Peanut Butter Popcorn Bars

Remember back in the day when you'd have parties at school and someone's mom would bring in popcorn balls? They were kind of challenging to eat with their shape and a little hard, but once you bit into them, they were sweet and chewy and stuck to your teeth! That's what these babies reminded me of!

The only difference is that they were peanut butter-y instead of having that sweetness of sugar and corn syrup. And with chocolate on top - I mean, you really can't go wrong with that combination. I bet if I took a vote right now of the general public, the combination of peanut butter and chocolate would rise to the top of (most) everyone's list!

I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER! So much that when I was a kid, I would come home from school and serve me up a big bowl of it to eat for a snack! That's it. Just peanut butter. My Mom would always say, "You're gonna get a belly ache from that," but I never listened and sure enough, I always got a belly ache! So I eventually learned and cut back on my peanut butter intake and now I just like it with apples or chocolate. Or in this case, popcorn bars!

Peanut Butter Popcorn Bars

Ingredients
10 cups Popcorn, popped
1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
6 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Heavy Cream

Directions
Place popcorn in a large bowl and set aside. In a large sauce pan, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Pour over popcorn and mix until well coated.

In a baking pan, coated with non-stick spray, press popcorn mixture into the bottom and corners to tightly come together and dry.

In a small double boiler, melt chocolate and cream over low-medium heat, until melted. Pour into a piping bag or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle over popcorn mixture. Let set for 30 minutes and cut into bars. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

Yield: 12 Servings

Source: With a Cherry on Top