Fancy Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup un-popped popcorn kernels
• 2 1/2 cups mini pretzels, broken into pieces
• 1 cup lightly salted peanuts or chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light-corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Pop the popcorn kernels in a popcorn popper, catching them in a very large bowl. Pick through the bowl and discard any kernels that did not pop. Add the broken pretzels and peanuts, fold everything together gently, and set the bowl aside.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter; this should take about 50 seconds. Add the brown sugar, light corn syrup, and salt, then stir until well combined.
3. Microwave the caramel mixture for 2 minutes, stir it, and put it right back in the microwave for 2 more minutes. Take it out, stir in the vanilla and baking soda, and mix until the caramel turns foamy, about 10 seconds. Resist the urge to taste it, because it is extremely hot.
4. Pour the caramel over the popcorn mixture, then stir carefully until everything is evenly covered. Transfer the caramel-coated popcorn to a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper; if you do not have either, butter the cookie sheet instead.
5. Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power, using 30 second intervals and stirring between each one, until it is smooth. Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag or ziploc bag, snip off the tip, and drizzle it over the popcorn. Do the same with the white chocolate chips.
6. Refrigerate the popcorn until the chocolate sets, about 20-30 minutes. Take it out of the refrigerator, break it into pieces, and store it in an airtight container.