Hold up. If you are a sweet and salty lover, these are for you. Even if you are not a fan of sweet and salty, I promise you these bars are life changing. Now, I don’t say this lightly because I do make food 24/7. However, I believe that any healthy snack or dessert recipe that takes less than 10 minutes to throw together is a total game-changer. These healthy popcorn bars are crunchy, sweet, soft, and made with only 3 essential ingredients.
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What are popcorn bars?
Well, I am so glad you asked. These healthy popcorn bars are made with only a few, wholesome ingredients. If you have the main 3 ingredients, you are golden. The reason why I love these bars is because they satisfy my after-meal sweet tooth while fulfilling my need for something that encapsulates all textures. I’m talking crunchy, soft, melt-in-your-mouth, and chewy. I know those descriptions sound like they cancel each other out, but I promise you, until you try them you won’t understand.
What are the essential ingredients?
The essential ingredients for this recipe is pretty simple and is as follows below:
Ingredients:
- Popcorn (I use SkinnyPop)
- Almond butter (drippy is best!)
- Honey or maple syrup
- Optional: Chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla extract
The reason I listed chocolate (even though it should NEVER be optional), cinnamon, and vanilla as optional is because they are flavor boosters and not technically essential to the recipe. The day I tested this recipe I only used the three essential ingredients and I was shook at how good they were. Then when I filmed and photographed this recipe I used cinnamon (which sounds weird but actually makes these bars even better), vanilla, and of course, I added the melted chocolate coating,
What about dietary needs?
Not only is this recipe made with unrefined sugar, it is also naturally gluten free, dairy free, and can be made vegan by using maple syrup! It’s packed full of healthy fats that will keep you satisfied after any meal or as a mid-afternoon snack. I encourage you to give this recipe a go! They are perfect to bring to any gatherings. Kids love them and so do adults;)
If you are searching for other healthy snack/dessert ideas, check out the ones below!
- Healthy Cookie Dough! (vegan, low fodmap, no chickpeas)
- Honey Puff Bars (only 3 ingredients!)
- Honey Nut Cereal Bites
- Pistachio Bars
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Protein Bars
- Low FODMAP Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- No-bake Peanut Butter Turtle Cookies
- Protein Brownie Bites
Healthy Popcorn Bars
Ingredients
- 4 cups popcorn only salt added (like SkinnyPop)
- ½ cup drippy almond butter another nut butter would work here too!
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¼ tsp ground cinamon optional!
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional!
- ½ cup melted chocolate optional (but not really;)
- ½ tbsp oil like coconut or olive to smooth the chocolate (also optional)
Instructions
- First, measure out the 4 cups of popcorn. Using you hands smash the popcorn into small pieces. This is a very therapeutic exercise.
- Next, in a small saucepan add the almond butter, honey, and cinnamon is using. Mix everything together and place on medium low heat for about 5-7 minutes. Stir frequently until it is bubbling. The mixture might seem thick, but we are "melting" these ingredients so our popcorn sticks nicely to them!
- After your stove mixture is bubbly, add 1 tsp of vanilla extract if using. Take it off the heat. Then, pour the almond butter syrup mixture over the crumbled popcorn. Mix thoroughly until every kernel is coated!
- Next, add the popcorn mixture to a 8×8 inch parchment lined dish. Press firmly until an even layer of popcorn goodness forms. I like to place the mixture in the freezer as I work on the "optional" next step.
- Finally, melt the chocolate (I use stevia-sweetened, dairy- free, dark chocolate) with the oil to thin in a microwaveable dish in 30 second increments. Once the chocolate is smooth, pour it over the bars and distribute evenly. I also like to add some extra popcorn on top for decoration.
- And lastly, the worst part. You will need to freeze these bars for about an hour before you cut into them. I know, it's horrible to be patient. You could eat them right away, they just might fall apart.
- Once your bars have been in the freezer for an hour, slice and enjoy! I keep mine refrigerated, covered in their dish for throughout-the-week sweet treats! Serve them to your family, friends, and kids!
If you made these healthy popcorn bars, please let me know down in the comments! I would love to hear how much you enjoyed them!
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