Popcorn Bars
Do you know what is better than popcorn, popcorn bars. I love making homemade lunch box snacks for my kids, these yummy popcorn bars have been a real favourite lately.
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick to make
- Simple ingredients
- A tasty vehicle for nutritious seeds
Ingredients you will need
To make my popcorn bars you will need popcorn, butter and honey. I use vanilla to add a little additional flavour. You can then choose to add small seeds such as hemp seeds or chia seeds to add a little more plant based goodness to the popcorn bars.
Substitutes
- Honey: This can be substituted for maple syrup or granulated sugar. If using maple syrup the popcorn bar will be delicious but they will be a little softer and chewier as the maple syrup forms a softer caramel.
- Salted Butter: Coconut oil will work as a substitute, if using coconut oil, add a pinch of salt as this will enhance the flavour of the caramel.
- Chia and hemp seeds: These seeds are optional and can be left out. Other small seeds such as sesame seeds or flaxseeds could also be used as an alternative.
How to Make Popcorn bars
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my energy bars, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Step one: If you are not using premade popcorn you will need to pop your popcorn kernels. Follow the packet directions or you can learn how I pop my popcorn on the stovetop in my cinnamon popcorn recipe or I also have a post on how to make popcorn in the microwave. Line a small square/rectangular cake or loaf tin with baking paper.
Step two: In a large saucepan melt the butter and honey. The melted butter and honey mixture will foam and will begin to darken in colour as you continue to heat it. As you heat the butter and honey will form a caramel, you will know it's ready when you can draw a spatula through the mixture and you will be able to briefly form a channel.
Step three: While the caramel is boiling, use your hand to crush the popcorn into slightly smaller pieces
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Step four: Remove the caramel from the heat, stir through the vanilla and then stir through the crushed popcorn and seeds if you are using them.
Step five: While the popcorn mixture is still warm, use a spatula to press the mix into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Step six: Allow the popcorn bars to cool in the tin. This can you can do this on the bench or more quickly in the fridge, remove from the loaf tin and cut into bars.
Step eight: Store in an airtight container. I would recommend storing the popcorn bars in the refrigerator, especially if you live in a warm climate. Out of the fridge, the popcorn bars will be crispy and crunchy, they will be softer and chewier if stored in a warmer environment.
Top Tips
Here is how you can make these popcorn bars perfectly every time!
- If you don't think your kids will try the popcorn bars when they have seeds in them, that's ok, skip the seeds, or use fewer seeds, and gradually build up the quantities so they aren't put off by the seeds.
- If you have substituted the salted butter for unsalted butter or coconut oil, be sure to add a pinch of salt to the caramel, this will really enhance the flavour of popcorn bars.
- For a crunchy crispy bar store somewhere or in the fridge, for a softer chewier texture store at room temperature.
- If your popcorn bars do not set, this means the caramel was not boiled for long enough, make sure it has darkened in colour and thickened enough for the channel test, before removing it from the heat.
FAQs
These popcorn bars are nut free so are suitable for school, popcorn can be a choking risk for young children so I wouldn't recommend them for preschoolers. My school-aged children take them in their lunchbox which is packed with an ice pack, and they love them.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
These popcorn bars are based on making a quick honey caramel and then adding the popcorn, the process is similar to my seedy energy bars and my rice bubble slice.
Popcorn Bars
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Ingredients
- 3 cups Popcorn 35g This is popped popcorn
- 30 g butter
- 80 ml honey One third of a cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla 5ml
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds 9g (optional)
- 2 tablespoon hemp seeds 18g (optional)
Instructions
- If you are not using pre-made popcorn you will need to pop your popcorn kernels. Follow the packet directions or you can learn how I pop my popcorn on the stovetop in my cinnamon popcorn recipe. Line a small square/rectangular cake or loaf tin with baking paper.
- In a large saucepan heat the honey and butter, this will foam and will begin to darken in colour. As you heat the butter and honey will form a caramel, you will know it's ready when you can draw a spatula through the mixture and you will be able to briefly form a channel.
- While the caramel is boiling, use your hand to crush the popcorn into slightly smaller pieces
- Remove the caramel from the heat, stir through the vanilla and then stir through the crushed popcorn and seeds if you are using them
- While the popcorn bar mix is still warm, use a spatula to press the mix into the bottom of the baking paper-lined loaf tin or small square cake tin.
- Allow the popcorn bars to cool in the tin. This can you can do this on the bench or more quickly in the fridge, remove from the loaf tin and slice into bars.
Video
Notes
Tips
- Store in an airtight container. I would recommend storing the popcorn bars in the refrigerator, especially if you live in a warm climate. Out of the fridge, the popcorn bars will be crispy and crunchy, they will be softer and chewier if stored in a warmer environment.
- If you don't think your kids will try the popcorn bars when they have seeds in them, that's ok, skip the seeds, or use fewer seeds, and gradually build up the quantities so they aren't put off by the seeds.
- If you have substituted the salted butter for unsalted butter or coconut oil, be sure to add a pinch of salt to the caramel, this will really enhance the flavour of popcorn bars.
- For a crunchy crispy bar store somewhere or in the fridge, for a softer chewier texture store at room temperature.
- These popcorn bars are nut free so are suitable for school, popcorn can be a choking risk for young children so I wouldn't recommend them for preschoolers. My school-aged children take them in their lunchbox which is packed with an ice pack, and they love them.
- If your popcorn bars do not set, this means the caramel was not boiled for long enough, make sure it has darkened in colour and thickened enough for the channel test, before removing it from the heat
- Honey: This can be substituted for maple syrup or granulated sugar. If using maple syrup the popcorn bar will be delicious but they will be a little softer and chewier as the maple syrup forms a softer caramel.
- Salted Butter: Coconut oil will work as a substitute, if using coconut oil, add a pinch of salt as this will enhance the flavour of the caramel.
- Chia and hemp seeds: These seeds are optional and can be left out. Other small seeds such as sesame seeds or flaxseeds could also be used as an alternative.
Nutrition
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Can you use any seeds you have on hand?
Hi Jemma, yes like I've said in the substituitons section any small seeds. As the popcorn is quite bulky if you use large seeds like pumpkin seeds the caramel may not hold everything together, a small seed fits in the gaps the popcorn leaves, so it all holds together well.
So easy and totally delicious!!! Such a good base recipe as well that I think there will be no more store bought muesli bars!
Yum! Such a great treat. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I altered it a bit to reduce the sugar (to 1/6c honey) and replaced the the other half with 1/6c of natural peanut butter, added after the caramel was removed from heat. Wow, amazing 😀
Quick, easy & sooo yummy.
Hi just wondering if these can be stored in the freezer?
Thanks
Sorry, I haven't tried freezing the bars, but they do last really well in the firdge.
I must try these. Thanks for sharing.