Chocolate Covered Caramel Popcorn

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
2. Have your popcorn popped and ready, with any un-popped kernels removed. Have it in a bowl or pot that’s large enough to hold all the popcorn with room to stir it around.
3. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, and light corn syrup. Cook over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, cook for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract.
5. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix well to coat all the popcorn.
6. Pour the caramel covered popcorn over 2 rimmed sheet pans that have been coated in cooking spray.
7. Bake the popcorn for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
8. Then remove the pans from the oven and allow the popcorn to cool completely.
9. Once the popcorn has cooled gently stir it with a spatula to separate it.
10. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, or in the microwave. If you heat it in the microwave, make sure that you only heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each additional heating. Stop once it’s smooth.
11. Drizzle the chocolate over the pans of popcorn using a spoon or a spatula.
12. Put the pans into the refrigerator to set the chocolate.
13. Once the chocolate has set, use a spatula to again gently break up the popcorn, then portion it into bags or containers. Store in a cool location.

*Note: If you prefer milk chocolate, then use bars. Milk chocolate chips may clump when melted.
** For 6 cups of popped corn it took about 3/4 cup of un-popped kernels, and I had to pop 1/4 cup of kernels at a time in my popper.