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Life Changing Salted Caramel Popcorn Brownies

Life changing decadent dark chocolate brownies topped with salted caramel popcorn. This recipe is made gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: dairy free, gluten free
Keyword: brownies, chocolate, popcorn, salted caramel
Servings: 16
Author: Ciarra Siller

Ingredients

Brownies

  • 1 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, dairy free and sugar free if possible Lily's
  • 1/4 cup Truvia or granulated sweetener of choice
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil melted
  • 2 eggs large at room temp (this is important!)
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened special dark cocoa powder can sub for all regular unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt + more for sprinkling

Popcorn

  • 2 tbsp popcorn kernels
  • sea salt

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup canned coconut milk full fat
  • 1/2 cup honey or agave
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • sea salt

Instructions

for the brownies

  • Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper for easy removal. 
    In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. Set a side to cool slightly.
    In a mixing bowl, stir together the sweetener, cocoa powders and salt. Add in the eggs and vanilla and stir until combined. Finally, stir in the melted chocolate until a batter forms. Transfer to the prepared pan. *Note if eggs are not at room temperature your batter will get tough to spread. In this case, spray non-stick spray on a rubber spatula before spreading the batter into the prepared pan. 
    Bake for 16-20 minutes. You want to remove the brownies before they are completely done cooking so don't be alarmed if they don't look quite finished. 
    Let cool. 

for the popcorn

  • Heat a pot over medium-high heat. Add in the kernels and cover. Reduce heat to low-medium. Shake the pot every 6-10 seconds to keep the kernels from burning. 
    Kernels will start to pop after 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat once all the kernels have popped and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Caramel Sauce

  • Place the honey into a small pot or sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the coconut milk and vanilla and bring to a boil. Once boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often. The mixture will darken in color and thicken up a bit. Add salt to taste.

assembly

  • Use a fork to poke holes over the top of the brownies. 
    Pour half of the caramel over the brownies and the remaining caramel stir into the popcorn until the popcorn is well coated. Top the brownies with caramel popcorn and press the popcorn down using a rubber spatula. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting into bars and serving.

Notes

Store these brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.