Homemade Moose Munch Popcorn
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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
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:
MOOSE MUNCH RECIPE
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.
OTHER DELICIOUS TREATS TO ENJOY
If you love recipes like this gourmet caramel corn, you are sure to love these other snacks!
- Popcorn Cake (pictured above)
- Peppermint Bark Popcorn
- Popcorn and Snack Mixes
- Spring Candy-Coated Popcorn
- Peppermint Popcorn
- Caramel Churro Chex Mix
- Crack Corn
- Winter Wonderland Snack Mix
- Lucky Charms Snack Mix
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
- An Affair from the Heart – Moose Munch Popcorn
- Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Breakfast Egg Bites
- The Culinary Compass – Pull Apart Garlic Bread
- Devour Dinner – BBQ Nachos
- Family Around the Table – Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Salad
- Feast + West – Peach Whiskey Smash
- Home Cooked Harvest – Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
- Hostess at Heart – Peanut Butter Cookie
- Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe
- Life Currents – Jalapeño Poppers Puffs
- Off the Eaten Path – Cheerwine Bourbon Slush Cocktails
- The Speckled Palate – Lemon Cooler Cookies
- Sue Bee Homemaker – Fruit Dip Without Marshmallow Cream
- The Wimpy Vegetarian – How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Let’s make a batch of this yummy popcorn!
LIKE THIS RECIPE?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and
leave a comment below the recipe!
Homemade Moose Munch Popcorn
Equipment
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.
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.
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 🥰!
Thank you for sharing!! I am partial to ark chocolate too!
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!
I am so happy that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks, Lynn!
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!
Happy that you enjoyed it!
You say two large bags of popcorn. How large should the bags be? Thanks
There are the small bags (mini) of microwave popcorn and the large bags (normal sized) – use two of the large bags. To my knowledge there are only two sizes of microwave popcorn.
So sorry, Guess this was a case of reading over what the mind thinks as I read right over the word microwave and thought already popped offerings. Thank you for responding, I will try not to let it happen again…………lol.
Never feel like you can’t ask a question here! 😉
I have a question about storing it! I’m making it this week for an event on Saturday. What would be the best way to store it so it stays fresh for a couple of days? Thank you in advance!
I would store it in an airtight container or a big ziplock bag. It’s so much better when it’s fresh – the closer you can make to the event, the better!
I followed the recipes and the reviews to a tee. This is a great recipe! My husband and I made it together and it turned out better than expected. Baking the popcorn mixture and turning every 15 minutes was crucial to it’s success. We will be giving away this Christmas.
I love that you made it together!! And I am so happy that you enjoyed the recipe. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. <3
This absolutely fabulous! The best recipe that I have found after testing many others. Thank you so much.
So happy that you liked it, Norma!