather those bites in the melted chocolate. 
Fully coated and placed on a rack for the chocolate to harden. I ended up sticking the rack in the freezer for 10 minutes…They harder really fast in there.
Because it is cold outside. Because I had an hour to kill before I needed to leave the house and because I wanted to make a sweet treat for the mister (who had been dealing with frozen pipes all day) and for the little littles that I was going to hang out with. 
The stuff…Flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice. Cocoa powder, brown and white sugar. Veggie Oil (you can use butter, or vegan butter instead for a chewier cookie) vanilla, a little vinegar and a nice cup of chai tea... Also a little bowl of cinnamon and sugar to doodle the cookies.
The sugars, oil, tea, vinegar, and vanilla go into a big bowl. Beat for a minute on medium, then add the rest of the stuff and beat some more until fully incorporated…. Simple simple. 
Aahhhh…….pulled from the oven and placed on a rack to cool. Fluffy, chewy, pillowy soft and spicy cookies. Oh the smell of so good!
Made extra large to make extra little littles happy. The best part? I made each little sing me a song for a second cookie… I am the greatest!
So lovely. Shadow hearts while the whoopie hearts cool. 
Whoopies all paired up
Stuffed with a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream ( a cold can of coconut cream whipped with a splash of vanilla and a tad bit of sweetener) and sprinkled with my home-made beet dyed coconut sprinkles…..