Moose Munch Popcorn

5 from 1 vote
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Indulge in our homemade version of Harry and David’s Moose Munch Popcorn – a perfect blend of sweet caramel, rich milk chocolate, and crunchy nuts. This is an absolute favorite during the holidays and on game nights.

Moose Munch Popcorn in a bowl.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in Moose Munch Popcorn
  2. Steps to Buttery Caramel Moose Munch Popcorn
  3. Why is it Called “Moose Munch”?
  4. Gifting Moose Munch for the Holidays
  5. Variations on this Moose Munch Recipe
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. More Tasty Popcorn Treat Ideas
  8. How to Make Moose Munch Popcorn
  9. Moose Munch Popcorn Recipe

This Moose Munch Popcorn is the perfect game night snack, movie treat or holiday gift. Our homemade version tastes just like the famous Harry & David’s Moose Munch Popcorn with its perfectly salty sweet combination of caramel-coated popcorn, nuts and chocolate. Make a giant batch of this premium popcorn and watch it disappear within minutes. It’s crunchy, sweet, and really easy to make.

Ingredients to make Moose Munch Popcorn including light corn syrup, microwave popcorn, brown sugar, milk chocolate chips, lightly salted almonds, peanuts, cashews, butter, baking soda and salt.


Ingredients in Moose Munch Popcorn

This delicious twist on classic caramel popcorn is easy to make with very simple ingredients, yet the end result is a a gourmet sweet and savory treat that everyone will be talking about! Here’s all you need for our homemade moose munch recipe:

  • Popped popcorn – for this recipe, use about 20 cups popped corn or 2 bags unbuttered microwave popcorn, with kernels removed. We really like the Orville Redenbacher’s Naturals Simply Salted popcorn.
  • Whole cashews – about half a cup, lightly salted cashews. You can also choose unsalted if you want to control how salty the treat turns out.
  • Whole almonds – half a cup of lightly salted whole almonds. Again you can chooses the unsalted variety.
  • Peanuts – half a cup, lightly salted
  • Butter – three quarters of a cup, or one and a half sticks unsalted butter.
  • Light brown sugar – one and a half cups. If you want a darker caramel and deeper flavor you can use dark brown sugar.
  • Light corn syrup – half a cup Karo or other light corn syrup brand. This gives the caramel sauce a lot of sweetness without a ton of extra sugar.
  • Baking soda – half a teaspoon. It’ll activate in the corn syrup and brown sugar mixture and create an absolutely decadent homemade creamy caramel.
  • Salt – half teaspoon kosher or table salt.
  • Chocolate chips – One cup Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips. You can use white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate as well. The hint of chocolate adds an extra layer of decadence to this treat.
Saucepan with caramel ingredients including butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.

Steps to Buttery Caramel Moose Munch Popcorn

If you’ve never worked with caramel corn before, it can seem a bit daunting. But following these simple steps will give you perfect results every time!

  1. First, cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper or wax paper.
  2. Next, place all the different types of nuts and the popped popcorn in a large bowl. Make sure to remove as many unpopped kernels as possible before adding to the bowl.
  3. Then, combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a medium sauce pan on the stove. Bring it all to a boil over medium heat, and keep stirring for two minutes.
  4. After two minutes, remove from heat and stir in baking soda and salt, and watch it foam up. Kind of cool to watch! My kids love helping with this part of the process.
  5. Pour caramel over popcorn and fold in with a rubber scraper or spatula until the entire popcorn mixture is well coated.
  6. Divide the popcorn in half and pour equal amounts on the prepared cookie sheets. Spread it all into a single layer.
  7. Bake in the oven at 250 degrees for about ten minutes. Then remove and let it cool.
  8. While the popcorn is baking, time to melt your chocolate. It’s easiest to melt chocolate chips in the microwave for thirty seconds, stirring until smooth.
  9. Use a spoon or fork to drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn. Let it sit until chocolate hardens, then break into pieces and enjoy!
Wooden spoon stirring baked Moose Munch Popcorn.


Why is it Called “Moose Munch”?

Moose Munch popcorn was originally created by Harry & David, a Pacific Northwest-based company known for gourmet treats, gifts and best-selling fruit baskets. The company wanted to expand beyond fruit, and in the early 1990s caramel gourmet popcorn was all the rage. So they experimented with different flavors and ingredients, and the classic Moose Munch was born. It was initially only offered during the holiday season, but the popcorn recipe was so popular they made it available year-round. It’s called “Moose Munch” because the creators wanted to make a snack so yummy that “even the moose would want to munch on it.”

Gifting Moose Munch for the Holidays

Our family has been making this Moose Munch recipe for a long time and we love to share it with friends as holiday gifts. Make multiple batches and find creative ways to package it. A simple cellophane bag with a ribbon tied around, a decorative box or tin is always a cute way to distribute this tasty popcorn.

Three bags of Moose Munch Popcorn next to a bowl of popcorn.

Variations on this Moose Munch Recipe

This recipe is versatile enough so you can change it up as much as you like, depending on tastes, holidays, textures, etc. Here are some ideas for variations:

  • For holidays and different seasons, you can turn this popcorn into a seasonal recipe by adding pumpkin spice, mini marshmallows or candy corn for Halloween and autumn, peppermint chocolate bark and candy cane pieces for Christmas or wintertime, or lighter, fruitier flavors for Easter and spring or summer.
  • Add dried chopped up fruit pieces like chopped cherries, cranberries, mangoes or apples into the mix.
  • Not a fan of almonds? Leave them out! Like walnuts? Toss some in! That’s the beauty of this recipe; you can switch up ingredients to fit your needs.
  • Add extra flavor with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or even cayenne pepper into the caramel or the chocolate drizzle.
  • Make the popcorn more savory by adding in grated parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning or other spices.
Large bowl of Moose Munch Popcorn.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Moose Munch made of?

Moose munch is essentially caramel popcorn loaded with nuts and drizzled with milk chocolate. You can make your own caramel popcorn with this easy recipe or buy caramel corn and add the rest of the ingredients.

Can you double the Moose Munch recipe?

The answer is yes to doubling the recipe as long as two cookie sheets can sit in your oven at one time. If you stack them on a shelf below the other, it may not cook evenly so try to place them side by side in the oven.

How long will Moose Munch last?

It will stay fresh if you can keep the air out of it. So an airtight container or bag tied and stored at room temperature will keep it nice and fresh for about a week.

READ MORE: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas

More Tasty Popcorn Treat Ideas

This Moose Munch Popcorn makes the cutest gift! Tie it up in a bag with festive ribbon and deliver to neighbors, teachers, classmates, and family. Or try some of our other favorite popcorn treats for special occasions:

How to Make Moose Munch Popcorn

Large bowl of Moose Munch Popcorn.

Moose Munch Popcorn

5 from 1 vote
Indulge in our homemade version of Harry and David's Moose Munch Popcorn – a perfect blend of sweet caramel, rich milk chocolate, and crunchy nuts.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 33 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Equipment

  • 2 Cookie Sheet Pans

Ingredients

  • 20 cups popped popcorn, kernels removed
  • ½ cup lightly salted whole cashews
  • ½ cup lightly salted whole almonds
  • ½ cup lightly salted peanuts
  • ¾ cup butter
  • cups light brown sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
    Two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
  • Allow popped popcorn to cool for 15 minutes, then combine with nuts in a large bowl. Set aside.
    Large bowl with popcorn, cashews, almonds and peanuts.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly. Boil for 2 minutes.
    Saucepan with boiled caramel. Wooden spoon on the side.
  • Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and salt. Pour over popcorn and fold until well coated.
    Saucepan with foamy caramel.
  • Pour popcorn onto prepared baking sheets.
    Sheet pan with unbaked caramel nut popcorn mixture.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
    Wooden spoon stirring baked Moose Munch Popcorn.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth.
    Melted chocolate in a bowl.
  • Use a spoon or fork to drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn.
    Drizzling melted chocolate on caramel popcorn and nuts.
  • Allow to cool until chocolate hardens, about 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces and enjoy!
    Hands breaking apart Moose Munch Popcorn.

Notes

You can use microwaveable bags of unbuttered popcorn if you want. I like Orville Redenbacher’s Naturals Simply Salted Popcorn. Use 2 bags. Remember to remove the kernels that didn’t pop. 
  • Store in an airtight container or Ziplock bag, it will stay fresh for 2 weeks. 
  • Omit or substitute any of the nuts in this recipe as long as it equals 1 ½ cups.
  • It’s important to cover the cookie sheets with parchment paper to make for a nonstick surface and an easy cleanup. Just be careful when you stir after the first 15 minutes of baking because the parchment likes to slide around and the cookie sheet is hot! 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 472kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 6gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 274mgPotassium: 207mgFiber: 3gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 355IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 1mg

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Elise Donovan

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