Homemade Moose Munch Popcorn

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Homemade Moose Munch Popcorn is a copycat recipe of the Harry & David popular snack. This is not your average caramel popcorn, it is a chocolate and caramel-coated popcorn with salty almonds and cashews that will have everyone reaching for just one more handful!

Now you can make your own homemade version of this iconic treat! This copy cat Moose Munch recipe has caramel popcorn and nuts that are drizzled in chocolate to perfection. Ultimately making this the finest sweet, salty, and chocolatey bite.

An excellent handcrafted gift that everyone is sure to request every year, this copycat recipe really is a decadent treat for everyone on your list! It is a perfect anytime snack or appetizer for a crowd. Make a large batch before the holidays to add to bags or gift baskets. No one will be able to resist this light, crisp, buttery treat!

Want other great gift ideas? Try my Hot Cocoa Bombs, Peanut Brittle, or my Graham Cracker Toffee recipe!

WHY IS IT CALLED MOOSE MUNCH?

If you’re not already familiar with moose munch popcorn, it’s a wonderful snack mix created by Harry & David, made from butter toffee caramel popcorn with nuts and chocolate. The name Moose Munch was inspired by Harry & David’s beautiful Pacific Northwest home, where they had the idea of creating a snack that was so yummy that “even the moose would want to munch on it!”

This stuff is light, buttery, sweet and completely addictive. A wonderfully delicious treat for the entire family – perfect for an at-home movie night. This homemade version is even better, too, because it’s fresh from your kitchen! If you don’t finish it as soon as it’s done, it should last around a week in an airtight container before the popcorn gets a little stale tasting.

 

Freaky Friday text it's just as good ol' fashioned blog hop

FREAKY FRIDAY

I have my quarterly Freaky Friday event to thank for finding this wonderful popcorn snack recipe. What is Freaky Friday? Well, it is a good old-fashioned blog hop where me and some of my food blogger buddies are secretly assigned one another blogs to cook/bake from, and we all reveal our recipes at the same time on a Friday morning – and that day is TODAY!

My assigned blog for this summer’s round is The Culinary Compass, a delicious food blog hosted by Sam. Sam graduated with an industrial engineering degree with a minor in food science.  She dreamed of studying food abroad, and that is where the idea of her food blog was born. Because even when we can’t travel to all of the places that we would like, we can still have adventures in their cuisine, right? Brilliant!

THE CULINARY COMPASS RECIPES

The minute I was assigned Sam’s blog, I started digging around. I had a list of recipes that I had marked as the ones I wanted to share with you, they were:

Garlic Butter MusselsBaked Chicken CapreseFruit Pizza, Peach Salsa and Maryland Crab Dip . Even though I had to choose just one recipe to make, I have already printed out the others and will still be trying them in the future – it was such a hard choice to make!
Ultimately, I went a somewhat easy route with her Moose Munch recipe, and only changed one thing – Sam uses peanuts in her recipe and I made it with almonds and cashews.

MOOSE MUNCH RECIPE

It may seem a little nutty that I am sharing the perfect homemade holiday snack in July – but this recipe is the perfect snack for any ‘ol time! Bring it to your next family get-together, tailgate, pot luck, you name it! This chocolate caramel popcorn mix is going to be our new go-to!
 
I loved the ease of this recipe, I made it at the lake house over the 4th of July weekend, and we devoured it!  Another reason I was drawn to this recipe?  My new grandpuppy, his name is Moose!
Here is Moose at the lake at the beginning of June. He’s a sweet 5-month-old Golden Retriever. No, Moose didn’t get to enjoy any of the popcorn, but his parents did!
 
 
 

INGREDIENTS FOR CARAMEL CHOCOLATE POPCORN

This recipe uses a handful of simple ingredients that you may already have on hand!

Microwave Popcorn: Popcorn is the star of this recipe! Be sure that unpopped kernels are removed. You can pop your own popcorn in butter oil if you prefer, or use Buttered Microwave Popcorn. 

Salted Cashews and Salted Almonds: Gives a wonderfully crunchy texture to the popcorn and pairs well with the chocolate flavors. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: The traditional recipe for this popcorn contains both dark chocolate and milk chocolate. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. Feel free to use both chocolates if you like! They will be melted and drizzled over the caramel popcorn and nuts.

To make the caramel you will need: 

Brown Sugar: The brown sugar combined with the butter gives the popcorn its delicious buttery caramel flavor. Light Corn Syrup: Keeps the popcorn from getting a grainy texture. Salted Butter: Popcorn is just not complete without real butter! It truly complements and enhances the other flavors and the salted butter is the best option for this recipe. Baking Soda: reacts with the hot butter and brown sugar, making it bubble. The result is softer textured caramel popcorn.

 

HOW TO MAKE MOOSE MUNCH

My recipe for Moose Munch gourmet popcorn is so straightforward to prepare! Please scroll down to the recipe card to see even more detailed steps.

PREP

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

SPREAD

Spread popped popcorn and nuts over the prepared baking sheet.

STIR

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together. Stirring occasionally.

Bring it to a boil, let it boil for 2 minutes, then remove it from the heat.

Stir in the baking soda.

 

POUR

Immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn and nuts and stir to coat.

BAKE

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven, and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes during the cooking time.

 

SET

Melt the chocolate chips in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Use a fork to drizzle over the top of the popcorn mixture. Let sit on the counter until set.

Love it? Pin it!

Don’t forget where you found this delicious copycat of Harry & David’s Moose Munch recipe! Pin it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest before you go!

 

FAQs About Moose Munch Popcorn

Does Moose Munch Contain Nuts? Yes! This premium popcorn mix contains two kinds of nuts.

What kind of Nuts are in Moose Munch Popcorn? Moose Munch contains both cashews and almonds.

Where is Moose Munch Made? Harry & David’s classic caramel Moose Munch popcorn is made in Medford, Oregon.

Popcorn Cake top view red and white polka dot background

OTHER DELICIOUS TREATS TO ENJOY

If you love recipes like this gourmet caramel corn, you are sure to love these other snacks!

SEE ALL OF MY POPCORN & SNACK MIXES

A special thank you to Sam, of The Culinary Compass for this amazing recipe! Make sure to check out all of her yummy recipes, you will be glad that you did!

See all of our 2022 Freaky Friday Summer Edition Recipes

Hosted by – An Affair from the Heart

  1. An Affair from the Heart – Moose Munch Popcorn
  2. Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Breakfast Egg Bites
  3. The Culinary Compass – Pull Apart Garlic Bread
  4. Devour Dinner – BBQ Nachos
  5. Family Around the Table – Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Salad
  6. Feast + West – Peach Whiskey Smash
  7. Home Cooked Harvest – Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
  8. Hostess at Heart – Peanut Butter Cookie
  9. Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe
  10. Life Currents – Jalapeño Poppers Puffs
  11. Off the Eaten Path –  Cheerwine Bourbon Slush Cocktails
  12. The Speckled Palate – Lemon Cooler Cookies
  13. Sue Bee Homemaker – Fruit Dip Without Marshmallow Cream
  14. The Wimpy Vegetarian – How to Make Enchilada Sauce

 

Let’s make a batch of this yummy popcorn!

  M. logo An Affair from the Heart

Moose Munch gourmet popcorn in bowl
4.46 from 35 votes
Print Recipe

Homemade Moose Munch Popcorn

Homemade Moose Munch Popcorn is a copycat recipe of the Harry & David popular snack. This is not your average caramel popcorn, it is a chocolate and caramel-coated popcorn with salty almonds and cashews that will have everyone reaching for just one more handful!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Popcorn & Snack Mixes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: caramel chocolate popcorn, caramel popcorn, copy cat Moose Munch recipe, copycat Harry & David's Moose Munch, Homemade Moose Munch recipe, Moose Munch Popcorn, Moose Munch recipe, recipe for Moose Munch, recipe for Moose Munch popcorn, recipe Moose Munch gourmet popcorn
Calories: 209kcal
Author: Michaela Kenkel

Ingredients

  • 2 large bags of microwave popcorn popped,unpopped kernels removed
  • 1/4 heaping cup salted cashews
  • 1/4 heaping cup salted almonds
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • Spread popped popcorn and nuts over the prepared baking sheet.
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup together. Stirring occasionally. Bring it to a boil, let it boil for 2 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the baking soda.
  • Immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn and nuts and stir to coat.
  • Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven, and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes during the cooking time.
  • Melt the chocolate chips in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Use a fork to drizzle over the top of the popcorn mixture. Let sit on the counter until set.

Notes

If you choose to pop your own popcorn, pop 1/2 cup of kernels in 3 Tablespoons popcorn oil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g

Similar Posts

28 Comments

  1. This popcorn is like the kind you can’t put down! I am obsessed with it. I made it for a snack but I am totally giving it out as Christmas gifts this year.

  2. Excellent recipe!
    *First time I followed recipe as written: I found the oven temperature and 15 minute intervals of stirring while baking were very important to finished product.
    *Second time:
    •I made my own popcorn (using recipe notes)
    •I added more variety with nuts (pecans, slivered almonds, whole almonds, cashews) equaling about 3/4-1 cup overall.
    •I used a better quality chocolate (65% – I’m partial to dark chocolate 😋)
    •I refrigerated Munch after it cooled a bit.

    Thanks for the recipe 🥰!

  3. Just made for 1st time and the oven baking is so critical to success. I was concerned because we only boil the sugar and butter for 2 mins but after baking this popcorn turned out wonderful. Thank you!

  4. Caramel & Candied Popcorn has always been a favorite of mine and I always look forward to a new popcorn recipe. I was surprised that this one had baking soda, so I thought I would give it a try. After fighting with the parchment paper and the escaping popcorn, I had my doubts. But all the comments above are justified. What a wonderful treat! Thanks so much!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.